Employment Opportunities at Spirit in the Desert
Executive Director
Spirit in the Desert (SITD) Retreat Center, located in the scenic Sonoran Desert at Carefree, Arizona, is a Lutheran-rooted ministry welcoming people of all backgrounds to a place of peace, renewal, healing, and spiritual growth. The Center is seeking a new Executive Director to lead its mission, staff, operations, financial health, donor relations, and community partnerships into a new era of expanded ministry.
The Executive Director administers the financial reporting, budget preparation, and financial accountability processes orienting SITD towards financial sustainability. This role combines strategic planning with direct management, and it requires modeling servant leadership across the spectrum of hospitality, operations, ministry support, and philanthropy.
For further details of the ideal candidate profile, along with mission, identity, values and history of Spirit in the Desert, download job description below.
Applications received by January 15, 2026 will be assured of full consideration. Applications should include a letter of interest showing alignment with the mission of SITD, resume, and names of five professional references with email addresses and telephone numbers. Calls to references will occur later in the search process and with prior notification of candidates. All submissions will be treated in confidence and should be sent electronically in PDF format to Melissa Maxwell-Doherty.
To nominate a candidate for consideration, please contact Melissa Maxwell-
Doherty with the candidate name and contact information.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.