Application Guide

How to Apply for Interim Executive Director

at Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways

🏢 About Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways

The Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways (GCILL) is unique in its dedicated focus on uplifting Indigenous Elders and wisdomkeepers as central voices in global conversations about sustainability and consciousness. Unlike typical NGOs, GCILL specifically works at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge systems and contemporary global challenges, aiming to co-create harmonious relationships with Mother Earth. Someone might want to work here to be part of an organization that centers Indigenous leadership and lifeways as essential solutions, rather than just beneficiaries.

About This Role

This Interim Executive Director role involves providing stabilizing leadership for 1-2 years during organizational transition, ensuring daily operations and mission momentum continue seamlessly. It's impactful because you'll be the key figure maintaining trust with Indigenous partners and Elders during change, while also driving fundraising and community development critical to GCILL's projects. You'll directly facilitate a graceful organizational handover, making your tenure foundational for the permanent leader's future success.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with virtual check-ins with team members to ensure operational continuity, followed by reviewing grant proposals or donor communications aligned with Indigenous partnership principles. The afternoon could involve facilitating a planning session for an upcoming virtual event featuring Elders, ensuring logistical and cultural protocols are honored, and later, drafting transition documentation or strategy notes for the future permanent director. Throughout, you'd be balancing immediate management tasks with long-term transition planning, all while communicating respectfully with a remote, mission-driven team.

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🎯 Who Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways Is Looking For

  • Has 5+ years as an Executive Director, specifically with experience navigating organizational transitions or interim leadership situations.
  • Possesses 2+ years of direct, respectful experience working with Indigenous Elders or for Native-led projects, with demonstrable understanding of protocol and relationship-building in those contexts.
  • Can provide concrete examples of leadership that successfully honors and integrates both Indigenous worldviews (e.g., relational, holistic) and necessary Western organizational perspectives (e.g., strategic planning, financial management).
  • Is a pragmatic problem-solver who can maintain organizational momentum in fundraising, events, and outreach while managing the interpersonal dynamics of a change period.

📝 Tips for Applying to Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways

1

Explicitly quantify your 5+ years of Executive Director experience, highlighting any periods of organizational transition, stabilization, or interim leadership you managed.

2

Detail your 2+ years with Indigenous Elders/Native-led projects: name specific communities, projects, or Elders you worked with (with respect), and describe your role and what you learned about protocol and partnership.

3

In your resume, include a bullet point specifically about a time you bridged Indigenous and Western worldviews in a leadership decision (e.g., integrating community consensus into a strategic plan).

4

Tailor your application materials to use language aligned with GCILL's mission—phrases like 'co-creation,' 'harmonious relationship with Mother Earth,' and 'uplifting Elders' voices'—showing you understand their core ethos.

5

Given the remote, part-time nature, proactively address how you will build trust and maintain strong communication with a dispersed team and community partners from a distance.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your philosophy on interim leadership: How you act as a stabilizing force and prepare an organization for its next permanent chapter, specifically referencing GCILL's transition.", 'A specific example of a project or initiative where you successfully honored both Indigenous and Western perspectives in your executive decision-making and leadership.', 'Your concrete experience and approach to fundraising and community development for mission-driven organizations, particularly those focused on Indigenous knowledge or environmental harmony.', "Your personal resonance with GCILL's mission of uplifting Indigenous Elders and wisdomkeepers, and how your background has prepared you to be a respectful and effective partner in that work."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Research GCILL's specific projects and public-facing initiatives to understand their current focus areas and which Indigenous communities or Elders they may be partnering with.
  • → Look into the broader landscape of Indigenous-led NGOs and knowledge centers to understand GCILL's unique positioning, challenges, and opportunities in the field.
  • → If possible, learn about common protocols and principles for engaging with Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers in a professional context, to demonstrate cultural competency.
  • → Review any public statements, past events, or publications from GCILL to grasp their communication style, core values, and key terminology they use (e.g., 'lifeways,' 'co-creation').
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 "Walk us through how you would approach your first 90 days as Interim ED at GCILL, focusing on stabilization and assessment while respecting existing relationships with Elders."
2 "Describe a challenging organizational change you managed as an Executive Director. How did you maintain morale and mission focus, and what would you do differently for an interim role?"
3 "Give us an example of a time you had to integrate a community-based, Indigenous perspective (like long-term intergenerational thinking) with a practical organizational need (like a budget deadline or grant report). How did you navigate that?"
4 "How would you approach fundraising and outreach for GCILL's specific mission? Share a past fundraising strategy you developed for a mission similar in spirit (e.g., cultural preservation, environmental justice)."
5 "This role requires facilitating a smooth handover. What processes or documentation would you prioritize creating during your tenure to set up the permanent ED for success?"
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using generic leadership language without tying it to the specific context of Indigenous partnership, interim transition, or GCILL's mission of uplifting Elders.
  • Treating the required 2+ years experience with Indigenous communities as a checkbox rather than demonstrating deep respect, understanding of protocol, and specific learnings from that experience.
  • Applying with a mindset of implementing major, disruptive change; this role prioritizes stability and graceful transition, so emphasizing radical overhaul would miss the point.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways!

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