Senior Director

Partners for Rural Impact’s (PRI) ultimate goal is for an America where all kids are successful, regardless of zip code, income, background, or ability.  At PRI, our focus is on ensuring that all children in rural places achieve success. Partners for Rural Impact was born out of our place-based partnership in Appalachia, where we’ve worked for 25 years to create student opportunity and success. 

Position Summary 

The Senior Director, reporting to the Vice President, leads and coordinates strategic efforts across rural communities, advancing cradle-to-career (C2C) and place-based partnership (PBP) initiatives. This position plays a central leadership role in developing and supporting a cohort of rural partnerships; cultivating deep thought partnerships with private funders and key local, state, and national organizations; supporting regional and statewide fundraising efforts; and serving as a visible ambassador of PRI’s mission and work. 

A critical part of this role is collaborating with local, regional, and state partners—as well as technical assistance organizations—to ensure rural voices are included in regional and state-level advocacy, aligned initiatives, and efforts to unlock public dollars for sustainable impact. The Senior Director oversees local, regional, and statewide funder-supported projects and works closely with PRI’s internal teams to connect community-based efforts with PRI’s broader national mission and expertise.  The position leads and operates with the goal that All Rural Students Succeed 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements of the position are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, with regular and predictable attendance essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Local, Regional Strategy & State-Level Leadership: 

• Lead PRI’s strategic efforts across a set of rural places and regions 

• Serve as the public face of PRI’s efforts, building trust with local, regional, and statewide stakeholders 

• Work closely with existing and developing PBPs, as well as national technical assistance partners to align efforts to ensure all rural children and youth are provided a path to economic mobility 

• Build multi-sector partnerships with government agencies, funders, and educational institutions to drive local, regional, and state-wide impact 

Measuring & Sustaining Impact: 

• Monitor the effectiveness of PRI’s rural strategies, using data to inform course corrections and continuous improvement 

• Develop shared metrics of success with local, regional and statewide PBPs to track outcomes, ensuring initiatives are delivering measurable impact 
   

Strategic Leadership & Team Management: 

• Provide strategic input to PRI leadership on opportunities for local, regional, and statewide impact and scaling 

• Support and mentor leaders within rural communities to strengthen local capacity and sustainability 

• Provide supervision and/or guidance to PRI team members working in assigned local and regional communities 

• Effectively build and maintain internal relationships with PRI teams to successfully marshal PRI resources and expertise as needed to advance local, regional, and statewide strategies 

Collaboration & Thought Leadership: 

• Collaborate with PRI’s leadership to document rural place-based learnings 

• Represent PRI as a speaker, facilitator, and advisor at local, regional, statewide and national convenings 

• Guide learning communities and leadership development programs that build capacity among local, regional and state-level leaders 
   

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership Development: 

• Cultivate and manage rural cross-sector partnerships with local, regional, and state-level funders, educational institutions, government agencies, and community organizations 

• Convene and facilitate learning communities, strategy sessions, and workshops to advance rural outcomes 

Financial Oversight & Resource Development 

• Support PRI, local, regional, and state partners as they identify and secure funding opportunities (public and private) to support rural initiatives 

• Oversee management and reporting on location-specific funding streams 

Project Leadership & Management: 

• Serve as Project Director for key local, regional, and/or state-based, funder-supported projects, with responsibility for implementation, partner/field engagement, and funder communications 

• Build strong relationships with funders and field partners, positioning PRI as a trusted collaborator and ensuring that PRI initiatives are impactful, sustainable, and well-aligned with PRI’s broader strategic priorities 

• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission, All Rural Students Succeed 

Position Location & Schedule 

 This position will be considered for remote work and may require up to approximately 30% travel, including local, statewide, and national travel.

Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET with in-office, hybrid and/or remote work a possibility. Because of the nature of the responsibility to schools, partners, funders, and to the service region, individual offices or departments may have operating hours that extend beyond this period and may include evening and/or weekend hours. 

Minimum Qualifications 

Education required to ensure success in this position: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or higher preferred    

Experience required to ensure success in this position: 

• 10+ years of leadership with demonstrated success in community-based initiatives, program scaling, and systems change  

• Relevant experience in education, public policy, nonprofit leadership, or community development.  

• Deep familiarity with education, philanthropic, and policy ecosystems—particularly in rural areas  

• Successful track record of partnering with philanthropy to advance organizational and community goals  

• Expertise in place-based strategies, cradle-to-career models, and leadership development 

Special skills, knowledge and abilities: 

• Proven ability to build trust and lead cross-sector collaborations involving funders, local leaders, and public officials  

• Strong public speaking, facilitation, and storytelling skills to engage diverse audiences  

• Superior interpersonal and organizational skills  

• Competencies to effectively supervise staff 

License, certification, or registration necessary: 

• Valid driver’s license 

• Successfully complete pre-employment background check 

Physical requirements: 

• Ability to work in a high-energy office 

• Ability to accurately communicate and exchange information with partners, stakeholders, and/or meeting participants 

• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer software programs 

• Ability to operate motor vehicle 

• Ability to travel independently by car and plane both locally and nationally 

Environmental conditions: 

• Work in a fast-paced setting with frequent interruptions and shifting priorities 
   

Additional Company Information  

PRI offers a wide array of benefit options, to meet the financial, educational, and health needs of you and your family. 

• Comprehensive insurance plans including medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage. 

• Flexible spending accounts, plus an employee assistance program. 

• Life and long-term disability insurance and retirement plan. 

• Generous paid time off work options including vacation, sick leave, and annual holidays, in addition to paid parental leave. 

• Tuition assistance and professional development for employees. 

Partners for Rural Impact is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.