About the Role
Senterra Funders seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead the organization at a moment of profound change for the movement. New capital is entering farmed animal philanthropy, much of it from tech wealth, and there is room to grow the field’s funding base further, from that source and others.
The Executive Director will steward Senterra’s member community, working closely with funders to understand what they need from the network and how it should evolve, while also bringing new funders into the movement. The Executive Director will shape and drive the strategy to fight industrialized animal agriculture in collaboration with Senterra members and its Steering Committee. As the leader of an ambitious and ideologically diverse network, the Executive Director will enjoy remote work, moderate travel, meaningful funder relationships, and a fast-paced work environment with immense possibilities for impact.
Senterra Funders was founded in 2017 by a group of foundations and high-net-worth individuals to tackle factory farming and build a plant-centered society faster together. Senterra has grown from 25 funders in the United States to more than 50 funders worldwide. Its programs include monthly member calls, philanthropic advising, pooled funds, customized research, and an annual in-person retreat, as well as outreach activities to bring in new donors. Senterra is fiscally sponsored by the Humane America Animal Foundation and governed by a Steering Committee, to which the Executive Director reports.
Primary Work Functions
Leadership
- Develop, implement, and generate support for Senterra’s strategy and OKRs; assess and update strategy regularly to maximize impact for farmed animals.
- Represent Senterra and its mission to funders and leaders in aligned sectors.
- Manage the annual budget and fundraise for the continued operation and growth of the organization.
- Hire, manage, and lead the Senterra team. Senterra runs on a staff of 4 FTE and 2 PTE; the Executive Director is a working leader who contributes directly alongside the team.
Movement Building
- Establish relationships and make the case for farmed animal philanthropy with funders and advisors to grow the size of the philanthropic movement to fight factory farming.
- Collaborate with other funders, organizations, and advisors cultivating new sources of philanthropic capital.
- Represent Senterra with media and others to build excitement for its mission and develop Senterra as a recognized leader within farmed animal philanthropy.
- Participate in relevant calls, working groups, and other gatherings outside of Senterra to maintain a 10,000-foot view of the movement and its needs.
Member Engagement
- Build relationships with Senterra members to increase the size, effectiveness, and coordination of their philanthropy to fight factory farming.
- Engage new funders to join Senterra across a range of donor profiles, whether by increasing giving toward farmed animal causes or recruiting from other cause areas.
- Oversee the delivery of member programming, including monthly member calls and the annual in-person retreat, to educate, engage, and connect funders to give more, better, and together.
- Partner with members to identify and build creative collaborations, including pooled funds and funding circles.
- Serve as a resource for members on farmed animal issues and opportunities.
Required Qualifications
We are looking for someone from within the farmed animal movement who can operate credibly in mainstream philanthropy. Both halves matter. Senterra’s value to members rests on real movement knowledge and standing, which a newcomer cannot acquire quickly. The growth ahead depends on reaching funders who have never considered this cause, which requires someone at ease in rooms where factory farming is not the assumed priority.
Movement expertise
- Substantive experience in the farmed animal protection movement, with existing relationships among funders and organizational leaders.
- Sound movement understanding across major intervention areas, including corporate campaigns, alternative proteins, policy and legislative advocacy, and global work.
Lead a small team
- Strong manager and operator with experience managing employees and leading a team.
- Excellent at prioritization, able to make sense of a frequently changing landscape, and able to juggle many things at once.
- Self-motivated and drives progress with minimal supervision.
- Strong written and oral communication skills and confidence in networking.
Broad-tent relationship builder
- Exceptional relationship builder. Donors trust this person, and that trust is durable across disagreement.
- Embraces healthy conflict and is comfortable with disagreement.
- Open-minded and collaborative, sees value in multiple theories of change, and able to work closely with stakeholders holding diverse and sometimes conflicting ideologies.
- Able to represent the cause persuasively to philanthropists new to the movement and to translate between movement priorities and various philanthropic frameworks.
Logistical requirements
- Timezone overlaps substantially with US work hours (GMT-9 to GMT-3). Able to work flexible hours across different time zones.
- Desire and ability to travel, at minimum once per quarter and up to twice per month, to attend the Senterra retreat, conferences, and other events. The volume of travel will depend on the networking strategy developed by the Executive Director.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience working in philanthropy, grantmaking, fundraising, or philanthropic advising.
- Experience working with a nonprofit Board or governing body and leading organizational shifts in strategy.
- Familiarity with effective altruism frameworks and orientation, and comfort with donors who apply them.
- Familiarity with movement dynamics beyond the United States, including Europe and the Global South.
- Resides in or is willing to relocate to the United States.
