Administrative Director

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT:

Administrative Director

POSITION SUMMARY:

Lead TERA in building administrative, financial, and operational processes and systems that will provide a solid foundation for its growth and longevity

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.

The mission of TERA, founded in 2019, is to cultivate land stewardship, livelihood, and leadership skills that weave collaborative relationships between Tribal members and the community at large for the benefit of all lands and beings. Our program goals are to:

Strengthen ties to land and culture

Connect tribal members with meaningful livelihoods and culturally relevant work in their ancestral territories

Regenerate local ecology of the North Coast Ranges

Build capacity for native voices to play a central role in land stewardship

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 and manager, the Administrative Director provides collaborative, high-level leadership in business operations, including finance and grant management, human resources, IT, and facilities/office management. This position leads TERA to build administrative systems and operational processes that provide a solid foundation for its growth and longevity. Working in close tandem with the Executive Director (ED) and TERA staff, this position requires deep collaboration, interdisciplinary workflows, and strong attention to detail. Someone successful in this role will understand the structure and cadences of TERA’s overall grant portfolio, and oversee the flow of resources that help enable TERA’s programmatic and stewardship work.

FUNDAMENTALS:

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Finance Manager, Operations Coordinator, Facilities Manager, Grants Manager

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 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: $90,000 - $100,000 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

$500 monthly pre-tax health reimbursement, which can be used for insurance premiums, copays, or other qualified health expenses

Up to 30 days of paid time off annually, including 14 holidays, 5 days sick leave, and 12 days vacation (accrued based on hours worked).

On-the-job training, great working environment

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1) Leadership:

Provide collaborative, transparent, and supportive financial and operational leadership to TERA’s program and partnership managers, ensuring compliance with all contractual, fiscal, and reporting requirements.

Design, implement, and train staff on efficient, user-friendly operational systems that strengthen coordination, accountability, and overall team effectiveness.

Oversee TERA’s internal operational and financial systems, and develop policies and procedures to ensure long-term organizational viability and health.

2) Financial Management:

Oversee the overall business functions of the organization.

Supervise Finance Manager, and oversee development of the Finance team as it grows.

Work with ED, Finance Manager and grant managers to lead development of annual budget; monitor and research monthly and quarterly variances, and coordinate plans of correction.

Oversee management of large-scale billable grants and develop strategies for effective spend down.

Ensure federal compliance with all federally funded projects.

Develop and implement practices to oversee grant expenditures at sub-award partner organizations and ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations.

Develop and implement new financial policies and procedures as required to maintain adequate internal controls.

Perform other financial accounting duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Communicate with grantors as needed and implement necessary budget amendments.

3) Human Resource Management:

Oversee HR staff to build a healthy organizational culture, support smooth operations, build staff capacity, and ensure labor compliance.

Supervise HR Coordinator and any additional HR staff.

Oversee and ensure HR compliance, including management of HRIS systems. Collaborate on developing HR policies, culture-building strategies, and support implementation of both into staff operations.

Work with HR to build a comprehensive and competitive benefits program 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.

Provide affordable enhancements to TERA’s information systems to improve the organization’s productivity, effectiveness, and security.

Oversee the functionality, maintenance, and upgrading of office equipment. Coordinate all requests for office and equipment maintenance and repairs.

Oversee IT needs for the organization with support from the Operations Coordinator, including hardware and software acquisition; contract with support as needed.

Ensure the safe-guarding of information systems through access controls, password protection, and reliable data back-up plans.

Manage subscriptions to administrative softwares and accounts monthly and annually such as DocuSign, Zoom, Google Workspace, and others.

5) Business Management:

Acquire and manage general organizational insurance policies including general liability, Directors & Officers Insurance, Worker’s Comp, and other policies as needed.

Manage, draft, execute and maintain contracts, including creating maximum revenue opportunities for TERA to sustain its mission, and ensure TERA compliance with contract language.

Develop and implement policies to ensure TERA compliance with federal and state funding requirements.

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 Accounting, Business, Finance, or a related field.

5+ years work experience in nonprofit operations and federal/state grant management.

5+ years work experience in accounting, business, and/or finance.

5+ years of leadership/supervisory experience. Demonstrated track record with building a strong team.

Proficiency with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and non-profit accounting.

Experience overseeing Human Resources, and compliance with labor and personnel practices.

Mastery of office technology, including 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.

Able to develop and follow a prioritized plan of work, set and keep deadlines and work on multiple projects concurrently, and manage competing demands

Strong communication skills with the ability to write and speak effectively.

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 and expertise with fund accounting software and QuickBooks, preferably a certified user or eligible for certification, and/or other financial management software.

HOW TO APPLY:

All applications must be submitted through BambooHR at https://tera.bamboohr.com/careers

Priority Application Due Date: Monday, December 15, 2025

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