Executive Director

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.