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Executive Director
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is made up of members, volunteers, a board, and staff in Utah and across the United States who share the common goal of preserving Utah’s remaining desert wild lands, known collectively as America’s redrock wilderness. Since 1983, SUWA has been the only organization working full-time to defend America’s redrock wilderness from oil and gas development, unnecessary road construction, rampant off-road vehicle use, and other threats to Utah’s wilderness-quality lands.
SUWA’s bold mission is to permanently protect 9.5 million acres as Congressionally-designated Wilderness. SUWA has learned that success requires:
- Tenacity: Taking on big goals and creating the capacity to survive multi-year legal and political fights.
- Impact: Nationalizing our work by building a Protect Wild Utah movement, mobilizing volunteers, and organizing support both in Utah and nationally.
- Risk Taking: Aggressive action creates opportunities. Be bold. When in doubt, lead from the front. Being flexible and nimble when making decisions and prioritizing resources.
- Subject Matter Expertise: Exhaustively researching, mapping, groundtruthing and monitoring proposed wilderness lands. Being flexible and nimble when making decisions and prioritizing resources.
The Executive Director plays a crucial role in SUWA’s success by working with the Leadership Team to ensure that SUWA has the capacity and strategy to achieve its mission of protecting the redrock wilderness. This leader is passionate about protecting public lands and is a fearless and enthusiastic champion of SUWA’s mission, vision and values.
This experienced individual will continue to sustain an organizational culture of teamwork, mutual respect, and one that encourages diverse viewpoints; they will grow a culture that defines and establishes quality work operations and processes while advancing SUWA’s mission. This is a high-profile position, requiring a dynamic and persuasive individual who will motivate and mobilize both internal and external audiences to support SUWA’s work. This individual must demonstrate success in cultivating authentic relationships with a wide range of constituencies, including SUWA members, other nonprofits and partners, tribal leaders, elected officials, and government agencies.
SUWA is looking for a candidate who demonstrates an unwavering passion for SUWA’s mission and the lands that the organization seeks to protect! This individual will have progressive leadership and management experience ideally gained while working at an environmental advocacy organization. The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the ability to operate effectively within a nonprofit governing environment, including a proven expertise and track record in fundraising and nonprofit management.
This person must have strong verbal and written communication skills that translate into effective communications across a variety of platforms and should demonstrate an ability to navigate a political environment at the local, state, and national levels. The successful candidate, ideally, will have experience working with both the Department of the Interior and federal elected officials on Capitol Hill.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position annually is between $160,000 and $175,000 and will be commensurate with experience. SUWA has a supportive culture, encourages professional development, and is an organization that cares about employee wellbeing. The comprehensive benefits package includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexibility Spending Account (FSA), Dependent Care FSA, Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Short- and Long-Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D, and a 3.5% contribution to the retirement plan. Generous Paid Personal, Parental and Bereavement Leave, and Paid Holidays. For each five years of employment, employees are eligible for a two-month sabbatical.
To Apply
If you want to lead this dynamic organization, please submit a current resume and cover letter to Kittleman & Associates. The cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your passion for the SUWA’s mission, as well as organizational impact in current or prior roles.
This role will be filled as soon as possible and the deadline for applications is Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (Click on the Apply link at the bottom of the page)
All qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
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Additional Info
Job Type : Full-time
Education Level : Not Applicable
Experience Level : Director
Organization Mission : The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans.
DEI/Nondiscrimination Statement : The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is to defend and protect the wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau and in Utah’s West Desert.
We are committed to the idea that our commonalities greatly outweigh our differences, and that the redrock is for everyone. Our mission is to protect the redrock for the wonder and enjoyment of all future generations, both human and non-human alike.
The lands we work to protect are the ancestral homelands of many Tribes, including those that were forcibly removed at the hands of the U.S. government in an effort to exterminate their cultures, languages, and ways of life. These injustices are still felt today, but the quest to erase the Tribes failed: indigenous communities continue their traditions and remain an integral part of the landscape and our community. We are committed to working toward understanding this history; to expanding present-day common ground, collaboration, and reconciliation with our Tribal neighbors; and to advocating that Tribes receive a seat at the table when others would exclude them.
The environmental movement has a regrettable history of excluding and oppressing marginalized people. We know that the redrock, humanity, and the future of the planet itself depend on working together to solve our greatest common threat: the climate crisis. As we face the challenges of the 21st century head-on, we recognize we can only do so by including, involving, and elevating Tribes, communities of color, people of diverse economic backgrounds, faith communities, the LGBTQ+ community, and the tapestry of experience that weaves together our common humanity. We are committed to doing this both within our staff and through our daily work to protect the redrock.
Job Location : Salt Lake City, UT
Work Model : Hybrid
Closing Date : 1/8/2025
Compensation Type : Salary
Job Status : Exempt
Benefits Offered : Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement Plan, Paid Holidays, Paid Time Off, Paid Sick Time
Pay Range : $160,000 - $175,000