Deputy Director

Job Description

Job Description

Deputy Director

POSITION SUMMARY:

Lead TERA’s development and implementation of the administrative, human resources, financial, and operational systems and processes needed to support organizational growth, strengthen internal capacity, and ensure long-term sustainability.

ORGANIZATIONAL VISION

The Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (TERA) is a community-based, intertribal nonprofit organization that works to revitalize ecology, economy, and culture through indigenous-led stewardship.

Our program goals are to:

• Connect Tribal members with meaningful livelihoods and culturally relevant work in their Traditional territories
• Build intergenerational Tribal capacity to engage in ecocultural stewardship work that mitigates the impacts of climate change and reduces the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire
• Support Native American voices and worldviews to play a central role in land stewardship
• Regenerate local ecology of the North Coast Ranges

TERA is a young organization in a dynamic growth phase, and building a team of professionals who are deeply committed to TERA’s vision.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

An experienced supervisor, manager and non-profit leader, the Deputy Director provides collaborative, high-level leadership for TERA’s internal operations, including business development, finance and grant management, human resources, IT, as well as facilities and office management.  In close partnership with the Executive Director and staff, the Deputy Director develops and implements the administrative, human resources, financial, and operational systems that strengthen TERA’s internal capacity, support TERA’s growth, and ensure long-term sustainability. 

Success in this role will require experience in non-profit organizational development, a deeply collaborative spirit, strong attention to detail and the ability to integrate finance, administration, grant portfolio management and internal operations workflows in support of our mission.

FUNDAMENTALS

Reports to:  Executive Director

Supervises:  Administrative Specialist, Grants/HR Manager, Facilities Manager, Finance Controller, and key consultants (IT, HR and Finance).

Location: The TERA team is based at our EcoCultural Fire & Stewardship Training Center, on 140 beautiful acres near the town of Upper Lake in Lake County, California. The working location for this position is primarily in person, minimum 4 days/week in the office, with the occasional possibility of additional remote work.

Time Commitment: 40 hours/week preferred, may be reduced to 32 hours/week if desired by the selected candidate. TERA’s work schedule is Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm PT.

Compensation and Benefits:  

• Job Type:
  Salary, Exempt
• Pay is commensurate with experience: $95,000 - $105,000 annual salary if working full-time at 40 hours/week. 
• Benefits available after 90 day introductory period for regular, full-time (32+ hours/week) employees include:
  • IRA retirement plan 
  • $600 monthly pre-tax health reimbursement, which can be used for insurance premiums, copays, or other qualified health expenses
• Up to 32 days of paid time off annually, including 15 holidays, 5 days sick leave, and 12 days vacation (accrued based on hours worked).
• On-the-job training

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1) Operational Leadership: 

• Support the Executive Director in organizational decision-making, providing reporting, assessment and analysis of TERA’s financial, administrative and operational performance.
• Provide collaborative, transparent, and supportive leadership to TERA’s administrative and operational teams, ensuring compliance with all contractual, fiscal, and reporting requirements.
• Oversee TERA’s internal operational and financial systems, and develop policies and procedures to ensure long-term organizational viability and health. Bottomline the development and lead the coordination and  implementation of TERA’s Policies and Standard Operating Procedures  to ensure TERA operational effectiveness and compliance with federal and state funding requirements. 
• Design, implement, and train staff on efficient, user-friendly operational systems that strengthen coordination, accountability, and overall team effectiveness.
• Lead Safety Committee and oversee TERA’s extensive set of safety policies and procedures with support of Operations Coordinator & Safety Coordinator. 

2) Financial & Administrative Management: 

• Coordinate with key administrative and finance staff to bottomline the overall business functions of the organization. 

• Work with ED, finance staff and grant managers to lead development of annual budget.
• Develop reporting systems to monitor monthly and quarterly financial variances, coordinate plans of correction, and inform longer-term decision-making.
• Oversee management of large-scale billable grants; assess opportunities and concerns within the funding portfolio to meet broad organizational objectives; and develop strategies for effective and timely grant spend-down.

