Regional Director, Southeast

American Rivers; Brewster Heights (NY); Remote; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Retirement plan with employer contrib.

Paid leave and holidays

Job summary

American Rivers is seeking a Regional Director for the Southeast, with flexible location in the Southeast and national travel. You will lead the regional team, drive fundraising growth, and advance river conservation initiatives across Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The role reports to the Vice President of Regions and collaborates with national program directors to implement strategic, funded programs and build a durable river movement in the

Qualifications

• Experience supervising and developing staff with leadership impact.
• Track record securing philanthropic support from foundations, government, and donors.
• Ability to translate strategy into priorities, workplans, budgets, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills across diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead a regional team and fundraising efforts for the Southeast.
• Develop and implement a regional fundraising strategy in partnership with Development.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward individual and institutional donors; build a pipe of prospective supporters.
• Translate regional priorities into compelling funding opportunities and engage staff in donor conversations.
• Coordinate with Development to advance donor relationships, proposals, and stewardship.
• Provide a vision for river conservation and a cohesive Southeast strategy aligned with the plan.

Skills

People leadership

Fundraising

Donor engagement

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Job description

Regional Director, Southeast

Chattooga River | Wild and Scenic River in Georgia | Photo by Sinjin Eberle

JOB TITLE: Regional Director, Southeast

POSITION CLASSIFICATION: Senior Director

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Regions

LOCATION: Flexible in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina
Tennessee

About American Rivers
American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 4.4 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and the strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers.

The beauty of rivers is that they connect all people and communities – including within ourorganization. The life experiences, knowledge, innovation, and talent that different people bringto our work provides perspectives, experiences, and competencies which are critical to oureffectiveness in protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water forpeople and nature.

JOB SUMMARY

The Southeast Regional Director (classified as a Senior Director level position within American Rivers) will join a dynamic team at American Rivers working across the country and will lead the regional team and fundraising efforts to restore and protect rivers of the Southeast. This body of work includes advocacy for clean water and healthy rivers and implementation of on the ground restoration projects (e.g., floodplain restoration and dam removal). The Regional Director’s primary responsibilities are to develop and support an experienced, geographically distributed team; secure philanthropic support; translate American Rivers’ organizational priorities into a focused, achievable regional strategy; and foster a movement for rivers in the Southeast.

This role requires an experienced people-leader and fundraiser who can strengthen the leadership already present on the team, establish and effectively convey clear vision and priorities, and build the relationships and resources needed to expand regional impact. The Regional Director must also be a proven conservation professional capable of advancing advocacy and project work in the Region. The position will report to the Vice President of Regions and will work closely with regional staff, national program leaders, and the Development team to align conservation goals, staff capacity, and funding. In addition to responsibilities associated with leading the Southeast region, the Regional Director will be an active member of the national Conservation team working with conservation strategy program directors to implement national strategies associated with American Rivers’ strategic plan goals.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, supervise, and develop a high-performing, geographically- distributed regional team that includes experienced staff and people managers.
• Strengthen managers’ ability to lead their teams, make decisions, address challenges, and deliver results.
• Establish and apply clear expectations, responsibilities, and decision-making practices.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable team culture grounded in trust and American Rivers’ organizational values.
• Align workloads, staff development, and team capacity with regional and national priorities and available resources.

Fundraising and Donor Engagement

• Serve as the lead fundraiser for the Southeast region, accountable for agreed-upon annual and multiyear revenue goals.
• Develop and execute a regional fundraising strategy in partnership with the Development team.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward individual and institutional donors, while building a pipeline of prospective supporters.
• Translate regional conservation priorities into compelling funding opportunities and engage staff expertise in donor conversations and proposals.
• Cultivate and support the regional River Council as a community of donors and supporters advancing American Rivers’ mission.
• Coordinate with Development to advance donor relationships, proposals, stewardship, and fundraising progress.

