Land trusts, Nature and environmental conservation

Position: CEO
Organization: The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
Location: Hybrid (candidates within the GTHA). The office is located on a rural property near Schomberg, GTA, Ontario.

The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust has hired Evenings & Weekends Consulting to conduct the recruitment process for their next CEO. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Laëtitia Eyssartel, Managing Director at Evenings & Weekends Consulting, by email at laetitia@eveningsandweekendsconsulting.com or apply by clicking here.

About the the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust

The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust (ORMLT) is a charitable organization with a simple and yet vital vision: to protect and sustain the Oak Ridges Moraine — forever. As one of 35+ land trusts in Ontario, we work alongside community members, neighbours, and caring donors to secure, preserve, and restore ecologically significant lands through donations, purchases, conservation easements, and education.

The Oak Ridges Moraine is one of Ontario's most treasured ecological landforms, and protecting it isn't just our job — it's our passion. Together with our community of caretakers and supporters, we've protected 69 properties totalling 5,460 acres of precious habitat.

You can meet our Board & Staff here.

About the CEO role

This role is a great opportunity for a collaborative and strategic leader who is passionate about land conservation & stewardship, and taking meaningful action to mitigate climate change at a regional scale.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, you will lead a small and passionate team to advance ORMLT strategic priorities and bring our organization’s vision to life. You will oversee all aspects of our internal operations, lead organizational planning and performance measurements activities, ensure strong financial and HR systems, and help foster a resilient and inclusive workplace culture. You will direct the management, coordination and implementation of all programs, policies, and decisions of the Board in land acquisition and securing of conservation easements, stewardship and monitoring activities. You will use your fundraising and relationship building skills to engage with a wide range of constituency groups, and to lead our fundraising and land acquisition efforts.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership

• Provide oversight and strategic direction to the staff team and support to the Board of Directors in their responsibilities
• Provide executive advice to the Board on administrative matters, program policy and financial issues as required
• Work with the Board to implement mitigation strategies regarding potential liability and risks
• Work with the Board Chair to ensure sound governance, including preparing Board packages (CEO & staff reports) and attending Board meetings and relevant committees
• Lead the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan, and advance our short- and long-term objectives and priorities to ensure ORMLT continues to thrive and grow both now and in the future

• Assist in the recruitment and development of the Board and provide advice to Committee Chairs, staff, and volunteers as needed

Development & Fundraising

• Lead fundraising activities including developing and implementing a proactive fundraising strategy aligned with ORMLT’s goals and drive revenue, securing grants, sponsorships, major gifts and increasing individual donations
• Build, cultivate and facilitate relationships and partnerships that lead to donations and increase in revenue (restricted and unrestricted)

• Oversee the implementation of all communications and public relations/marketing strategies and tactics (website, social media, etc) driving fundraising and education activities

Community Relations & Advocacy

• Build and nurture relationships with partners and the community, including government agencies, local municipalities, community members, donors, stewards, other conservancy groups, landowners, etc.
• Act as a primary spokesperson for ORMLT and represent the organization at community events to enhance ORMLT’s profile
• Engage and build relationships with Indigenous communities affected by ORMLT’s activities and identify how ORMLT can best support their existing work and efforts in land conservation and stewardship
• Advocate for the ORM - represent the organization at local, provincial, and national forums, advocating for the protection of the ORM and environmental conservation

People Operations Management

• Lead, work collaboratively, motivate and support a small team in a hybrid work environment

• Ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the organization, including developing operational and program plans that are in line with the strategic priorities, conducting annual performance processes, overseeing staff meetings, etc.
• Develop, promote and maintain effective and transparent systems of communication across all levels of the organization
• Lead the development of HR policies, procedures and plans that foster a positive, collaborative and welcoming work environment for the Board to consider
• Oversee the development and execution of staff recruitment, retention and recognition strategies

Finance & Operations

• Oversee and monitor the financial health of the organization, including budgeting, forecasting, and managing resources responsibly

• Oversee and ensure the objectives and policies of the Trust and Board Committees for land securement and stewardship are achieved according to capacity and approved budget
• Monitor and provide regular reports on all program and financial matters to the Board Chair, Board Treasurer, and/or Board of Directors as may be requested
• In cooperation with the Board, coordinate and facilitate strategic planning processes, annual review of strategic plans, programs and/or priorities
• Review the development of annual work plans for all the Trust’s activities including education, communication, social media, fundraising, operations, monitoring, stewardship, and securement
• Collaborate with the Board Treasurer to ensure that all program and financial records of the Trust are in accordance with established policy and procedures
• Ensure compliance with bylaws, policies and all other statutory and regulatory requirements and identify and manage risks to organizational health

