Executive Director

About Heritage BC

Now in its 45th year, Heritage BC is a member-based, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for British Columbia’s diverse heritage sector. Our mission is to empower individuals and communities across the province to preserve and celebrate cultural heritage. Heritage BC’s membership includes historical societies, museums, local and First Nations governments, and others engaged in heritage planning, conservation, and restoration. We support the sector through skills development, advocacy, awareness initiatives, and the Heritage Legacy Fund for community projects. Heritage BC connects heritage with sustainability, tourism, climate action, and social inclusion, adapting programs to meet evolving community priorities and ensure heritage remains a vital part of BC communities.

Summary & Key Functions

We are seeking a visionary and strategic Executive Director (ED) to lead BC’s province-wide heritage organization into its next chapter. The successful candidate will bring a long-term, opportunity driven mindset, strong financial literacy, and exceptional business acumen to oversee operations, programs, and partnerships. This role requires a charismatic relationship builder who can cultivate networks across government, Indigenous communities, professional associations, funders, and heritage practitioners – while advancing Heritage BC’s mission of supporting and advocating for the province’s diverse cultural heritage.

The ED will inspire and guide a dedicated team, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and empowering workplace. Heritage BC has limited administrative support. As such, the ED must be self-sufficient, managing their own administrative tasks while strategically delegating to the team. We are seeking a proactive, mission-driven leader who combines strategic foresight with hands-on operational expertise, thrives on creating meaningful impact, and is committed to equity, reconciliation, and cultural inclusion.

As the Executive Director, you will be responsible for these key functions:

Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Provide leadership grounded in heritage-sector values, including diversity, accessibility, reconciliation and cultural inclusion.

• Support the Board of Directors by identifying and addressing emerging issues.

• Provide leadership and clarity to the staff team by motivating, guiding, and directing them toward achieving organizational goals in an environment centred around trust, psychological safety, and respect.

• Lead the implementation of Heritage BC’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan

Fundraising & Financial Management

• Oversee the organization’s operating and business model and develop strategic plans for sustainable operations, including multi-year forecasting, investment recommendations, sponsorship development, and fundraising strategies.

• Oversee and monitor several funds Heritage BC is responsible for, such as Heritage Legacy Fund and Heritage BC Transferability Sustainability Fund.

• Develop the annual budget in consultation with the staff team, for submission to the Board for approval.

Relationships & Communications

• Provide leadership in developing, managing, and maintaining relationships with communities, governments, and partners to promote the relevance and importance of heritage.

• Strengthen relationships with members, sponsors, and donors.

• Ensure communications strategies are impactful, support a positive organizational image, and build effective relationships with stakeholders, members, advocates, and partners.

Human Resources

• Develop and maintain an organizational structure and compensation framework that aligns with available resources and ensures adequate capacity to meet organizational goals.

• Direct the day-to-day operations of Heritage BC, keeping the Board informed of all critical matters in a timely manner.

• Hire, train, coach, develop, and conduct performance assessments for staff and contractors, in accordance with employment legislation and best practices. 

Programmatic Support

• Through a collaborative and data in-formed approach, lead the development of new or innovative program ideas that do not yet have a clearly delegated scope for staff team members to be responsible for.

• Initiate planning and management for advocacy activities and develop a delegation plan to integrate advocacy into program outputs across the team.

• Be the representative for Heritage BC on advocacy coalitions and networks such as Coalition of Arts, Culture and Heritage of BC (COACH - BC) and the National Trust of Canada’s Heritage Partners Committee

Policy

• Identify existing policies requiring review and updating, including programmatic, financial, advocacy, and staff-related policies.

• Identify and recommend new policies through appropriate Board Committees; develop policy collaboratively with staff and committees.

Your Toolkit Includes

• Five (5) or more years’ experience in a related senior leadership role, with specific experience in the BC heritage sector, preferably in a non-profit setting.

• Post-secondary education in non-profit management, conservation, cultural arts, or a related field is an asset; a combination of experience and education would be considered.

• Knowledge and experience in the heritage sector of BC, enabling effective advocacy and relationship-building with local governments, First Nations, and community partners.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated experience leveraging an established professional network within the heritage, cultural, non-profit, or allied sectors to advance organizational goals, partnerships, and membership growth.

• Experience reporting to and supporting a volunteer Board.

• Ability to strategically grow and steward networks in ways that support membership engagement, collaboration, and long-term organizational stability.

• Proven ability to lead a team and foster an inspiring and healthy organizational culture.

• Strong operations management capabilities with the ability to work under pressure and adapt quickly to unforeseen situations and events.

• Strong financial acumen, including knowledge budgeting best practices.

• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

• Willing to undergo a criminal record and background check as a condition of employment.

This full-time 37.5-hours per week position, is a fully remote working environment, with occasional travel within and outside BC for meetings and participation in conferences and symposia – requiring the candidate to reside in British Columbia. Qualified non-BC applicants would need to confirm their willingness to relocate to BC, as a condition of employment. Being fully remote, the candidate is expected to provide their own computer and have a quiet dedicated working space at home. The role offers a competitive salary and comprehensive compensation package, including RSP contributions and paid holiday closure.

How To Apply

If the opportunity to support a growing non-profit and create lasting historical impact feels like the right fit for you, please apply with your resume and cover letter. Applications for this role will be accepted until noon PST on February 27, 2026.

Read the Opportunity Profile to learn more about the role, Heritage BC’s team, and why BC is a great place to live. A full outline of the job responsibilities and requirements can be found in the complete job description.

We believe that employees who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve strengthens our ability to achieve our mission. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage all applicants from diverse backgrounds, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnicities to apply. If you require accommodations in the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting [email protected].