Director, Floodplain Restoration

JOB TITLE:                                   Director, Floodplain Restoration

POSITION CLASSIFICATION:     Director I

SALARY BAND:                           A

DEPARTMENT:                                 Northwest Region

REPORTS TO:                              Melanie Klym
LOCATION:                                  Washington (preferred) or Oregon

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 Director, Floodplain Restoration, provides high-level leadership for Integrated Flood Management (IFM) program and policy development across Washington and Oregon. This role serves as a strategic advisor to local communities, delivering expert guidance on flood resilience planning, navigating complex funding landscapes, and fostering cross-agency collaboration to improve governance efficiency. The Director will coordinate closely with the NW River Restoration Director, NW Regional Director, and National Director of Floodplain Restoration as well as serve on the National Floodplain Community of Practice to contribute to national efforts to achieve American Rivers’ North Star objectives.

In Washington, the Director will provide high-level leadership for Integrated Flood Management (IFM) program and policy development. This role serves as a strategic advisor to local communities, delivering expert guidance on flood resilience planning, navigating complex funding landscapes, and fostering cross-agency collaboration to improve governance efficiency. By leveraging American Rivers’ national community of practice, the Director will import effective resilience strategies and export Washington’s innovations, ensuring policy frameworks consistently support and scale the work of our project implementation team.

In Oregon, the Director directs the state’s IFM Campaign, driving policy change and building diverse statewide coalitions to secure sustainable state funding. By leveraging American Rivers’ national community of practice to import effective resilience strategies and export Pacific Northwest innovations, the Director ensures that policy frameworks across both states consistently support and scale the work of our project implementation team.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with the Restoration Program and the Northwest Regional Director to update and implement our regional capacity-building plans for river restoration in the NW Region.
• Advance floodplain restoration in the region through outreach and multimedia communication.
• Work with relevant staff and partners to identify, pursue, and acquire public and private funding.
• Represent American Rivers by attending relevant conferences and speaking at events regionally and nationally.
• Be an active teammate with American Rivers’ national Floodplain Community of Practice, River Restoration team, Conservation team, and the NW Regional team, engaging in team meetings, collaborating with colleagues on project ideas and approaches, and participating in team retreats and other related activities.
• Support organizational strategies and planning efforts including but not limited to the North Star and Strategic Plan Updates.
• Produce materials for articles for technical and general audiences, press releases and other communications and media pieces.

Washington

• Engage directly with local community leaders to document specific flood resilience needs, identifying intersectional risks (e.g., how flood-mitigation sites can also serve as firebreaks or drought-resilient water storage).
• Act as a navigator for communities by mapping local project needs to appropriate state and federal funding streams; assist in identifying and overcoming barriers to grant application and administration.
• Act as the primary liaison to align local resilience planning with broader state-level climate adaptation and emergency management strategies.
• Leverage American Rivers’ national floodplain community of practice to bring successful, high-impact strategies from other states into the Washington context. Systematically document and disseminate lessons learned from Washington-based pilot projects to the national network, contributing to the broader evidence base for nature-based flood solutions.

Oregon

• Establish and lead a coalition to coordinate and align IFM efforts statewide.
• Develop broad financial support for IFM in Oregon through influencing state agency budgets, hosting legislative tours and funder briefings, and other visibility events to educate decision-makers on the benefits and necessity of IFM.
• Facilitate collaboration between state, local, and Tribal agencies to improve floodplain management ordinances to integrate flood control and ecological restoration goals.
• Promote IFM project adoption with land managers, utilities, and public works departments.

• Coordinate with American Rivers’ Northwest Region Team to ensure the IFM campaign consistently centers the needs and values of impacted, under-resourced communities and Tribal nations in all policy and project decisions.
• Collaborate with American Rivers’ Northwest Region Team on opportunities to improve and streamline regulatory permitting processes for IFM and river restoration projects.

 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in environmental studies, biology, ecology, geology, hydrology, political science and five years of professional experience in policy advocacy, conservation, floodplain management, water resource management, or a related field; or at least seven years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience in coalition building and managing diverse interest groups (local government, state agencies, non-governmental organizations, Tribal entities).
• Strong understanding of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Oregon’s regulatory environment related to land use, water quality, and/or flood risk management (e.g., Department of Environmental Quality, Department of State Lands, Department of Land Conservation and Development rules).
• Working knowledge federal environmental regulatory frameworks, permitting processes (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act Sections 401 and 404, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act Section 106), and floodplain management ordinances.
• Experience developing and delivering educational content to decision-makers (legislators, local officials, or utilities) to influence policy or secure project support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts (e.g., flood resilience metrics, hydrologic data) for non-technical audiences, including public speaking and persuasive presentation development.
• Demonstrated commitment to centering the needs and values of impacted, under-resourced communities and Tribal nations in policy and project decisions.
• Experience fundraising and managing project and program budgets.
• Team player and demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues to advance an organization’s broader goals.
• Ability to work with a team via phone and video conference.  
• Ability to travel throughout Washington and Oregon.
• High energy level, self-motivated.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience with floodplain restoration, nature-based solutions, or salmon recovery programs in Oregon and Washington.
• Specific project experience with Nature-based Solutions or Integrated Flood Management (IFM).
• Familiarity with state funding sources (e.g., Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife budgets, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Oregon/Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife).
• A background in community-based planning or equity-focused environmental justice work.

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 within Washington or Oregon.

COMPENSATION 
American Rivers offers marketable compensation that reflects the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. The salary range for this position is $77,100 to $86,800, annually, depending on experience and qualifications. 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 recruitment@americanrivers.org. 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.