Director, Governance

Location : Hybrid (Alexandria, VA)

Salary Range : $105,000 -$125,000

The Director, Governance will play a vital role in nurturing the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) mission by ensuring that governance frameworks and best practices align with WEF’s core values and strategic goals and objectives, supporting Governance Programs, and providing comprehensive support to WEF’s Board of Trustees (BOT). This position reports directly to the Managing Director, Community Engagement (MD, CE) and demands a dynamic individual with a profound understanding of nonprofit governance principles, regulatory compliance, ethical standards, and confidentiality principles. The Director, Governance will conduct regular assessments of governance practices and make recommendations for improvement, ensuring that WEF remains transparent, accountable, and focused on its mission. This role requires a strategic thinker who can effectively communicate complex governance concepts to various stakeholders, enhancing understanding and fostering a culture of compliance and ethical conduct. The Director, Governance will work collaboratively with WEF’s Board of Trustees and other senior volunteers, building trusted relationships and engaging them as strategic partners in advancing effective, ethical, and mission-driven governance.

The Director, Governance must thrive on initiative, problem solving, being agile, inclusive and a team player. The ideal candidate will have experience working on a high-performing team and had success working across and supporting a mission-based organization, to best help WEF serve the Water Community.

Principal Functions:

• Maintain and manage access to BOT and WEF policies and procedures and Board documents.

1. Apply knowledge of applicable non-profit laws and information regarding governance best practices, bylaws, and conduct of meetings, to advise on board and management decision-making while maintaining observance of WEF’s policies and procedures.
2. Develop, implement, manage, and regularly assess governance policies and practices that enhance organizational effectiveness.
3. Collaborate with the BOT to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and ethical standards.
4. Manage governance records in accordance with WEF’s retention policies.
5. Maintain functional knowledge of Bylaws and serve as a vital resource for board members and staff on governance-related issues.
6. Maintain up to date WEF Board roster, Board Committee roster, and all related member records in Fonteva.
7. Maintain Board Information SharePoint site and Governance central files.
8. On-board and train new BOT members.

• Responsible for building and maintaining strong and productive relationships with a wide variety of diverse stakeholders.

1. Establish and maintain effective communication channels between the board, management, and stakeholders.
2. Work with WEF leadership to establish methods and procedures to ensure Board member election process and BOT appointment requests are managed effectively.
3. Manage and assess WEF’s OnBoard platform to recommend improvements and expand use of the platform.
4. Manage the BOT Travel Calendars for the fiscal year and for the annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC).
5. Lead training and development initiatives for board members and staff on governance practices and responsibilities.

• Provide administrative and logistical support for the governance work of the BOT.

1. Facilitate board meetings, including preparation of agendas, minutes, and related materials accurately and in accordance with set timelines.
2. Coordinate meeting logistics, including room set up.
3. Coordinate with the Senior Team and other staff to ensure meeting preparation and post meeting action items are completed on time.
4. Manage Board attendance records.
5. Manage Board Travel Calendar and Outlook invitations and support Board and Senior Leadership Team staff scheduling.
6. Track appointments to other organizations, facilitate staff group of organization liaisons, and ensure related required reporting requirements are met.
7. Coordinate Board travel logistics.

• Support the Board throughout the year with all levels of engagement, communication, and service.

1. Oversee and facilitate BOT access to WEF platforms, including but not limited to: Microsoft SharePoint, Emburse, Smartsheet, Melon, and WEFUnity.
2. Assist in the development and implementation of programs designed to ensure a pool of effective future leaders through a robust nominations process.
3. Ensure that organizational programs are efficiently and effectively delivered to external stakeholders and internal change efforts meet targeted deadlines accurately.
4. Manage the budget for Special Projects and Governance, including review and approval of BOT expense reports, developing, monitoring, and updating budget projections and invoice coding.
5. Oversee and maintain the BOT and BOT Applications webpages.
6. Build and sustain strong, trust-based relationships with the Board of Trustees and senior volunteers through proactive engagement, clear communication, and responsive service, supporting their effectiveness and ongoing commitment to WEF’s mission.
7. Partner closely with WEF staff across departments to ensure coordinated planning, clear communication, and seamless execution of governance activities, committee support, and related organizational initiatives.

• Performs other duties as assigned, including but not limited to:

1. Serving as Community Advisor and/or Community Manager to assigned BOT Committees (e.g. Governance Committee, Nominating Committee, etc.)
2. Provide oversight and administration of the Charities of Choice Program.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field.
2. Advanced degree or related certifications preferred.
3. Minimum of 10+ years’ experience in nonprofit or association governance or management.
4. 5+ years of People Leader experience
5. Proven experience working with executives or board members in confidentiality and facilitating board meetings.
6. Strong understanding of and ability to apply nonprofit regulations, compliance, and ethical guidelines, including demonstrated understanding of governance principles and best practices of high performing boards.
7. Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality.
8. Technologically astute; in-depth experience with tools and resources that improve governance efficiency and provide effective meeting management.
9. Ability to travel 20-25%.

Preferred skills/experiences:

1. Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and experience with Salesforce/Fonteva, Smartsheet, and Microsoft Co-Pilot preferred.
2. Experience with CMS website maintenance and virtual meeting platforms preferred.
3. Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex information clearly.
4. Strong project management and organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
5. Demonstrated ability to develop and implement governance training programs.
6. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
7. Ability to build and foster collaborative working relationships across the organization, including with volunteer leadership, all levels of WEF staff, and throughout WEF Member Associations.
8. Ability to think creatively and strategically, bringing ideas forward to the ED that add value and accelerate continuous improvement in effective governance.

At WEF, we are committed to an interview experience that is authentic, transparent, and equitable. Candidates are asked to answer interview questions in their own words, without real-time AI assistance, so we can fairly assess individual experiences, skills and qualifications.
To support a genuine interview experience, WEF’s interviewers also refrain from using AI tools during live interviews. If a candidate’s responses appear inconsistent or suggest outside assistance, WEF’s interviewers may pause to clarify or adjust the interview to maintain fairness for all candidates.
These measures are not intended to be punitive; rather, they aim to ensure a consistent evaluation process that aligns to WEF’s cultural and ethical principles.

This person will work primarily in an office environment using standard office equipment.

WEF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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