About Tall Timbers
For more than six decades, Tall Timbers has been a recognized leader in conservation science, land stewardship, wildlife management, forestry, and prescribed fire research. The organization has built a national reputation for advancing science-based conservation practices and preserving critical landscapes throughout the southeastern United States.
Today, Tall Timbers is uniquely positioned for continued growth and influence. The organization has successfully executed on its strategic vision and established itself as the leading nonprofit authority in prescribed fire and landscape-scale conservation throughout the Southeast. With decades of research, scientific expertise, technical credibility, and strong partnerships, Tall Timbers occupies a leadership position unmatched by peer organizations in the region.
Unlike many nonprofits, Tall Timbers is known for its ability to translate strategic plans into measurable outcomes. The organization combines scientific rigor, entrepreneurial thinking, and operational agility, allowing it to pursue emerging opportunities and adapt quickly to changing environmental and conservation needs. Leadership believes the organization has the potential to double in size over the next decade as demand for its expertise, programs, and services continues to grow.
Tall Timbers currently operates across multiple states and manages a diverse portfolio of scientific research programs, conservation initiatives, grants, donor-supported activities, educational programs, and land stewardship operations. This complexity creates both tremendous opportunity and an increasing need for sophisticated financial leadership.
Tall Timbers has a large accredited regional land conservancy with over 166,000 acres under easement.
The Opportunity
Tall Timbers seeks a mission-driven, operationally savvy, and strategically minded Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join its executive leadership team. Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the CFO will help lead one of the Southeast’s most respected conservation organizations through its next phase of growth, expansion, and organizational sophistication. Tall Timbers is not simply seeking a traditional financial executive. The organization is looking for a collaborative business partner who can provide strategic financial leadership while simultaneously improving day-to-day operational effectiveness across a highly dynamic, grant-driven environment.
This newly created CFO role reflects the continued success and growth of Tall Timbers. What was once an organization with a traditional controller-led finance structure has evolved into a complex, multi-state conservation enterprise with expanding grant portfolios, growing operational scale, increasingly sophisticated reporting requirements, and ambitious strategic objectives. The CFO will help build the financial infrastructure necessary to support that growth while preserving the entrepreneurial, mission-driven culture that makes Tall Timbers unique.
The successful candidate will bring both CFO-level strategic capabilities and strong controllership discipline. They will be equally comfortable presenting financial forecasts to the Board of Directors, evaluating organizational growth strategies, improving internal processes, overseeing grant compliance, strengthening financial controls, and helping staff navigate operational challenges. This individual will become a trusted advisor to executive leadership while serving as an enabling partner to the scientists, conservation professionals, development leaders, and program managers who drive the organization’s success.
Role Summary
The Chief Financial Officer will serve as the senior financial executive and strategic business partner to the President & CEO, executive leadership team, and Board of Directors. The CFO will oversee all financial functions, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, budgeting, treasury, grants administration, compliance, risk management, investments, internal controls, and organizational finance.
A critical aspect of the position will be helping Tall Timbers move from reactive financial administration toward proactive financial management. The CFO will bring structure, scalability, and process improvement while ensuring that finance serves as a strategic enabler of the organization’s mission.
The CFO will inherit a dedicated and committed accounting team led by a long-tenured Controller. This role is intended to complement and elevate existing capabilities, creating leadership capacity that will allow the organization to scale effectively while positioning the Controller and team for continued success.
Why This Opportunity Is Unique
This role offers far more than traditional financial oversight. The CFO will help shape the future of an organization that is expanding geographically, growing in complexity, and increasing its impact across the conservation landscape.
The CFO will have the opportunity to:
Build and enhance the financial infrastructure supporting a rapidly growing organization.
- Improve operational efficiency across finance and administrative processes.
- Partner with scientists and conservation leaders whose work attracts significant grants, contracts, and philanthropic funding.
- Support strategic growth initiatives throughout the Southeast.
- Influence executive and board-level decision making.
- Lead modernization efforts that improve service delivery to internal stakeholders.
- Help position Tall Timbers for sustainable, long-term growth.
Most importantly, this individual will join a team deeply committed to conservation, stewardship, and scientific excellence. Successful leaders at Tall Timbers are passionate about the mission and motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the natural world. Candidates who appreciate conservation, wildlife, outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, birding, land stewardship, or environmental stewardship will find a strong cultural fit within the organization.
Compensation and BenefitsSalary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $175,000 to $200,000 with a generous benefits package.DSG