Job Openings

Executive Director

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Director leads and administers Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1996 through a partnership of the Town of Wilton and The Nature Conservancy, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the County of Saratoga.

Wilton Wildlife is seeking a visionary, dynamic, and skilled leader who is passionate about building the organization’s capacity and teaming with our Board of Directors, our staff, and our volunteers to achieve the mission of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park: Providing environmental education and opportunities for outdoor recreation while supporting conservation of ecological systems and natural settings.

The Executive Director will be responsible for strengthening Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park by fostering organizational leadership and effectiveness, developing financial vitality, turning the vision for the new Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center into reality, and being the voice of the organization. Leading and providing strategic oversight of day-to-day operations, the Executive Director will also focus on overseeing the development and presentation of excellent environmental education programs to a wide range of audiences and ages in off-site classrooms and other settings as well as at the Town of Wilton’s Camp Saratoga.

Working closely with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will collaboratively lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of strategic plans. As the main spokesperson for Wilton Wildlife, the Executive Director is expected to meet the highest standards of professionalism and integrity while establishing and maintaining positive relationships with all WWPP stakeholders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Leadership

  • Collaborate with the Board of Directors, including supporting recruitment and selection of Board members, leadership development, strategic planning, committee work, and effectiveness of meetings and communication.

  • Lead and oversee a nurturing work culture in which all employees feel valued and have opportunities for professional development and advancement and where thoughtful attention is given to hiring, onboarding, mentoring, coordinating, training, supervising, and evaluating staff members and interns.

  • Welcome and engage volunteers, overseeing recruitment, training, coordination of assignments, and recognition.

Fostering Operational and Financial Strength

  • Manage day-to-day operations, ensuring compliance with business policies and reporting as well as legal and financial standards, including preparation and implementation of a strategic plan, development and execution of policies, monthly financial reports and cash-flow estimates, and an annual report.

  • Develop continuing income channels and financial sustainability through grant writing, cultivation of major donors, fund-raising events, program sponsorships, and membership and annual appeals.

  • Manage finances through budget development, careful implementation of income and expense plans, detailed recordkeeping, and decision-making based on financial analysis.

Developing the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center

  • Implement an effective Capital Campaign to raise funds for the new campus-wide education center, including securing grants and major donations, as well as public support.

  • Take a lead role in designing, making logistical arrangements, and overseeing construction as the buildings of the former Boy Scout camp are transformed into accessible, newly built or renovated, program-oriented structures, including a Welcome Cabin (opened in 2025) and an Exhibit and Gathering Hall (in progress).

  • Coordinate the development of pathways, parking lots, and outdoor classroom spaces to improve the connectivity and functionality of the education center campus.

Public Relations

  • Serve as spokesperson for the organization, taking the lead and setting the standard in communicating with land-owner partners, with organizations we serve through programming, with visitors and participants, and with donors and supporters.

  • Coordinate marketing and public outreach, including developing media relations, overseeing preparation of messaging content, and promoting WWPP at community events.

Environmental Education

  • Supervise the development and delivery of excellent interactive programs for school and other educational groups, for public programming, and for interpretive displays. (A total of 15,662 people were reached through our year-round environmental programming in 2025. Staff and volunteers conducted 206 in-school, field trip, after-school, and group programs; 72 summer programs for camps, libraries, and community centers; and 173 free public programs for all ages.)

  • Oversee hosting of community environmental education events such as the annual Wildlife Festival as well as smaller events and contests.

  • Manage the planning and presentation of educational programming and exhibits at the new Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center.

Supporting Recreation and Conservation

  • Supervise the providing of information and stewardship for trails within the area known as Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, adapting to the needs of partners who own the land. Support winter use of trails through grooming (when weather allows and in accordance with our permit from DEC) and rental of skis and snowshoes. Host occasional recreational events.

  • Coordinate providing volunteer assistance to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation for environmental projects on lands within the preserve. Promote Citizen Science projects and provide assistance to them where possible. Monitor conservation easements as requested by the Town of Wilton.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Education

  • Minimum of a bachelor’s degree required

  • Fields of study related to organizational leadership, education, and/or environmental science preferred

Background Check

  • Required

New York State Driver’s License

  • Required

Skills and Experience

  • Proven experience in senior leadership, preferably at least five years and including both non-profit organizational management and education development

  • Expertise in understanding and interpreting the natural environment

  • Strong teambuilding, networking, and relationship building skills

  • A record of accomplishment in fund development, including major donor cultivation, fund-raising events and campaigns, as well as writing and implementation of grants

  • Skill in guiding organizational strategy and development, including collaborating with a Board of Directors

  • Excellent organization and time management, including ability to oversee multiple people and projects while putting focus on priorities

  • Skill in using Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, and donor data platforms

  • A management style that encompasses vision balanced by adaptability as well as collaboration balanced with strong decision making

EXPECTATIONS

Logistics

  • The position of Executive Director is salaried, year-round and full-time, with somewhat flexible hours requiring adaptability and some weekend and evening commitment.

  • The office for Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park (www.wiltonpreserve.org) is currently located at 80 Scout Road, Wilton, NY 12831 (telephone 518-450-0321), adjacent to the Town of Wilton’s Camp Saratoga, a former Boy Scout camp. Most on-site program presentations take place at Camp Saratoga, which is also the location of the Larry Gordon Outdoor Education Center.

  • Much of the Executive Director’s work is focused on ~2400 acres of protected land base in the Saratoga Sand Plains, which encompasses ecologically significant habitats, rare plant communities, threatened and endangered wildlife (such as the Karner blue butterfly), and public trails. The protected lands are owned and managed by our partners: the Town of Wilton, The Nature Conservancy, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Saratoga County. Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is located on the ancestral homelands of the Mohawk, Abenaki, and Mohican people.‍

  • The Executive Director will sometimes need to travel to nearby communities to represent the organization; mileage will be reimbursed. There is occasional opportunity to work from home.

  • This position requires indoor and outdoor work, with some physical demand (including hiking/walking on trails with mixed terrain and lifting tables and supplies/equipment). Some programs involve working with and handling live animals.

Compensation and benefits

  • The range of the initial annual salary is from $65,000 to $75,000, based on experience and qualifications. Since this is a salaried (“exempt employee”) position, there is no overtime pay or hourly rate.

  • Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid vacation time, and paid personal and sick leave.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Required Documents

  • Cover letter

  • Resume

  • Contact information for three professional references

Submission

 HIRING TIMELINE

Application submission

  • Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Expected start date

  • The new Executor Director is expected to begin work in December of 2026, but a specific start date has not been set.

Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.