• Ensure federal compliance with all federally funded projects; in coordination with Finance and Admin staff  bottomline the annual Financial and Single Audit processes.
• Review and support the development and implementation of new financial policies and procedures as required to maintain adequate internal controls.
• Oversee comprehensive organizational insurance policies and ensure that they are renewed and secured, including General Liability, Directors & Officers Insurance, Worker’s Comp, and other policies as needed. 
• Support the team in the management, drafting, and execution of TERA’s contracts, including ensuring contract compliance and creating maximum revenue opportunities for TERA to sustain its mission.
  
   

3) Human Resource Management:

• Provide supervision and guidance to part-time HR Manager who oversees the HRIS system, paperwork, and supports people and culture.
• Build a healthy organizational culture, support smooth operations, build staff capacity, and ensure labor compliance.
• Support the ongoing development and maintenance of HR policies and culture building strategies. Support implementation of both across staff operations. 
• Manage comprehensive and competitive benefits programs for all employees and maintain an attractive workplace to retain high quality employees.  

4) Facilities & Office Management: 

• Supervise Facilities Manager and overall maintenance of TERA facilities and offices, as well as associated budget and workplan..
• Supervise and oversee TERA’s IT consultant to ensure affordable enhancements to TERA’s information systems, including hardware and software acquisition, to improve the organization’s productivity, effectiveness, and security.
• Coordinate with Training & Operations Coordinator to ensure the functionality, maintenance, and upgrading of office equipment. 
• Ensure the safe-guarding of information systems through access controls, password protection, and reliable data back-up plans.
• Manage administrative softwares such as DocuSign, Zoom, Google Workspace, and others. 

QUALITIES & QUALIFICATIONS:

All members of the TERA team are expected to embody the following qualities:

• Cultural competency, humility, self-awareness, and willingness to learn.
• Ability to listen well and give and receive direct, honest, and constructive feedback.
• Positive attitude, able to work independently and contribute to a high-functioning, collaborative team environment.
• Strong work ethic, reliability, accountability, and commitment to excellence. 
• Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid and often fast-paced work environment.
• Commitment to follow and enforce all TERA policies, maintain professionalism, and represent the work of TERA and Tribal communities with dignity and integrity at all times.

In addition, the following are required minimum qualifications for this position:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Public Administration, Management, Finance, or a related field. 
• 6+ years work experience in nonprofit management, with demonstrated progressive leadership within Tribal or public-benefit organizations. 
• Direct experience working within or supervising Finance teams within organizations, providing financial management reports and organizational assessments to support decision-making with leadership.
• 5+ years of leadership/supervisory experience. Demonstrated track record with building a strong team. 
• Experience working with Boards of Directors, supporting organizational governance, compliance, financial reporting and auditing.
• Proficiency with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and non-profit accounting.
• Experience overseeing Human Resources, familiar with best practices in personnel management and compliance with labor and employment laws.
• Experience supporting organizational technology integration, such as improving finance and accounting software systems, setting up CRM systems, establishing HR Information Systems, as well as expertise in office operational technology such as Google suite (Mail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Drive), MS Office suite (Word and Excel), Adobe Acrobat, videoconferencing (Zoom, Google Meet), and ability to learn new software and technology.
• Patient, personable and approachable attitude. Able to work with diverse people, build and maintain strong working relationships with both internal and external partners.
• Experience developing and following a strategic work plan, set and keep deadlines and work on multiple projects concurrently, and manage competing demands.
• Strong communication skills with a track record of bringing teams together around shared goals and implementation plans.

Optional but desired qualifications for this position:

• Experience working with Tribes or Native-led organizations 
• Experience managing the maintenance and upkeep of a large-scale facility with multiple buildings.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks, preferably a certified user or eligible for certification, and/or other financial management software.
• Advance degree in Non-profit Management, Business Administration, Natural Resource Management or related field.

HOW TO APPLY:

All applications must be submitted through BambooHR at  

Priority Application Due Date : November 15, 2026

Applications received after this due date will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.