Regional vision, strategy, and financial management

• Provide a vision for river conservation in the Southeast that will amplify and scale American River’s conservation impact.
• Lead the development and implementation of a cohesive Southeast regional strategy aligned with American Rivers’ Strategic Plan.
• Translate regional priorities into workplans with clear outcomes, responsibilities, timelines, and resource requirements.
• Guide regional project and advocacy priorities in collaboration with regional staff, local partners, and national program leaders.
• Support experienced staff in leading their areas of work while ensuring coordination, accountability, and alignment across the regional portfolio.
• Develop and actively manage regional budgets in coordination with appropriate organizational partners; monitor revenue and expenses and adjust plans as needed.
• Evaluate new opportunities against mission impact, funding prospects, staff capacity, and existing commitments.

Movement-Building and Partnerships

• Build and sustain relationships at the local, state, regional, and federal level with conservation agencies and organizations, community leaders, funders, regulators, businesses, and elected decision-makers.
• Serve as a primary ambassador for American Rivers in the Southeast Region, strengthening its reputation and advancing shared river conservation goals.
• Guide American River’s effort to build a river movement and a durable majority for rivers in the Southeast.
• Ensure effective coordination among the Southeast team, national programs, other regions, and Development, Communications, Finance, and administrative colleagues.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated success supervising and developing experienced staff, including people managers, with examples of strengthening team performance and leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and securing philanthropic support (preferably 6+ figures) with experience with foundations, government, and major donors.
• Experience translating organizational strategy into achievable priorities, workplans, budgets, and measurable outcomes.
• Ability to lead through collaboration and clear accountability in a geographically distributed organization with shared responsibilities across teams.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, including the ability to connect program work to donor interests and organizational priorities.
• Commitment to American Rivers core values
• Requires a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience

The successful candidate must be a self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities and deadlines. They will have the ability to make decisions based on evidence and stakeholder feedback; listen, lead, and mentor a team; exercise discretion; exhibit political astuteness and good judgment. They should be able to forge connections with others to build trust and inspire enthusiasm in their endeavors. They must also have a strong commitment to working well with and supporting the voices of community leaders and have a desire to work with people across all political spectrums. Knowledge of multi-benefit river management, floodplains, urban rivers, pollution prevention, river restoration, and/or dam removal issues are strongly recommended.

Candidates who are unsure if they meet all minimum qualifications or who have transferrable skills and experience beyond the conservation sector are encouraged to apply.

LOCATION

Remote location flexible in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee. Regular travel within and outside the region expected.

COMPENSATION

American Rivers offers marketable compensation that reflects the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. The salary range for this position is $126,000 – $154,000 annually depending upon qualifications and experience. We provide a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our full-time, regular employees, including:

• Health and Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, long-term and short-term disability, and life insurance.
• Financial Security: After one year of service, American Rivers begins contributing a 3% employer contribution. There is no vesting schedule for employer contributions as employees are 100% vested upon participation.
• Time Off: Four weeks of paid leave, eleven paid holidays, three floating holidays, and sick leave.

At American Rivers, we are committed to supporting our employee’s well- being, professional growth, and financial security, ensuring they can thrive both at work and in life.

COMMUNITY AND OPPORTUNITY

• At American Rivers, our core values drive everything we do – we Lead with Collaboration and Trust, Infuse Equity and Justice, Deliver Results, and Ensure Staff and Volunteers Thrive. We are committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to make a difference.
• Our culture prioritizes work-life thriving through Focus Fridays (no internal meetings), professional development opportunities, a home office stipend and our comprehensive leave policies, including sabbatical leave (every seven years) and paid parental leave (six weeks w/ one year of service).
• We also ensure leadership stays connected to staff needs through an internal advisory group, fostering open communication and continuous improvement.
• At American Rivers, our people are our strength, and we are dedicated to building a thriving, inclusive workplace where everyone can grow and contribute to our mission.

American Rivers is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request reasonable accommodation, please contact the Human Resources department at 202-243-7040 or [e-mail]. Please note that one week’s advance notice is preferred.

Applicant must be legally allowed to work as an employee in the United States. American Rivers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates of all personal and professional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.