Job Requirements

• Prior experience in a senior leadership capacity preferably in the not-for-profit & charitable sector
• Demonstrated success in fundraising: sponsorships, major gifts, grants and/or individual donations (including planned giving)
• Strong ability to build relationships & effective and reciprocal working partnerships with a wide range of constituency groups
• Well-developed leadership and people management skills with the ability to work collaboratively with others, motivate a small team in a hybrid working model
• Demonstrated ability to develop and advance strategic plans and priorities
• A strong financial acumen
• Highly developed interpersonal, mentorship, and coaching skills with an ability to navigate sensitive and/or difficult conversations with tact and empathy
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills to assess challenges, develop solutions and assess and mitigate risk
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills (English)
• Proven abilities in negotiation and public speaking
• Experience working with a Board of Directors and understanding of various models of governance
• Experience in land trust / conservancy and/or an environmental-related discipline is a strong asset

Required Qualifications & Critical Commitments

• The legal authority to work in Canada
• An ability to travel to various places along the Oak Ridges Moraine (access to a reliable mode of transportation is required)
• Ability to work in the evenings and weekends when required

Compensation & Work Environment

Salary Range: $115,000 to $125,000 based on 37.5 hours per week
Salary will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Benefits:

• Vacation: 4 weeks
• Extended health and dental benefits, after completion of 3-month waiting period
• Wellness/Sick days: 5 days
• Mileage reimbursement for site visits

Location:

• The office is located on a rural property near Schomberg
• This position is hybrid and involves some time in the office and site visits to nature reserves and landowner properties

  • 3 days working from the office/doing field visits and 2 days working from home

• Office hours are 9am to 5pm, with some evening work required to accommodate events and volunteer activities, typically 2-3 evenings per month, and occasional weekends.

Term: Full-time Indefinite
Position: This role is to fill an existing position
Posting Details

The posting closes on Tuesday May 18 at 9 AM ET.

ORMLT is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive organization. Diversity and inclusion among our members, volunteers, staff, and Board of Directors allows us to better understand, connect to and respond to ORMLT members and communities and make better decisions for the Trust. As such, ORMLT welcomes applications from people with diverse lived experiences and encourages individuals from equity-deserving communities to apply.

If you don’t tick all the requirements outlined above but are deeply excited by this role, we would still love to hear from you.

If you require any accommodations for the job application process, do not hesitate to contact laetitia@eveningsandweekendsconsulting.com .

The Selection & Interview Process

Please submit your application through our portal here. You will be asked to submit the following:

• Your resume
• A letter of interest, which should include:

  • What motivates you to join the Oak Ridges Moraine Lant Trust

  • The relevant experience and/or skills you can contribute to the organization

• You will also be asked to answer some questions through the application portal, including:

  • Your postal code

  • If you have access to a reliable mode of transportation to do site & partners visits within and around the Oak Ridges Moraine

• Please mention you saw this at rcen.ca or goodwork.ca.

Candidates will be pre-screened by Evenings & Weekends Consulting, which may include scheduling a short introductory call with prospective candidates. Evenings & Weekends Consulting does not use AI or AI powered tools to review, assess and shortlist applicants.

Successful candidates will be invited to join a virtual first round of interviews in early June 2026. A second round of interviews will be held in person at ORMLT office in early mid-June 2026 for the shortlisted candidates.

Preparing for an interview takes time and labour, so candidates who interview for this role will be compensated by Evenings & Weekends Consulting at a fixed rate of $100 per interview. Questions will be provided ahead of time, so candidates are able to prepare for the interview as they see fit.

Evenings & Weekends Consulting and the ORMLT may only be able to meet with applicants selected to move forward in the hiring process, but Evenings & Weekends Consulting will provide an update on the outcome of the process to all applicants.

About Evenings & Weekends Consulting

Evenings & Weekends Consulting was created to support emerging organizations, activist groups, charities, labour unions, academic institutions, and community groups by combining our experience and expertise with theirs, as we work together to solve problems, seize opportunities, and make good change happen.

As a values-driven consultancy, we are committed to advancing equity, justice, and social change through ongoing collaboration.​

We recognize that every situation, campaign, initiative, and project is different, so we approach each with the uniqueness and curiosity that it deserves. Our clients get innovative and effective solutions tailored to their specific needs.