Executive Director

About this position

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Hiring: Executive Director 
Organization: Be the Change Earth Alliance 
Location: Vancouver, BC 

About the Organization 

Be The Change Earth Alliance (BTCEA) is a bold, agile and creative charitable organization founded in 2005 with a mission to educate and empower youth, educators and community members to take personal and collective action for a just, sustainable, interconnected and thriving world. Our flagship program, Student Leadership for Change (SLC), is an online library of learning resources that enables teachers to engage their students in meaningful learning, reflective dialogue, critical thinking and action on climate, environmental and social justice topics. SLC engages thousands of students per year through the network of over 1,800 BC teachers who are registered for the program. The SLC holistic approach covers a full spectrum of ways participants can ‘be the change’ to address global issues, from individual, school and community actions to political advocacy. Beyond SLC, BTCEA provides various programs that educate and empower youth directly through facilitated workshops and hands-on mentorship. 

BTCEA’s programs have been well received and in the past two years have reached more than 20,000 students. BTCEA has built trust and a strong reputation among teachers, administrators and school districts across BC over the past decade. This is an exciting organization which is building momentum towards transformative change within the BC education community. 

This job is for you if you… 

• Deeply care about climate, the environment and social justice 
• Possess a passion for transformative youth education that fosters an ecologically sustainable, just, and thriving world 
• Seek a dynamic, diverse, inclusive, and collaborative team environment where ideas, work, and contributions are heard and appreciated 
• Aim to grow your leadership skills and create a significant impact by engaging and empowering thousands of students and educators each year 

About the Role 

The Executive Director at Be the Change Earth Alliance is responsible for the shared leadership, management, and direction of the organization. The job is very rewarding and this dynamic, engaging and multi-faceted role requires a range of skills. By working collaboratively with the Board of Directors, who bring years of expertise and experience, the ED is supported in the development of program updates to learning resources and workshops, keeping the organization’s offerings fresh and current. By leading the team of staff and volunteers, the ED is empowered to work in a collaborative, creative work environment and witness the positive impact of Be the Change’s educational programs on youth and educators. 

While this position requires significant independent work, the work environment at BTCEA is team-based and highly collaborative. Staff work closely together to manage projects, problem solve, and support each other. The incumbent will be a leader of the team, but very much a part of this dynamic, inclusive team, as well. BTCEA has in the past, and may well again in the future, create a leadership team comprised of two co-E.Ds.  

This is a full-time role, 40 hours per week. The job may require working more than 40 hours certain weeks. There is flexibility on when hours are worked; however, most of the Executive Director’s work will take place during business days and during typical business hours. The job sometimes requires work on evenings and weekends, for example for events or conferences, or to meet grant deadlines. 

This is a hybrid position and offers a flexible work schedule; in order to strengthen team collaboration and productivity, it is preferred for the incumbent to work from the office at 49th & Oak in Vancouver approximately 4 days per week but can also work remotely and schedule split shifts to accommodate family needs. Since work will be required at the office, and most of our in-person workshops and events take place in Metro Vancouver, it is recommended that the incumbent be based in Metro Vancouver.  

Compensation: the salary range is $50,000 - $80,000 based on qualifications and experience. The incumbent will be entitled to 5 health days per year and access to a $1000 health benefit trust per year. The incumbent will receive two weeks paid vacation, and reduced hours over the 2-week winter holiday, when our office is closed. 

Roles and Responsibilities 

The Executive Director role is multifaceted, and requires a high degree of competence and skill in several distinct areas. We do not anticipate candidates to have experience in all areas of the job, and will give space for the incumbent to learn and grow on the job, with support from our team. As such, we welcome applicants who feel excited and confident about the position, even if they have not had formal work experience in non-profit leadership. Folks from equity-seeking groups, including Indigenous and People of Colour, are highly encouraged to apply. Given we are a youth-focused organization, we also encourage youth under 35 to apply for this leadership development opportunity. 

We are open to exploring with successful candidates how they can feel best supported in the role, to maintain positive health, fulfillment and joy in the work and to avoid overwhelm and burnout associated with this demanding position. This may include training programs, coaching and creating a leadership team so not all major responsibilities fall on the Executive Director. As mentioned above there is the possibility of a Co-ED structure. 

