Executive Director

Position Summary

The Executive Director (ED) serves as the chief executive leader of RIVERE, driving strategic direction, financial growth, operational development, and stakeholder mobilization. Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will lead RIVERE through a critical transition from its foundational startup phase into rapid organizational expansion.

Key priorities include co-leading the capital campaign alongside the Board of Directors, overseeing startup nonprofit infrastructure development, supervising staff and operational systems, establishing the center's earned revenue coworking model, and managing complex public-private partnerships. The Executive Director works in close collaboration with project leads, the Operations Manager, board leadership, and key institutional partners.

Core Responsibilities

1. Strategic Direction & Startup Execution

(In partnership with the founder and board of directors)

• Organizational Scaling: Define and execute strategic growth plans that transition RIVERE from initial startup planning to full facility operation and regional presence.
• Board Governance & Collaboration: Partner closely with the Founder & Chairperson of the Board and the Board of Directors; prepare board packets, track governance metrics, support board expansion, and implement board committee charters.
• Consultant & Advisory Management: Lead direct collaboration with external advisory teams, including CIMA Consulting (project leadership, financial modeling, campaign strategy) and architectural/engineering partners.

2. Capital Campaign & Comprehensive Fundraising

(Supported by development consultants)

• Capital Campaign Leadership: Drive campaign readiness and execution in partnership with the Board and campaign consultants; cultivate, solicit, and steward major individual donors, family foundations, and corporate partners.
• Institutional Funding Pipeline: Oversee grant strategy, proposal development, and funder relations across federal, state, and private foundation sources.
• Donor Infrastructure: Ensure robust utilization of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (DonorPerfect) to maintain active donor pipelines, moves management tracking, and multi-year pledge fulfillment.

3. Coworking Formation & Earned Revenue Strategy

• Coworking Space Model Execution: Operationalize RIVERE's earned revenue strategy based on the Gather Workspaces, LLC coworking membership model; manage facility space allocation across private offices, dedicated desks, and floating memberships.
• Ecopreneurial Hub Development: Build an active community of environmental technology start-ups, academic researchers, non-profit partners, and corporate tenants to achieve 70% to 80% occupancy targets.
• Event & Space Rental Management: Establish pricing models and operational procedures for renting conference rooms, auditorium facilities, and event spaces to external organizations.

4. Financial Oversight & Administrative Management

(Supported by external contracted accounting firm, development consultants, operations manager)

• Budgeting & Financial Modeling: Maintain primary financial oversight; develop annual operating budgets, monitor cash flow projections, track burn rates, and ensure alignment with multi-year capital construction financial models.
• Fiscal Accountability & Audits: Oversee financial management together with contracted external accounting firm; oversee procurement policies, contracting, and compliance audits in accordance with 501(c)(3) standards.
• Risk Management & Compliance: Maintain organizational insurance, lease agreements, risk registers, and legal compliance across all operations and property management activities.

5. Staff Supervision & Team Leadership

• Team Building & Management: Direct, evaluate, and mentor RIVERE personnel, beginning with direct supervision of the Operations Manager and expanding to future program leads, grant writers, and administrative staff.
• Performance Reviews: Establish structured 3-month, 6-month, and annual performance goals; cultivate a collaborative, accountable, and mission-focused work culture.
• Operational Delegation: Eliminate administrative bottlenecks by establishing clear operational protocols and delegating day-to-day logistics to the Operations Manager.

6. Stakeholder Engagement & Public Representation

(In partnership with Operations Manager)

• Regional Ecosystem Engagement: Serve as the chief spokesperson for RIVERE across regional coalitions, local governments within the Rappahannock watershed, state agencies, environmental education groups, tribal partners, and community members .
• SmartRiver & Partner Initiatives: Provide support to academic and technology partners in advancing the Rappahannock SmartRiver Initiative and local educators conducting environmental education at the RIVERE Ecological Center.
• Marketing & Public Relations: Oversee strategic communications, public announcements, and press relations to build regional visibility and brand awareness.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Executive Leadership: Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in non-profit executive management, startup administration, or regional project management.
• Fundraising Track Record: Demonstrated success in major donor cultivation, capital campaign execution ($5M+ campaigns preferred), grant acquisition, and institutional development.
• Earned Revenue Strategy: Leading expertise in earned revenue strategy for nonprofit organizations.
• Financial & Operational Acumen: Proficient in multi-year budget management, financial statement review, CRM systems, and business model execution.
• Startup & Coworking Ecosystems: Experience or strong familiarity with innovative space-sharing concepts (e.g., coworking membership models), facility operations, or business incubator frameworks.
• Staff Leadership: Proven ability to manage, mentor, and build staff teams in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional public speaking, written messaging, and inter-organizational negotiation abilities across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Business Administration, Non-Profit Management, Environmental Science, Public Administration, or a related field preferred.