The Executive Director

The position of Executive Director has the responsibility for overall direction of the organisation or enterprise. In a non-profit organisation they are subordinate to (hired and fired by) the Management Committee and in a business they are subordinate to the shareholders of the business.

The position may also be known as Chief Executive, Managing Director, Executive Administrator, State Director and a whole host of other titles.

In order to employ any salaried staff at all, non-profit organisations require significant funding capability whether this is derived from membership, event fees, sponsorship, government grants and other sources.

Although the ultimate authority in a non-profit organisations is the management committee, the position of executive director is powerful and can strongly influence the volunteers that serve on the management committee. Therefore the selection process for the position needs to be rigorous and fair. No jobs for the boys here!