Executive Director

Mountain Area Land Trust; Evergreen (CO); On-site; USD 108,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and life insurance

SIMPLE IRA with employer contribution

Paid time off

Job summary

Mountain Area Land Trust in Evergreen, Colorado seeks an Executive Director to lead as CEO, guiding strategy and advancing conservation across six counties. Reporting to the Board, you will supervise staff, secure resources, and raise visibility for MALT's mission.

You bring proven nonprofit leadership, fundraising, donor relations, and the ability to build partnerships with communities and public agencies.

Qualifications

• Strong commitment to MALT’s mission and Colorado’s land and water conservation.
• Experience in nonprofit operations and fundraising to sustain mission impact.
• Proven success in organizational management, strategic planning, and oversight.
• Roots in or familiarity with MALT’s Evergreen community and six-county area.
• Experience cultivating donors and leading a fundraising program; board collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision and direction for programs, operations, and growth with staff and Board.
• Lead fundraising and donor engagement, cultivating major donors, foundations, and partners.
• Oversee financial management, internal controls, policies, and risk management.
• Shape external relations and serve as a trusted ambassador for MALT.
• Guide staff development, culture, and performance with clear accountability.
• Ensure program alignment with mission, standards, and long-term strategy.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Strategic planning

Staff leadership

Public speaking

Communication

Board collaboration

Relationship building

Job description

Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) is a nationally accredited nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting Colorado’s natural areas, wildlife habitat, streams and rivers, working ranches, and historic lands for future generations. Since 1992, MALT has conserved more than 28,000 acres across a six-county service area encompassing Jefferson, Clear Creek, Park, Gilpin, Teller, and Boulder counties.

In addition to permanently protecting land, MALT stewards conserved properties, manages publicly accessible natural areas, provides environmental education, and engages communities in caring for Colorado’s land, water, and wildlife. MALT operates with an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million and a professional staff of 8 employees working across conservation, stewardship, philanthropy, education, and administration. This work is made possible by a talented team, an engaged Board of Directors, landowners, donors, volunteers, and public and private partners. MALT’s welcoming and collegial workplace culture is grounded in professionalism, mutual respect, shared accountability, and a commitment to achieving results together.

The Opportunity

The Executive Director has the opportunity to lead a respected, nationally accredited land trust at an important time for conservation in Colorado’s mountain communities. Building on more than three decades of accomplishments, the next Executive Director will help shape MALT’s future and expand its impact in protecting the land, water, wildlife, and places that define Colorado’s way of life.

Serving as MALT’s chief executive officer and reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides strategic, organizational, and community leadership in advancing the organization’s mission. Working closely with staff and the Board, the Executive Director establishes strategic priorities, secures the resources needed to accomplish them, and serves as a visible ambassador for MALT, cultivating the relationships and resources needed to ensure the organization’s continued success.

Strategic and Organizational Leadership

• Provide vision and direction for MALT’s programs, operations, and long-term growth, working with the Board and staff to translate strategic priorities into measurable goals.
• Ensure that MALT’s programs and resources remain aligned with its mission, strategic plan, and financial capacity.
• Identify emerging conservation opportunities, community needs, partnerships, and organizational risks while fostering collaboration across program areas.

Staff and Organizational Culture

• Lead, support, mentor, and empower a skilled professional staff while establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Preserve and strengthen MALT’s welcoming, collaborative, respectful, and mission-driven workplace culture.
• Ensure that appropriate personnel policies, organizational systems, and professional-development opportunities are in place.

Fundraising and External Relations

• Provide strategic leadership for fundraising and donor engagement in partnership with philanthropy staff and the Board.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with major donors, foundations, corporate partners, and other supporters.
• Strengthen contributed-revenue programs, including individual giving, grants, sponsorships, planned giving, and special initiatives.
• Serve as a compelling spokesperson who strengthens awareness of MALT’s mission, accomplishments, and regional impact.
• Build productive relationships with landowners, partner organizations, elected officials, public agencies, and community leaders.

Conservation, Stewardship, and Education

• Provide executive oversight of MALT’s land and water conservation and stewardship programs and support staff in completing complex land-protection projects.
• Ensure the permanent stewardship of conserved lands and compliance with Land Trust Alliance standards and practices.
• Oversee the strategic management of MALT-owned properties and support the continued development of environmental education and community-engagement programs.
• Encourage partnerships that expand MALT’s expertise, reach, and conservation impact.

