Faunalytics — the animal advocacy movement's research organization — is hiring its next Executive Director, and we wanted to share the role directly with this community. Our current ED is wrapping up her tenure in January 2027, and the organization is well-established and financially stable, which makes this a good moment for a new leader to step in and shape our next chapter.
The role
The Executive Director leads Faunalytics with strategic vision, external presence, and operational accountability. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED is the organization's chief executive, chief fundraiser, strategy lead, and primary ambassador to the animal protection movement. It's a role for someone who is as comfortable cultivating major donors as they are presenting research findings to a room of advocates and who understands that our credibility rests not only on rigorous data, but on relationships, authenticity, and a genuine commitment to animals. Faunalytics works behind the scenes to make advocates as effective as possible.
The posting breaks the job into seven areas, with rough time allocations that give an honest picture of where the ED's attention goes:
- Fundraising & Development (20%) — the largest single piece. Fundraising is a core, permanent part of this job. We have an excellent Philanthropy Manager, but the ED can't fully delegate it and is ultimately accountable for revenue targets, major gifts, and stewarding a portfolio of high-value funder relationships.
- Movement Leadership & External Relations (15%) — serving as our primary external voice, representing Faunalytics at convenings and in movement-wide strategy conversations, and staying actively engaged with the effective altruism and evidence-based philanthropy communities as a key constituency.
- Strategy & Organizational Direction (15%) — leading multi-year strategic planning, monitoring trends across advocacy, philanthropy, research, and AI, and overseeing monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including our impact dashboard.
- Programmatic Oversight (15%) — partnering with the Research Director on research strategy and the annual agenda, and ensuring programmatic quality and rigorous evaluation.
- Board Governance & Relations (15%) — acting as primary liaison to the Board, preparing materials, and supporting board development.
- Financial Oversight (10%) — leading annual budgeting and partnering on financial operations for a roughly $1.5M budget.
- Team Leadership & Culture (10%) — directly supervising four staff (Research Director, Resource Director, People & Operations Director, and Philanthropy Manager) and championing a culture of learning and evidence.
Who we're looking for
The essential qualifications include a deep commitment to animal protection, five or more years of experience in the space, and a proven fundraising track record — including cultivating and closing major gifts, with experience fundraising at the $1M+ level. Candidates should have the financial acumen to oversee a $1.5M budget, experience leading strategic planning and managing remote teams, and strong public speaking and writing skills. The posting also asks for a demonstrated understanding of the opportunities, limitations, and risks of AI, with some experience applying it to strategy, research, or operations. The role involves traveling roughly four to five times per year.
On the preferred list: prior experience as an executive director or in senior nonprofit leadership, an existing network in the movement or aligned funding communities, and familiarity with effective altruism, evidence-based philanthropy, and research-driven organizations.
The details
- Location: Remote (U.S.); must be eligible to work in the United States
- Type: Full-time
- Salary: $100,000 to $110,000 USD, plus a comprehensive benefits package
- Deadline: October 18, 2026
- Process: Three interview rounds plus a five-hour paid work task (candidates not selected receive a $200 stipend for their time). Applications are redacted to remove identifying information before review, as part of our commitment to reducing hiring bias.
You can read the full posting and apply hereHow you can help
If this sounds like you, we'd love your application. If it sounds like someone you know, the single most useful thing you can do is forward the posting to them directly. (We're not taking recommendation emails or pre-application meetings, but a personal nudge to a strong potential candidate goes a long way.)
