Senior Director Community Infrastructure at Communities Unlimited, Inc. – Little Rock, Arkansas

The Senior Director of Community Infrastructure provides strategic leadership, operational direction, and performance accountability for Communities Unlimited’s Community Infrastructure Department. This role oversees regional Area Directors responsible for program implementation of community infrastructure grants, contracts, and initiatives. The Managing Director also oversees the Grant Management & Compliance Team to ensure successful execution of multi-year federal, state, and philanthropic grant and contract portfolios.

This role is responsible for aligning regional program delivery with organizational strategy, strengthening cross-departmental collaboration, advancing earned-income opportunities, and ensuring measurable community impact across the organization’s multi-state footprint.

This position serves as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and plays a critical role in shaping strategic priorities, advancing rural infrastructure policy and funding opportunities, and building high-performing regional leadership capacity.

This is work from home role; however, candidates must reside in one of the follow states: AL, AR, LA, OK, MS, TN or TX.

CU offers a range of benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions, Flexible Spending Accounts, company-paid Short-Term & Long-Term Disability and Basic Life Insurance. An Employer 401k Match, paid holiday, vacation and sick time.

Education/Certification Requirements

Option A: Bachelor’s degree in public administration, engineering, environmental science, planning, business, nonprofit management, or a closely related field required, and 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in rural infrastructure programs, community development, or federal/state program implementation.

Option B: High school degree or equivalent is required and 19+ years of relevant experience.

Must maintain a valid driver's license, have reliable transportation, an acceptable driving record, and at least the state minimum personal liability auto insurance coverage.

Must be authorized to work in the USA.

Experience/Skills Requirements

Demonstrated experience supervising multi-regional professional staff and managing complex grant-funded programs.Demonstrated success leading large-scale technical assistance or infrastructure development programs.Experience managing program portfolios exceeding $7+million annually.Strong knowledge of federal and state funding mechanisms for infrastructure and community development.Ability to translate organizational strategy into operational plans and measurable outcomes.Proven leadership in staff development, succession planning, and performance management.Experience building partnerships with government agencies, philanthropy, utilities, community organizations, and national intermediaries.Strong financial management skills including budget oversight and revenue development.Excellent facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills.Ability to operate effectively in a dispersed, virtual work environmentWorking knowledge of data systems, GIS applications, and performance tracking toolsProficiency with grants management systems

Summary of Essential Job Duties

Strategic Leadership & Department Direction

Provide overall strategic leadership for Community Infrastructure programs to ensure alignment with organizational strategic priorities and rural impact goals.Partner with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team to advance strategic blending of services across lending, broadband, housing, community sustainability, and water/wastewater initiatives.Develop and implement multi-year program strategies that expand organizational reach, deepen community impact, and diversify revenue sources.Represent Communities Unlimited at national, regional, and state-level policy and funding forums.

Regional Program Delivery Oversight

Supervise and support Regional Area Directors responsible for field operations and community engagement.Establish performance expectations and accountability systems for regional program delivery.Ensure consistent quality standards in technical assistance, training, and community development services.Develop and oversee a comprehensive internal staff training framework for Regional Area Directors and field teams, strengthening technical infrastructure competencies, community engagement practices, and financial and program management capacity.

Grant, Contract, and Portfolio Implementation

Oversee and collaborate with the Director of Contract Management & Compliance to ensure successful execution of grant and contract deliverables.Support the development of competitive funding proposals and program expansion opportunities.Monitor progress on multi-year grant initiatives and ensure integration of programmatic and compliance requirements.Ensure regional teams effectively implement scopes of work and meet performance milestones.Participate in funder engagement and stewardship efforts.

Financial Stewardship & Resource Development

Oversee departmental program budget and revenue targets.Identify opportunities for earned-income services including fee-for-service technical assistance, planning support, and capacity-building initiatives.Contribute to organizational fundraising and partnership development strategies.

Organizational Leadership & Collaboration

Serve as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).Collaborate with SLT members and functional leaders across HR, IT, GIS, and Communications to identify and advance strategic blending opportunities while strengthening program infrastructure and operational excellence.Promote a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvementLead departmental workforce planning, recruitment strategies, and succession planning

External Relations & Advocacy

Maintain strong relationships with federal and state agencies, philanthropic partners, national intermediaries, and regional stakeholders.Advocate for rural infrastructure investments and policy priorities.Represent Communities Unlimited at RCAP and in other national program networks and partner organizations.

Other Projects 

Special projects and other duties may be assigned from time to time by the supervisor.

Tools Used in Job

Proficient use of a computer, internet, smart phone (texting, email, photos, videos, social media, and calls), web-based databases for data-entry, Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are required. Use of additional software for project-related activities may be required, and training will be provided.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described above are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.