Executive Director

Bronx River Alliance; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vis

Pre-tax transit benefits

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Bronx River Alliance seeks an Executive Director to lead a 25-year legacy of watershed stewardship, education, ecological restoration, and community advocacy in the Bronx. The role demands strategic leadership, fundraising acumen, and deep engagement with urban communities and public partners.

You will collaborate with NYC Parks and regional stakeholders to advance environmental justice, expand programs, and ensure financial health through diverse funding streams.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of executive leadership overseeing staff, budgets, and operations in nonprofit/public agency settings.
• Experience navigating multi-stakeholder partnerships with public land management agencies; NYC Parks experience preferred.
• Proven track record in major gifts, foundation grants, capital project support, and public funding streams.
• Deep commitment to environmental justice, open space equity, and work with diverse urban communities.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build influence and trust within government agencies, partners, and communities while protecting the mission.
• Think systemically about the interplay of politics, policy, stakeholders shaping the watershed.
• Center voices of staff and community members affected by environmental injustice.
• Practice active listening, transparent communication, and decisive operational management.

Skills

Executive leadership

Public agency savvy

Fundraising track record

Environmental justice commitment

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Why Lead the Alliance Now?

• 25 Years of Community Impact: Grounded in strong STEM education for Bronx youth, ecological restoration, workforce development, environmental justice, and community advocacy, the Alliance is celebrating a quarter-century of community-driven watershed stewardship.
• Ecological Proof: Decades of dedicated work are paying off—beavers, otters, mink, and diverse native bird species have returned to the Bronx River for the first time in over a century.
• Balanced Regional Expansion: Guided by the Bronx River Intermunicipal Watershed Management Plan, the Alliance is poised to expand its reach upstream into Westchester County while maintaining its city-wide focus and deepening environmental justice leadership in the South Bronx and urban Bronx communities.

Key Responsibilities

Public-Private Partnership & Agency Collaboration

• Serve as the primary liaison to NYC Parks leadership (including the Bronx Borough Commissioner and Bronx River Park Administrator).
• Co-manage shared governance models where Alliance and NYC Parks staff collaborate seamlessly on capital investments, maintenance, and ecological programming.
• Navigate multi-stakeholder public agency environments while sustaining long-term organizational trust and alignment.

Partnership & Independent Advocacy Management

• Master the delicate balance of public-private leadership—managing the interplay between pushing as an independent advocate for the river and community priorities, and collaborating closely with city agency partners.
• Act decisively on behalf of urban communities who will most benefit from access to and engagement with nature and green spaces.

Strategic Vision, Regional Leadership & Environmental Justice

• Promote a shared vision and define actionable goals and strategies to achieve measurable outcomes, sustainable growth, and mission alignment within the organization.
• Facilitate the implementation of the Bronx River Intermunicipal Watershed Management Plan, positioning the Alliance as a prominent voice in regional conversations on climate resilience, ecological restoration, and equitable green space access from the South Bronx to Westchester County.

Fundraising & Resource Development

• Drive a multi-channel revenue plan engaging staff, board, and external partners.
• In partnership with NYC Parks and community stakeholders, cultivate major donors, individual donors, philanthropic foundation grants, public funding streams, and community-based support for capital projects, greenways, and ecological programs.

Operations, Governance & Transparent Employee Relations

• Manage all corporate non-profit operations, multi-year financial planning, annual budgeting, cash flow projections, legal compliance, and reporting to the Board and NYC Parks.
• Streamline internal decision-making processes, reduce approval bottlenecks, and establish realistic project priorities to protect staff capacity and reduce burnout.
• Cultivate a supportive, transparent human resources environment that prioritizes employee relations, clear job expectations, professional development, and direct lines of reporting.

Team Leadership, Staff Culture & DEIA

• Lead and supervise staff in an accessible, communicative, and transparent manner, ensuring staff input is actively integrated into decisions that impact their work.
• Embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) into hiring, organizational culture, staff progression, and daily operations.

Community Engagement & Educational Leadership

• Foster community-led programming, volunteerism, workforce development, and STEM youth education.
• Build trust-based relationships with community leaders, residents, local schools, and regional coalition partners.

Required Qualifications

• Executive & Organizational Leadership: 8-10+ years of progressively responsible executive leadership overseeing staff, complex budgets, and operations in a nonprofit or public agency setting, with a proven track record of supportive human resources management and organizational building.
• Government & Public Agency Savvy: Demonstrated success navigating multi-stakeholder environments and building effective, trust-based partnerships with public land management agencies, city-wide partners, and local government entities (NYC Parks experience strongly preferred).
• Multi-Channel Fundraising Track Record: Proven success soliciting major gifts, individual gifts, philanthropic foundation grants, capital project support, public funding streams, and community-based donations.
• Sector & Environmental Justice Commitment: Deep commitment to environmental justice, open space equity, ecological restoration, workforce development, and working authentically alongside diverse, low-income urban communities.
• Education: Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., environmental policy, public administration, urban planning, or nonprofit management) is preferred.

The Ideal Candidate

The next Executive Director will be a strategic, community-centered, and culturally empathetic leader who:

• Understands how to build influence and trust within government agencies, public partners, and local communities without compromising the core mission.
• Thinks systemically about the interplay of politics, policy, corporate stakeholders, and community interests shaping the watershed.
• Believes deeply in community-led restoration and centers the voices of staff and community members most impacted by environmental injustice.
• Demonstrates active listening, transparent communication, and decisive operational management that empowers staff and builds internal trust.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $150,000
• Schedule: Full-time (35 hours/week)
• Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance; pre-tax transit benefits; generous paid time off/sick leave.