Executive Director

ABOUT THE HONNOLD FOUNDATION

The Honnold Foundation promotes solar energy for a more equitable world. Founded by professional rock climber Alex Honnold in 2012, the Honnold Foundation is powered by a tight-knit team of inventive, dedicated, and collaborative professionals who want to make the world a better place.

The Honnold Foundation supports community-based organizations worldwide that provide solar energy to underserved communities. Partners are supported through grants, project management, and storytelling resources to increase solar energy access, provide job training and amplify energy self-sufficiency initiatives that reduce environmental impact and improve peoples’ lives. 

In 2020 alone, the Honnold Foundation funded and collaborated with partners in 13 different countries and territories to empower solar energy access, and allocated nearly 90% of total budget to supporting partners and programs worldwide. The Honnold Foundation places collaboration with partners and partner’s needs as the most essential priorities of the organization.

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROLE

The Executive Director (ED) will set the direction and strategy for the Honnold Foundation in partnership with the Founder and Board at this time of exceptional growth.

At the brink of strategic planning and on the heels of two years of incredible impact, this passionate leader will have the opportunity to continue to build the organization alongside a hard-working team and thoughtful Board. The ED will continue to build upon the Honnold Foundation’s vision as they oversee day-to-day operations and expand program and infrastructure development. This leader will collaborate with organizations around the world through a strong equity and justice lens. The ED will be someone comfortable with ambiguity and approach their work with an innovative mindset and commitment to hands-on involvement. 

The ED will drive the organization’s fundraising by setting and implementing strategy, refining operations, and sourcing and managing donor relationships. This leader will be an external face of the organization, and will partner with the Founder to continue to build the Honnold Foundation’s reach and impact. 

A committed relationship manager, the ED will have a deep understanding of the Honnold Foundation’s partners and their communities. With the support of the staff, the Executive Director will continuously source new partnerships with a thoughtful and values-oriented framework.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a proactive, strategic leader to create lasting environmental and social change across the world alongside a dedicated and thoughtful team. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising

• Refine strategies for donor support and stewardship at all giving levels, including high volume individual support and brand/corporate partnerships
• Manage relationships with key  donors at each giving level
• Strategize donor communications and serve as the point of contact for key donors seeking strategic and impact-based updates
• Continuously source and steward potential donors 
• Create and implement new systems to ensure successful grant writing to institutional funders
• Represent the Honnold Foundation across a variety of media and speaking platforms while foregrounding the work and perspective of partners 
• Support and engage the Board and Founder in fundraising efforts strategically and thoughtfully

Organizational Leadership

• In partnership with the Board, continuously develop organizational strategy
• Develop the organizational budget and manage finances and administration
• Oversee organizational processes and operations, with a commitment to re-envision and redesign as needed, with input from staff
• Manage, support, and empower the staff to thrive in their roles while maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work culture 
• Identify opportunities to include additional roles as the organization scales 
• Continuously support the Board through facilitation of Board meetings, planning for Board succession, and identifying gaps to ensure the Board is an accurate representation of the organization and the communities it serves

Program Strategy and Oversight

• Continuously advance programs through identification of new partnerships
• Hold meaningful relationships with the Honnold Foundation’s partners, beginning each relationship as a collaboration 
• Have a deep understanding of each partner’s community and potential impact 
• Develop new strategic directions for the Honnold Foundation’s impact and implement with the Board’s approval and guidance
• Demonstrate a genuine and informed commitment to international community development

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading, or contributing to, the vision and scale of a nonprofit organization
• Adept in working across cultures and languages thoughtfully and collaboratively
• Understanding of grassroots community development from experience either as a planner, implementer, or advisor
• Program or leadership experience in community development, international development, social determinants, public health or energy/environmental policy
• Significant major donor fundraising or business development experience, ideally including major donor cultivation and relationship management
• Ground-level collaborator rather than master delegator - experience managing people on collaborative, nimble teams
• Strong public speaking skills, experience representing an organization externally and within high level relationships
• Demonstrated commitment to and knowledge of environmental and social justice on a global scale
• Preference for candidates with professional proficiency in spoken and written Spanish

SALARY AND LOCATION

The salary for this position ranges from $90,000 - $100,000, with exact salary depending on experience. The Honnold Foundation also offers excellent benefits, including a generous and flexible vacation policy, professional development stipend, Work from Anywhere allowance, 80% of medical insurance, and retirement matching up to 5%.

The position is full-time and remote; MST is the Honnold Foundation’s home time zone, and the ideal candidate will be based within one hour of MST. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all non-essential travel has been suspended; once travel can be resumed safely, the Executive Director should expect to travel up to one week per month. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition, disability, or sexual orientation. As an equal opportunity employer that values the organizational benefits of a diverse staff, the Honnold Foundation is committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people with a variety of backgrounds and attributes.

The Honnold Foundation has retained Schaffer&Combs, a certified B Corporation, to support this search. In order to apply, please submit a current resume and thoughtful cover letter that explains your interest and outlines your relevant skills and experience.

Please refrain from contacting the Honnold Foundation directly. All inquiries should be directed to Schaffer&Combs at HonnoldFoundation@schaffercombs.com. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.