Executive Director

Position Summary

The Executive Director of the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) leads the organization’s vision, mission, and strategy in partnership with the Board of Directors. This role manages daily operations, including staff, programs, and finances. The Executive Director serves as fundraiser-in-chief, cultivating relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders to ensure financial sustainability. Additionally, the Executive Director will bring tireless energy to forging and fostering collaborations across the wider outdoor community to advance ACA’s mission and goals. Demonstrating strong oral and written communication skills, visionary strategic thinking, and a passion for seeing the world at the pace of bicycle travel are essential to the role, as the Executive Director charts ACA’s future in a turbulent world.

About Adventure Cycling Association

ACA was founded in 1976 by a group of passionate bicyclists who sought to celebrate America’s bicentennial with a transformative cross-country bike trip. What began as a bold journey across the nation quickly evolved into a movement to inspire and empower people to experience the world by bicycle. ACA's founders recognized that bike touring/bikepacking offers not only a unique form of self-powered travel, but also the power to connect people, promote health, and cultivate a sense of environmental stewardship.

Driven by the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to explore the country and the world on two wheels, ACA has spent nearly five decades creating the resources and community to make that possible. The organization has played a pivotal role in shaping bicycle travel in North America and today has a $4 million annual budget, a team of 20 full time and 100 seasonal staff, and a membership of more than 22,000 bicycle travelers (including 3,000 Life Members). ACA provides extraordinary multi-day bicycle travel experiences, champions bicycle safety and infrastructure, and shares inspiring stories.

ACA aims to bring its unparalleled expertise in map- and route-making into the digital age to serve and empower an even broader and more diverse membership at local and national levels. The Executive Director will play a key role in building strategic partnerships to share ACA’s vision of cycling routes as vital corridors for travel and exploration with government agencies, tourism groups, and other transportation organizations. The Executive Director will drive efforts to modernize how we engage communities, enhance digital tools, and advocate for the long-term viability of bike travel routes — empowering more people to experience the transformational power of bicycling adventures.

Essential Functions

The essential functions outlined below are highlighted due to their importance to success in the Executive Director role. The responsibilities should not be considered exhaustive.

Leadership and Management

• Galvanize ACA around a compelling vision and plans that will inspire stakeholders and donors to help secure the human capital and monetary resources to support the organization’s work and mission.
• Grow, cultivate and nurture a partnership with the Board of Directors.
• Build and retain an effective and diverse staff team dedicated to the mission and with the skills needed to be successful in their work.
• Lead staff in implementing ACA’s strategic plan, developing and reporting key performance indicators to track progress.
• Establish effective decision making to meet both short- and long-term goals.

Finance and Operations

• Work with the Board of Directors to develop, approve, and manage annual budgets.
• In collaboration with an external auditor, ensure financial accountability and provide transparent fiscal stewardship.

Fundraising

• Set the overall fundraising strategy and create and implement fundraising plans in collaboration with staff and the board.
• Lead efforts to diversify revenue sources.
• Steward key relationships with individual, institutional, and corporate donors.

Programs and Community

• Serve as the ambassador and champion for ACA’s mission to its members, board, donors, volunteers, partners, granting- and governmental agencies, other local and national bike organizations, and the public, to increase the organization’s visibility.
• Foster a spirit of innovation in program work with an eye toward quickly launching new ideas that can enhance and maximize the impact of existing work.
• Understand and champion the needs of the bike travel community and recognize ACA’s role in supporting those needs.

The Ideal Candidate

The ACA Board of Director’s ideal candidate will love and enjoy personal bicycle travel; will have a strong belief in the value of outdoor adventures for everyone; and will spread the joy of bicycle travel to all communities across the country.

The candidate will also have these skills and characteristics:

• Experience in a senior-level leadership position, with demonstrated success in financial management, fundraising, and organizational management
• Experience working in a non-profit or closely with non-profits at a senior level and a clear understanding of how to operationalize mission driven visions.
• Compelling communication and storytelling skills
• A culturally responsive and emotionally intelligent leadership style
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Compassion, empathy and flexibility, especially in times of crisis
• Proficiency in and willingness to adopt digital tools
• Available to travel to ACA headquarters in Missoula, Montana at least quarterly

Compensation

The salary range is $125,000 - $160,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits include paid time off, holidays, an additional fully paid one-week bike vacation, medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, and retirement plan.

To Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to EDsearch@adventurecycling.org and we will be in touch soon. Job will be open until filled; we hope to have a person in place by August or September 2025.