Below we list the key responsibilities of the role. In any given week, the areas of responsibility that require most attention will vary. To give a few examples: the summer is focused on designing and adapting our programs for the coming school year; the months of July, August, November and December tend to be focused on grant applications and fundraising; February involves preparation for our Annual General Meeting. 

1. Leadership 
   1. Lead the organization and all its components to achieve its mission 
2. Strategy 
   1. Develop organizational strategy, in collaboration with Board of Directors, staff team and key community stakeholders. 
   2. Ensure organizational practices and programs align with overall mission and strategy. 
3. Governance 
   1. Maintain a strong relationship with the Board of Directors and work closely with them to ensure good governance of the organization. 
   2. Identify areas of growth or support needed. 
4. Program Management 
   1. Oversee and ensure excellence in the design, promotion, delivery and evaluation of all programs, which include educational resources, workshops to students and teachers, mentorship opportunities and other community engagement activities related to environmental, social and climate issues 
   2. Oversee program communications, outreach and promotion 
   3. Manage the budgets for each program 
   4. Perform monitoring and evaluation of programs, including the completion of required reports for grantors 
5. Financial Management and Fundraising 
   1. Develop and manage the organization’s budget 
   2. Oversee and authorize all organizational spending, in alignment with board approved budget. 
   3. Practice strong financial management including regularly forecasting organizational cash flow and expenses, projecting modifications to organizational budget, and seeking opportunities to grow. 
   4. Maintain an average annual revenue of $300,000 through grants and donors.  
   5. Foster relationships with key private donors 
6. Human Resources 
   1. Manage the hiring, training, supervision and termination of all staff 
   2. Address and resolve staff issues  
   3. Foster a thriving staff culture, where staff feel supported and resourced to do their jobs with their accessibility or other work-related needs met 
   4. Oversee engagement with volunteers 
7. Partnerships and Public Relations 
   1. Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including: collaborators, foundations, NGOs, government agencies, actors within school system such as teachers, principals, district administrators. 
8. Administration and Operations 
   1. Complete key administrative tasks to ensure organization remains healthy and in good legal standing 

Qualifications 

• Passion for BTCEA’s work and alignment with organizational values 
• Strong leadership skills 
• Experience in education - either designing or delivering educational programs 
• Strong writer – clear, compelling and concise writing style (eg: for grants, emails, reports) 
• Experience managing people and teams 
• Experience with financial management and/or fund raising 
• Strategic thinking - ability to keep the organization focused on its mission and strategic goals 

Assets 

• Experience working with youth ages 11-18 
• Experience with grant writing and reporting 
• Experience working with the school system 
• Knowledge of environmental and social justice issues 
• Presentation and public speaking 
• Experience with private donor fundraising 
• Creating and working within budgets 
• Combination of big-picture thinking and attention to detail 
• Project and task management skills 
• Lived experience to weave ecosocial justice and intersectional perspectives into BTCEA’s work 
• Collaborative worker – skilled and comfortable working closely with others 
• Strong prioritization and time management skills 
• Professional communication 
• Uses critical and creative thinking to solve problems, resolve conflicts 
• Humility and commitment to personal learning, growth 
• Confident giving and receiving feedback 
• Experience in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work 
• Drawn to networking and collaborating with other communities and organizations  
• Has a passion for inclusive, impactful, empowering education for all learners 

Application Process 

Please apply through this application link, which involves submitting a resume and cover letter, by Monday, April 7, 2025. If there are any issues, please email your application to anna@bethechangeearthalliance.org.

Please combine your resume and cover letter into our PDF, with the title of the file following the format “Firstname.Lastname.BTCEA.ED”. In your cover letter, please feel free to speak to: why BTCEAs values resonate with you; the power of youth education; what your resume doesn’t share about how you’re a fit for this role.  

After reviewing the applications, qualifying candidates will be invited to a 30-min screening interview (questions provided ahead of time). Finalists will then be invited to attend an in-person or virtual 1-2 one-hour follow-up interview(s) with the potential of an assignment, such as a grant application or presentation, that will inform final decisions. 

Be The Change Earth Alliances values kindness, inclusion and diversity. Appreciating differences in culture, gender, orientation, religion, beliefs, and abilities, we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. If you have questions around the role or if this process feels prohibitive to you, feel free to email anna@bethechangeearhalliance.org, and she or one of the Board of Directors can speak with you about the role and process.