Director, Community Leadership

About Audubon 

The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with more than 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, nonpartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With over 900 staff and more than 2.65 million supporters working across 11 countries and all 50 U.S. states, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Learn more at audubon.org and on Facebook and Instagram @audubonsociety. 

Position Summary:

The Director, Community Leadership develops the systems, leaders, and support that enable Audubon’s volunteer leaders and staff to build influence with local, state, and federal decisionmakers, help drive durable policy outcomes, and sustain public support. Working closely with Community Building, Government Affairs, Communications and Marketing, and U.S. regional leadership, the Director advances Audubon’s policy objectives by cultivating, engaging, and activating Audubon’s community—Community Chapters, Conservation Action Centers, Next Generation Leadership participants, supporters, and high-influence individuals—in coordinated support of Audubon’s policy priorities.

The Director develops high-capacity volunteer leaders, equips community members and staff to cultivate trusted relationships with policymakers, and ensures that Audubon’s community assets operate as a coordinated network in support of conservation and policy outcomes.  This position serves as a critical bridge between community engagement and policy impact. Its ultimate outcome is that elected officials, agency leaders, and other decisionmakers recognize Audubon as a trusted source of expertise, community support, and conservation leadership. The Director will work with a core team and key internal stakeholders to stand up a functioning national network of high-influence individuals; expand the number of Chapters and Centers actively engaged in Audubon’s policy work, including through structured programming like state capital days and Capitol Hill fly-ins; and demonstrate measurable progress in the reach, depth, quality, and impact of Chapter and Center engagement in policy work, with the balance between broader participation and deeper, sustained engagement set by Audubon’s strategy.

This position is classified as hybrid, in accordance with Audubon’s “Where We Work” Policy. Hybrid employees are expected to work in Audubon’s Washington, DC office every Monday and Tuesday and an additional two days each month of the employee’s choosing. Candidates should be located within commuting distance of Audubon’s Washington, DC office.

Compensation:

$106,869 - $120,228 / year

Additional Job Description

Essential Functions:

Community Activation for Policy Impact

• Build and manage a network of high-influence individuals who advance Audubon policy priorities through their own relationships, public engagement, and strategic communications.
• Lead implementation of community engagement strategies that advance Audubon’s policy priorities through coordinated action across Community Chapters, Campus Chapters, Conservation Action Centers, supporters, Next Generation Leadership participants, and partner networks, ensuring each is informed of policy priorities and equipped with the tools, training, and opportunities to act
• As capacity allows, identify potential approaches to engage Audubon’s growing community outside the United States in support of global conservation policy objectives.

Policymaker Engagement & Relationship Cultivation

• Develop frameworks, tools, and systems that enable volunteer leaders, chapters, Conservation Action Centers, and staff to build sustained, trusted relationships with local, state, and federal decisionmakers.
• Partner closely with Government Affairs, U.S. state policy teams, and regional leadership to increase the impact of community relationships on Audubon’s policy objectives, including identifying relationship-building opportunities through local events, programs, and conservation initiatives.
• Support annual state lobby days, local policy engagement efforts, and community-based campaigns that strengthen both policymaker relationships and community leadership capacity, increasing their scale and effectiveness over time.

Measurement, Evaluation, and Strategic Reporting

• Own Audubon’s system for measuring community and decisionmaker engagement: define the KPIs, ensure consistent use of Quorum, EveryAction, and other existing tools across community-facing programs, and maintain data quality.
• Report clearly and regularly to senior leadership and partner teams on the reach, depth, quality, and impact of Chapter, Center, and high-influence engagement—whether and how it is building sustained relationships and creating influence, not only activity—and recommend strategic adjustments based on the data.

Additional Functions

• Support a culture of philanthropy, including public funding efforts.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Americas including through joint planning and execution of shared priorities.
• Maintains and fosters culture of safety.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required and 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in advocacy, grassroots or community organizing, government relations, civic engagement, or coalition-building, including at least three years leading programs, networks, or teams. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience leading coordinated work across a geographically dispersed network of staff, Chapters, Centers, or volunteer leaders who do not report to the role and who have competing responsibilities—creating alignment, commitment, and follow-through without direct supervisory authority.
• Demonstrated experience identifying, recruiting, developing, and activating high-influence individuals through locally based staff, volunteers, Chapters, Centers, or affiliates.
• Working knowledge of legislative and regulatory processes, and experience cultivating trusted relationships with elected officials, agency leaders, and their staff.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a nonpartisan organization, build relationships across the political spectrum, and advance an institutionally grounded policy agenda.
• Experience designing engagement systems, frameworks, tools, and trainings that can be adapted and scaled across a network of chapters, centers, affiliates, or similar community partners.
• Demonstrated experience owning a measurement system for engagement work: defining KPIs, ensuring consistent use of tools such as Quorum and EveryAction, maintaining data quality, and reporting clearly on the reach, depth, quality, and impact of community and decisionmaker engagement.
• Excellent written, verbal, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with senior leaders, volunteers, and partners.
• Skilled in creative problem-solving, with the ability to articulate strategic vision to help team members and the organization achieve long-term goals.
• Familiarity with conservation, environmental, or climate policy and a passion for Audubon’s mission are strongly preferred. Experience working across regions, sectors, or cultures is a plus, as is proficiency in written and spoken Spanish.
• Ability to spend time with staff, volunteers, and partners in person, as needed. Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time, including out of state, and to work occasional nights and weekends, when necessary.
• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.
• Experience fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments is valued.

This position may require tracking of lobbying time and ongoing compliance with all applicable federal, state, and organizational lobbying and ethics requirements. The position may require registration as a lobbyist. The selected candidate must be willing and able to complete any required registrations and adhere to all related reporting and conduct standards.

National Audubon Society Competencies: This role will also be accountable to apply and develop the following competencies.

Building Trust: Take actions that give others confidence in your intentions and see you as a truthful and reliable person who follows through on promises and commitments.  

Coaching: Guide and develop individuals within the organization, nurturing their professional growth and enhancing performance for the future. 

Decision Making: Make decisions based on comparative data and input from various sources, incorporating diverse viewpoints and insights for a holistic understanding. 

Leading and Facilitating Change: Be effective in guiding, managing, and supporting organizational or systemic transformations, including considering diverse needs and perspectives.  

Strategic Leadership: Demonstrate creative problem-solving skills and articulate strategic vision to help team members and the organization achieve long-term goals.  

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic outlined by federal, state, or local laws. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates.

Accessibility Statement

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.