Financial Management and Board Partnership

• Develop and monitor the annual budget in partnership with staff and the Board, ensuring responsible financial management, appropriate internal controls, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee organizational policies, contracts, insurance, risk management, technology, data systems, and corporate records.
• Ensure that MALT maintains its national accreditation and complies with applicable legal, ethical, and professional standards.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the Board and staff, providing timely information and supporting effective governance, Board engagement, and committee work.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A strong commitment to MALT’s mission and to the permanent protection of Colorado’s land, water, wildlife, and way of life.
• Leadership experience in nonprofit operations and a strong understanding of the essential role fundraising and donor relationships play in sustaining mission impact.
• Demonstrated success in organizational management, strategic planning, staff leadership, and financial oversight.
• Established roots in, or strong familiarity with, MALT’s six-county service area—particularly Evergreen—and an understanding of the communities, landscapes, and relationships that shape MALT’s work.
• Experience cultivating donors, securing philanthropic support, or leading a comprehensive fundraising program.
• Experience working effectively with a governing Board.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and public-speaking skills, with the ability to develop trusted relationships across diverse constituencies.
• Sound judgment, integrity, emotional intelligence, and a collaborative, approachable leadership style grounded in humility, mutual respect, and open communication.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in land conservation, natural-resource management, environmental education, or a related field.
• Familiarity with conservation easements, land transactions, long-term stewardship obligations, or Land Trust Alliance standards and practices.
• Knowledge of Colorado’s conservation community, rural and mountain communities, or relevant public agencies.
• Experience overseeing organizational growth, facilities, fee-owned properties, or multiple program areas.

Compensation and Location

This is a full-time, exempt position based in MALT’s Evergreen, Colorado office, with regular travel throughout MALT’s service area; some evening and weekend activities are required. The anticipated salary range is $108,000–$125,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications. MALT also offers a competitive benefits package, including health and life insurance, a SIMPLE IRA with an employer contribution, and paid time off.

• health and life insurance
• a SIMPLE IRA with an employer contribution
• paid time off

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and résumé to Jeff Danter, MALT Board President at [e-mail] by October 19, with the subject line “First Name Last Name”, Executive Director Application.

Mountain Area Land Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants whose experience and perspective will contribute to its mission, workplace, and communities.

MALT acquired 44 acres in Conifer, previously owned by Anna Lou Wooldridge. Ms. Wooldridge was passionate about the outdoors and conservation, and designated MALT in her will to own and care for this property after her passing. Ms. Wooldridge welcomed hikers and horses to enjoy her land, and it is MALT’s intention to continue to keep the parcel available for the public to use for the same purposes.

Interested in joining the Legacy Council?

Legacy Council Members will be invited to a special Legacy Council annual gathering and other conservation leadership opportunities.

Lifetime Legacy Founder:Donate $25,000 or more per year for 3 years
Legacy Founder:Donate $10,000 or more per year for 3 years
Legacy Leader:Donate $10,000 or more annually
Legacy Conservator:Donate $5,000 – $9,999 annually
Legacy Partner:Donate $1,500 – $4,999 annually

*Note: Levels are based on a cumulative total of gifts donated throughout the calendar year for which no goods or services are received. Planned and in‑kind gifts are recognized separately.

What is the Legacy Council?

The Legacy Council is an engaged community of MALT donors who take a financial leadership role in conserving a legacy of land, rivers, streams and stunning mountain views.

As MALT plans ahead for a strong future of land and water conservation along Colorado’s Front Range and from Denver to the Continental Divide, it relies on a committed group of donors who wish to create a legacy of conservation for our mountain communities by providing MALT the consistent financial resources it needs to lead these efforts.

Benefits include exclusive Legacy Council receptions, private guided hikes, opportunities to visit conserved properties and more!

• Stewards of the Land - Be recognized as a conservation leader by other like‑minded businesses and community members.
• Community Relations - Provide your clients with information about your involvement with MALT and share MALT’s conservation efforts and successes. MALT connects people to Colorado’s lands and waters by offering opportunities to explore the places MALT and its partners have protected.
• Visibility and Recognition - Your business will receive significant recognition and visibility through multiple high-impact events through the year.

Your sponsorship dollars are critical to funding our work throughout the year.

Contact MALT to Discuss Your Options

We invite you to contact us to discuss possible options for joining the Vista Giving Circle. Tax benefits often apply. We suggest you discuss your plans with your attorney or tax advisor.

If you choose to include MALT in your plans, we should be named as:
Mountain Area Land Trust, a nonprofit corporation organized and existing under the laws of Colorado, and with a principal business address:
908 Nob Hill Rd, Suite 200, Evergreen, CO 80439.
Our tax identification number is 84-6256809.

Imagine vast open lands, wildlife habitat, mountain streams, lakes and historic ranches: the Colorado we know and love conserved for future generations. These things are possible when we work together to save the land and invest in Colorado’s future.

Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) has been saving land and water since 1992, from Denver to the Continental Divide, and Pikes Peak to Long’s Peak.

Planned giving is an important way to ensure our shared legacy of vistas, water and wildlife that will continue to be protected.

Gifts made through wills are:

• Easy to arrange
• Can be changed at anytime you choose
• Allow you to direct assets to good use when you no longer need them, without affecting your cash flow today

As someone who values conserved land, water and wildlife, we invite you to become a member of MALT’s Vista Giving Circle today. Vista Giving Circle members receive special recognition as well as invitations to exclusive MALT activities. And your participation inspires others!

There are many ways to join MALT’s Vista Giving Circle

• Leave a gift to MALT in your will. This is one of the most common forms of planned giving. You can designate a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate to be donated to MALT.
• Name MALT as a beneficiary to your retirement account or life insurance policy.
• Leave a gift of real estate. Donating land or a house to MALT is a perfect way to leverage an asset to conserve natural resources for future generations.