Regional Director, Southeast

American Rivers; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

American Rivers seeks a Senior Director – Southeast to lead a geographically distributed team and drive fundraising across the region. You will work with regional staff, national program leaders, and donors to advance river restoration and protection.

The role emphasizes people leadership, strategic planning, and building durable funding partnerships to scale conservation impact in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• Proven success leading fundraising and regional teams.
• Experience translating policy priorities into regional action plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing Southeast regional team.
• Secure annual and multi-year philanthropic revenue goals.
• Translate organizational priorities into regional strategy and workplans.
• Collaborate with national program leaders and development team.

Skills

Team Leadership

Fundraising

Strategic Planning

Donor Engagement

Stakeholder Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

CRM Software

Job description

JOB TITLE: Regional Director, Southeast
POSITION CLASSIFICATION: Senior Director
SALARY BAND: B
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 our organization. The life experiences, knowledge, innovation, and talent that different people bring to our work provides perspectives, experiences, and competencies which are critical to our effectiveness in protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water for people 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