Executive Director

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) is a coalition of 100 nonprofit, governmental, and educational organizations dedicated to addressing environmental challenges and enhancing the quality of life in the Houston‑Galveston area. With diverse members ranging from conservation groups to professional associations, the CEC fosters meaningful dialogue, education, and collaboration on key environmental issues. Focused on the Houston/Gulf Coast region, the organization serves as a hub for environmental advocacy and action, uniting passionate organizations and individuals toward common goals.

Position Title

Executive Director

Reports to

Board of Directors (BoD)

Schedule

35‑40 hours a week, with frequent evenings and weekends

Location

Remote. Must be based in Houston, Texas

Salary

$25–29/hour

Position Summary

CEC is seeking an Executive Director to lead the organization and actively participate in development to support CEC’s mission of fostering dialogue, education, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Greater Houston Area. Duties of the executive director include fundraising and development, staff management, community outreach, and strategic planning. The position reports directly to the Board of Directors.

The ideal candidate must possess a passion for sustainability, a strong entrepreneurial drive, outstanding communication skills, strong leadership qualities, and stellar project management. This person should additionally have nonprofit working experience and be comfortable with growing an organization in a dynamic and unpredictable environment. While the day‑to‑day operations of this role are fully remote, this position is the spokesperson for our organization. We are looking for a Houston local who thrives in the flexibility of a home office and enjoys attending our monthly member meetings, community outreach events and member organization events in person.

CEC is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and encourages people of all backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives to apply.

Key Responsibilities

55% Fundraising and Development

• Lead the planning and execution of fundraising activities plus grant writing to support, maintain and grow CEC’s revenue streams with the goal of securing an additional $23,000 or more in funds before the end of 2026.
• Cultivate relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation donors, including preparing proposals and reports to maintain and enhance funding sources.
• Develop and implement procedures for contract and grant management, performance management, and other reporting as required by funders.

20% Staff Management and Development

• Responsible for the hiring, supervision, and retention of competent, qualified staff, contractors, and interns.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture that attracts, retains, and motivates a diverse, top‑quality team.

10% Community Engagement

• Participate and communicate effectively at community events, meetings, conferences, media interviews, and other functions as CEC’s representative and spokesperson. These events may be held in the evening or weekends.
• Establish and maintain relationships with member organizations, other community organizations, local government, and business and utilize those relationships to strategically enhance CEC’s Mission and garner new engagement opportunities.
• Respond to and delegate inbound inquiries from the website and CEC member portal.
• Identify opportunities to enhance communications in conjunction with CEC’s Communication Committee and contractor(s).

10% Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and manage the organization to fulfill its mission.
• Ensure the ongoing excellence of financial, administrative, fundraising, communications, and programmatic systems.
• Cultivate and maintain a strong, transparent, and positive relationship with the BoD.
• Collaborate with the Board of Directors to set and document strategic direction, goals, and objectives plus make policy decisions for long‑term success.
• Provide regular updates to the Board on operational and financial performance, challenges, and opportunities.
• Participate in board committee meetings and serve as ex‑officio member.

5% Accounting and Financial Management

• Responsible for fiscal management that generally anticipates operating within the approved budget, ensures maximum resource utilization, and maintenance of the organization in a positive financial position.
• Support the Treasurer to develop the annual operating budget for Board of Directors approval.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, environmental sciences, communications, or related field; relevant experience may substitute.
• Two or more years of senior nonprofit management experience.
• Demonstrated success generating new revenue streams, including fundraising and/or grant writing and managing grant funds.
• Proven ability to lead diverse teams and build a culture of accountability and high performance.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with various stakeholders, including members, donors, volunteers, board members and community members.
• Experience working with diverse communities directly impacted by pollution or other forms of environmental injustice.
• Proven ability to establish, manage and drive multiple projects to completion on time.
• Strong financial management and budget oversight experience.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Ability to work with a Board of Directors to set and achieve organizational goals.
• Familiar with QuickBooks, Little Green Light, MemberLeap and WordPress (or similar tools/CRMs).

Preferred Experience

• Two or more years of direct experience with fundraising and grant writing.
• Strong connections in the Houston community.
• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish and/or other languages.

We know that the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist. If your experience doesn't precisely match the job description, but you are passionate and willing to learn, we encourage you to apply.

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