Executive Director Resume

Executive directors are responsible for managing and guiding an organization’s operations.

You should be able to show your leadership skills and management abilities on your resume for an executive director position, highlighting your most relevant achievements as an upper-level manager.

To write a resume that lands you an executive director job at your target company or non-profit, you first need to understand the position’s requirements. Then, demonstrate how your qualifications make you a perfect fit for the role by writing a perfect resume.

Here are three tips for writing a job-winning resume for an executive director position:

1. Write an executive-level resume summary

A well-written resume summary is important for getting a potential employer interested in your application. Executive positions are generally vetted by both HR and top-level members of the company, who don’t have much time to spend looking at your resume. So your summary should be short and concise while also highlighting your most relevant experience and skills.

The summary — which goes directly under your resume’s header — should be 4–5 sentences or bullet points long and include:

• your years of leadership experience
• your most job-relevant skills and achievements
• what you’re looking to accomplish as an executive director at your target company
• keywords from the job ad to help your resume get past an applicant tracking system (ATS)

Here’s an example of a job-winning executive director’s resume summary. It emphasizes information specific to the company and its needs, making the employer immediately understand that the applicant is qualified for such a high-level role and likely worth scheduling for an interview:

Executive director with 10 years of experience developing strategies to promote the mission of the organization and build a strong team of leaders. Proven ability to capture opportunities for growth and establish lucrative relationships with key vendors and business partners. Excited to bring a track record of 20%+ annual revenue growth in each of the last 5 years to Halls Inc. as your Executive Director of Product Strategy.

2. Feature your executive abilities in each section of your resume

When you put your executive skills on your resume, don’t just say that you have them. Instead, make your claims about your skills believable by including examples of how you’ve used them to impact organizations.

Fill all your resume sections with examples of your relevant skills, including your:

• summary: “Expert communicator with experience successfully overhauling internal/external communication policies at 3 different Fortune 500 companies” (communication skills)
• work experience: “Managed a team of 90 employees, verifying compliance with company regulations and ensuring that projects were completed on time and within budget” (management skills)

You should also create a dedicated resume skills section. In this section, list your high-level skills that are relevant to the executive director position you’re targeting.

For example, mention your ability to set and meet organizational goals, or emphasize your expertise in change management.

Here are some more executive director skills hiring managers will look for on your executive director resume:

• Leadership
• Decision making
• Team management
• Interpersonal skills
• Business management
• Branding
• Fundraising
• Partnership building

And this is an example bullet point from an executive director resume’s skills section that shows employers what kind of leadership to expect from the applicant:

3. Tailor your resume’s job descriptions to your target executive director role

Looking for the best way to get high-level interviews? Simply match the content in your resume’s work experience section to the specific requirements listed in the executive director job ad. Here’s how:

1. Review the job ad and identify the skills and qualifications that are needed for the position
2. Ensure your resume’s descriptions of your current and past roles contain examples of how you’ve used those skills and qualifications to lead organizations

Below is an example of an executive director job posting, followed by a resume job description. The color-coded underlines show how the applicant responded to the employer’s specific requirements:

Executive director job requirements

Minimum 5 years of experience in a management position in a non-profit organization, preferably with at least 2 years managing a budget of $1 million or more and experience in fundraising and donor relations. Detailed knowledge about compliance with federal, state, and local regulations governing charitable organizations and their funders. Experience working with boards and committees, including drafting agendas, meeting materials, and reports for board members.

Executive director resume job description

DONATIONS FOR DOGS, Indianapolis, IN, August 2015–December 2021
Executive Director

• Managed an annual budget of $2.6 million+ fully dependent on my team’s fundraising efforts, including fostering relationships with new and existing donors
• Ensured every incoming and outgoing dollar complied with federal, state, and local regulations for non-profit organizations
• Led and presented at quarterly meetings with the board of directors, and chaired 2 committees responsible for allocating donations