Senior Director, East Texas

Partners for Rural Impact's (PRI) work began more than 30 years ago with a place-based partnership in Appalachian Kentucky, where we’ve shown demographics don’t have to determine destiny. Today, we partner with rural leaders and allies across the country to share that work and build local partnerships that put young people on a path to economic mobility.

Position Summary

The Senior Director, East Texas, reporting to the Vice President, Office of the Executive Vice President, will provide strategic and operational leadership for PRI’s work across rural Deep East Texas, working closely with school districts, philanthropic funders, and community partners to advance educational opportunity and economic mobility for children and youth. The role will focus on strengthening implementation, leveraging public and private funding, supporting locally identified priorities, and building capacity for sustainable impact.

Working alongside existing regional efforts and investments, the Senior Director will position PRI as a trusted implementation and thought partner, contributing organizational expertise and resources to complement and strengthen ongoing investments in the region. The Senior Director will collaborate across PRI teams to ensure effective implementation and accountability, while leveraging insights and lessons learned from East Texas to inform and strengthen PRI’s broader national work.

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.

East Texas Strategy & Initiative Leadership

Lead the implementation and ongoing refinement of PRI’s strategic initiatives in Deep East Texas, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, funding commitments, and locally identified needs

Build and maintain trusted relationships with school districts, local funders, and community stakeholders to support effective implementation of PRI’s work

Work collaboratively with local partners to advance district-identified priorities that strengthen educational pathways, student engagement, and economic mobility for children and youth

Identify opportunities to leverage PRI’s expertise, resources, and technical assistance to strengthen local initiatives while complementing existing regional efforts and investments

Measuring & Sustaining Impact

• Monitor the effectiveness of PRI-supported initiatives, using data, partner feedback, and implementation
• insights to inform continuous improvement
• Collaborate with PRI’s Data and Evaluation team and local partners to establish meaningful measures of progress, track outcomes, and communicate results
• Identify opportunities to strengthen local capacity, sustain effective strategies, and apply lessons learned to future programming and investments

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Provide strategic guidance to PRI leadership on emerging opportunities, implementation challenges, funding priorities, and potential areas for growth in Deep East Texas
• Supervise, coach, and develop PRI team members responsible for implementing and supporting East Texas Initiatives
• Support staff and implementation partners in building the knowledge, skills, and capacity needed for effective program delivery and sustainability
• Effectively build and maintain internal relationships with PRI teams to successfully marshal PRI resources and expertise as needed to advance East Texas strategy

Stakeholder Engagement, Collaboration & Thought Leadership

• Cultivate and steward strong relationships with local funders, school districts, government agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations to advance PRI-supported initiatives
• Maintain ongoing engagement with local partners to understand evolving needs, strengthen implementation, and ensure PRI’s support remains responsive to community priorities
• Participate in existing regional collaborations and partner-led efforts, contributing PRI’s expertise, resources, and practical experience where appropriate
• Collaborate with PRI leadership to document and share lessons learned, promising practices, and insights from PRI’s work in East Texas
• Represent PRI in relevant local, regional, state, and national discussions, sharing insights from PRI-supported initiatives and contributing to broader learning about effective rural strategies

Financial Oversight & Resource Development

• Lead efforts to identify and leverage other funding opportunities that complement existing investments and support PRI’s initiatives in Deep East Texas
• Work collaboratively with local funders, school districts, and other partners to identify opportunities to align public and private resources around locally identified priorities
• Oversee the effective management, compliance, and reporting of East Texas funding streams, ensuring accountability to funders and adherence to grant requirements
• Support the development of funding proposals, budgets, and sustainability strategies that strengthen existing initiatives and expand opportunities for children and youth

Project Leadership & Management

• Provide leadership and oversight for PRI-supported projects in Deep East Texas, ensuring effective implementation, partner engagement, grant compliance, funder communication, and accountability for results
• Guide project planning, implementation, and continuous improvement in collaboration with PRI teams, school districts, and implementation partners
• Monitor project progress, address implementation challenges, and coordinate internal resources to support timely achievement of deliverables and outcomes
• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission

Position Location & Schedule

This in-person role will work from our PRI East Texas Office in Diboll, Texas. Local, state, and sometimes national travel required.

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 senior-level 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 Texas’ 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 results-based leadership and facilitation

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

Must have access to reliable transportation

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 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.