Position Location:
United States or Canada
Job Family:
Senior Leadership
Salary Grade:
8
Position Objective:
To provide visionary senior leadership and high-level strategic direction for Mercy For Animals’ (MFA) work across the United States and Canada. This role is responsible for architecting and spearheading high-impact regional strategy, campaigns and other programmatic work that drive systemic corporate and institutional changes, shift public narratives, and influence legislative and governmental policies. The Managing Director translates global organizational-wide priorities into regional frameworks and solutions, ensuring measurable and scalable outcomes that maximize MFA’s impact for farmed animals.
The US & CA Managing Director sits on the senior leadership team (SLT) and serves as the senior leader of the largest region across the organization—aligning teams, resources, and partnerships to deliver impact at scale.
Primary Responsibilities and Duties:
Strategic and Operational Leadership & Regional Direction
- Architect and lead the long-term regional vision translating organizational goals into clear, actionable campaign and programmatic roadmaps and strategies across the U.S. and Canada
- Oversee five programmatic functions and teams: animal welfare, plant based, Transfarmation project, organizing, and government affairs & public policy
- Lead the development of regional strategy in alignment with MFA’s global organizational-wide priorities and oversee its execution ensuring alignment with programmatic priorities and guardrails while being adaptable and pivoting towards the highest-impact opportunities.
- Proactively identify and prioritize initiatives to drive systems-level change through advocacy, narrative change, and policy influence
- Lead regional planning processes, including annual and multi-year project planning, defined priorities and goals, and resource allocation
- Oversee the regional budget and ensure that all teams within the region make decisions that are fiscally responsible
- Help position MFA as a leading voice for farmed animals in alignment with its international brand
- Create executive reports and present them to the COO and SLT
- Serve as a thought leader in the organization by participating in cross-regional committees and by partnering with colleagues across regions, departments, and functions
- Direct a sophisticated portfolio of pressure and advocacy campaigns designed to influence corporate and institutional practices, shift consumer behavior and advance policy outcomes
- Oversee the design of campaigns to execute our Theory of Change, ensuring regional initiatives are grounded in data-driven strategy and measurable outcomes and KPIs
- Guide teams in adapting tactics based on performance, external context, and learnings
- Bring a strategic lens to campaign integration across functions (e.g., communications, corporate engagement, policy, organizing)
- Act as a mentor and leader, supporting alignment among departments and ensuring high-performing, cross-functional regional teams
- Foster a culture of strategic clarity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning
- Ensure alignment across teams while empowering leaders to execute within defined strategy
External Leadership & Partnerships
- Represent MFA as a credible and influential leader in mission-driven advocacy spaces
- Build and maintain strategic and effective partnerships with NGOs, coalitions, policymakers, funders, and other external stakeholders
- Help shape external narratives and position MFA as a leader in driving meaningful change
Performance & Impact
- Position MFA to report on and achieve clear metrics for campaign and regional success, with a focus on impact
- Regularly assess performance and adjust strategies to improve effectiveness
- Report on progress, insights, and opportunities to COO
General Duties
- Adhere to all organizational policies and procedures
- Perform any other duties assigned by the COO
Position Requirements:
- Minimum 15 years experience, including at least 5 years of significant senior leadership experience leading strategy and teams in complex, mission-driven environments
- Proven experiencedesigning and leading campaigns that successfully brought about systemic change, influenced corporate practices and standards, influenced legislative or government policies, driven behavior change, and/or shifted narratives
- Background in advocacy, public affairs, political or pressure campaigns, social movements, organizing or other mission-based campaign environments (nonprofit experience strongly preferred; animal protection experience preferred but not required)
- Expertise in campaign operations and power mapping, with the ability to orchestrate complex moving parts including corporate engagement and volunteer mobilization
- Well-rounded knowledge of and experience with farmed-animal welfare issues
- Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to identify high-leverage opportunities and translate them into actionable plans
- Demonstrated ability to lead and scale cross-functional teams and align diverse stakeholders
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior leaders, external partners, and the public
- Experience working in dynamic, fast-paced environments requiring adaptability and sound judgment
Leadership & Core Competencies:
- High emotional intelligence and the ability to manage and inspire large teams, manage complexity, and lead through influence
- Strong decision-making skills, with comfort operating in ambiguity and making trade-offs
- Excellent organizational and delegation skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and achieve results
- Resilience, adaptability, and a results-oriented mindset
- Ability to successfully embody MFA’s Core Values and Leadership Principles, which include expectations around integrity in decision making
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to travel, including for leadership meetings, conferences, demonstrations, press conferences, and meetings with industry stakeholders
- Commitment to the mission and values of the organization and ability to represent MFA’s positions effectively
- Commitment to continued personal and organizational growth in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice principles