Hiring: Executive Director — The Livestock Institute of Southern New England

The mission of The Livestock Institute of Southern New England (TLI) is to revitalize and strengthen livestock farming in Southern New England by (a) providing education and training to the community regarding humane and safe animal handling and slaughtering techniques, processing of meat, and related matters; (b) providing resources and information to the community regarding economic and agricultural development and management of resources; (c) offering job training for workers in small-scale, multi-species slaughterhouses and butchery; (d) conducting workshops and producing publications and materials to further our programs and educational concepts; (e) the creation of a state-of-art, USDA-inspected slaughterhouse and processing facility in Southeastern MA.

TLI’s Board of Directors has been working with a team of contractors to develop plans for construction of the processing facility in Westport, MA, and has hired a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee facility operations. In January 2016, TLI received 501c3 status and continues to develop educational programming around livestock production, processing, and marketing.

Please read more about their organization and history here.

What they do: 

Their Board of Directors has been intensively involved in the preliminary research, planning, and fundraising for construction of a state-of-the-art, animal-welfare focused and USDA-inspected slaughter and processing facility that will serve our region’s producers.

Read more about the facility plans here.

​They work to support a growing member base of livestock producers with assistance finding resources, marketing, and education.

They believe that education is as critical as land, markets, and infrastructure to a vibrant and economically successful local food system. TLI, in partnership with the Bristol County Agricultural High School, hosts an annual Livestock Conference of Southern New England, and several educational workshops for livestock producers or those interested in learning more about raising animals.

Read more about their education initiatives here.

Major position responsibilities: 

TLI seeks an experienced and flexible leader willing to develop a long-term vision and strategy, who can lend significant fundraising experience and executive guidance. In partnership with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will lead day-to-day operations, including fundraising, development of educational programming, organizational strategic planning, and expanding network of supporters and regional influence.

TLI’s Executive Director will:

• Lead day-to-day operations of TLI.
• Build a sustainable business model for the organization and significantly expand the capacity of TLI to raise funds and earn income for its programs.
• Report to and work closely with the Board of Directors and its committees regarding program development, fundraising, and increasing the overall visibility of TLI.
• Plan and manage annual budget.
• Coordinate with the COO and other staff of TLI’s processing facility around educational workshops, activities, and marketing of TLI events.
• Coordinate and attend Board and committee meetings.
• Work with the Board and its committees to assess TLI’s membership program and establish a strategy to develop membership.
• Lead the organization’s planning for programs, activities, and special events.
• Develop a strong marketing and communications plan for TLI.
• Identify new outreach opportunities to meet evolving needs and interests of our region’s livestock producers, processors, and consumers.
• Develop the capacity of all individuals in this organization – including its board, members, committees and volunteers – to move the organization forward.
• Translate the vision and mission of TLI to align, motivate and organize staff and volunteers to accomplish the organization’s work.
• Expand and enhance the relationship TLI has with its partners and affiliates, ensuring efficacy, appropriate organizational structure and legal compliance.
• Assist the Board in development of policies and procedures for all functions.
• Assess the organization’s staffing needs and develop longer-term staffing plan.
• Bring the organization’s voice to the larger regional (Southern New England) and national conversation advocating for sustainable agriculture, beginning farmers, small-scale/family livestock producers, accessible local infrastructure, and an educated consumer base.

The Ideal Candidate: 

The ideal candidate should be a creative leader with strong communication, consensus- building, financial management, fundraising and interpersonal skills. Specifically, TLI is looking for a candidate who has a breadth of experience and confidence to lead a regional organization and who possesses the following experience, skills and attributes:

• Strength in strategic thinking and the ability to execute plans effectively;
• Achievements in fundraising and experience in fundraising program development;
• Experience with all stages of grants management, including foundation grants and federal grants;
• Knowledge of and personal experience with livestock production, farming, meat processing or sustainable food systems work desired;
• Comfortable around animal slaughter and meat processing;
• 5+ years of experience in applied nonprofit management, including program metric tracking, evaluation, and reporting;
• Ability to build a culture of valuing leaders and leadership – staff, Board and community;
• Understanding of a wide range of technology and social media for building community, information sharing, publications, marketing, visibility and fundraising;
• Experience developing staff and volunteers and the ability to motivate others and build teams;
• Communication skills including listening, speaking and writing;
• Knowledge/understanding of Southern New England and the region’s farmscape and agricultural infrastructure;
• Interest in and experience with public speaking and attending networking and public events;
• Comfortable communicating our message to a wide audience, including government officials and public agents;
• Ability and willingness to travel regionally periodically.

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Additional Information: 

This is initially a part-time position expected to grow into a full-time position with benefits. TLI desires a candidate who firmly believes in the mission of the organization and is willing to take on the many tasks associated with directing and developing a small and new 501c(3) nonprofit. They offer flexible hours; however, the Executive Director will be required to attend regular (frequent) evening Board and committee meetings in/near Westport, MA.

Application Process: 

Please submit resume and cover letter to:

job@thelivestockinstitute.org

Email only. No phone calls or mailed application packages please.
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TLI is an equal opportunity employer. This position posting is intended to be general in nature and is not an exhaustive description of the position. This position posting is subject to change at the discretion of the Board of Directors, based on the needs of The Livestock Institute of Southern New England.