NextChapter

Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Southeast

Gainesville leads the Southeast for director and executive jobs: 28% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 15% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Gainesville, FL: 28%
  • #2 Daytona Beach, FL: 27%
  • #3 Durham, NC: 26%
  • 85 cities ranked in the Southeast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 15% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Gainesville FL28%
  2. 2Daytona Beach FL27%
  3. 3Durham NC26%
  4. 4Coral Gables FL24%
  5. 5Brentwood TN23%
  6. 6Miami FL22%
  7. 7Mc Lean VA22%
  8. 8Jacksonville FL22%
  9. 9Charlottesville VA21%
  10. 10Greenville NC20%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Gainesville leads on 28%, and #10 Greenville is at 20%.
  • Daytona Beach reaches #2 on a sample of 102 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Miami is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,311 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Gainesville FL

    28%

    Director and above
    38
    All openings
    136
    Median posted pay
    $89k

    Hiring most here: UF Health, Veterans Health Administration

    Based on 136 openings.

  2. 2

    Daytona Beach FL

    27%

    Director and above
    28
    All openings
    102
    Median posted pay
    $80k

    Hiring most here: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Brown & Brown, Embry-riddle Aeronautical

    Based on 102 openings.

  3. 3

    Durham NC

    26%

    Director and above
    204
    All openings
    775
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: Duke University, Duke Health Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, GSK

    Based on 775 openings.

  4. 4

    Coral Gables FL

    24%

    Director and above
    61
    All openings
    252
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: University Of Miami, Baptist Health South Florida, City National Bank of Florida

    Based on 252 openings.

  5. 5

    Brentwood TN

    23%

    Director and above
    43
    All openings
    189
    Median posted pay
    $85k

    Hiring most here: LifePoint Health, Premise Health, Delek US

    Based on 189 openings.

  6. 6

    Miami FL

    22%

    Director and above
    512
    All openings
    2,311
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: University Of Miami, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Princess Cruises / Holland America Line

    Based on 2,311 openings.

  7. 7

    Mc Lean VA

    22%

    Director and above
    51
    All openings
    234
    Median posted pay
    $163k

    Hiring most here: Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sunrise Senior Living

    Based on 234 openings.

  8. 8

    Jacksonville FL

    22%

    Director and above
    229
    All openings
    1,055
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Confidential, Intercontinental Exchange, UF Health

    Based on 1,055 openings.

  9. 9

    Charlottesville VA

    21%

    Director and above
    104
    All openings
    504
    Median posted pay
    $124k

    Hiring most here: UVA Health, University of Virginia, University of Virginia-Main Campus

    Based on 504 openings.

  10. 10

    Greenville NC

    20%

    Director and above
    25
    All openings
    122
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: ECU Health, Thermo Fisher Scientific

    Based on 122 openings.

  11. 11

    Jackson MS

    20%

    Director and above
    23
    All openings
    113
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Entergy, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dewberry

    Based on 113 openings.

  12. 12

    Lake Mary FL

    20%

    Director and above
    25
    All openings
    126
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: BNY, The Institute of Internal Auditors

    Based on 126 openings.

  13. 13

    Roanoke VA

    20%

    Director and above
    35
    All openings
    177
    Median posted pay
    $75k

    Hiring most here: Carilion Clinic, Carilion Medical Center, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 177 openings.

  14. 14

    Chattanooga TN

    20%

    Director and above
    41
    All openings
    208
    Median posted pay
    $95k

    Hiring most here: Sargent & Lundy, Unum Group, University of Tennessee System

    Based on 208 openings.

  15. 15

    Knoxville TN

    20%

    Director and above
    87
    All openings
    446
    Median posted pay
    $73k

    Hiring most here: University of Tennessee, University of Tennessee System, Covenant Health (Tennessee)

    Based on 446 openings.

  16. 16

    Columbus GA

    19%

    Director and above
    20
    All openings
    104
    Median posted pay
    $89k

    Hiring most here: Synovus, RPM International, ScionHealth

    Based on 104 openings.

  17. 17

    Atlanta GA

    19%

    Director and above
    1,046
    All openings
    5,502
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 5,502 openings.

  18. 18

    Franklin TN

    19%

    Director and above
    25
    All openings
    132
    Median posted pay
    $113k

    Hiring most here: Enablecomp, Community Health Systems, Mars

    Based on 132 openings.

  19. 19

    Tallahassee FL

    19%

    Director and above
    138
    All openings
    739
    Median posted pay
    $107k

    Hiring most here: State of Florida, L3HARRIS Technologies, Florida

    Based on 739 openings.

  20. 20

    Palm Beach Gardens FL

    19%

    Director and above
    33
    All openings
    178
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Nextera Energy, CARRIER GLOBAL, Brighter Signals

    Based on 178 openings.

  21. 21

    Cary NC

    18%

    Director and above
    42
    All openings
    229
    Median posted pay
    $224k

    Hiring most here: Epic Games, Wake County Public School System, Garmin

    Based on 229 openings.

  22. 22

    Nashville TN

    18%

    Director and above
    302
    All openings
    1,654
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: Oracle, Amazon, Vanderbilt University

    Based on 1,654 openings.

  23. 23

    Falls Church VA

    18%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    168
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Inova Health

    Based on 168 openings.

  24. 24

    Memphis TN

    17%

    Director and above
    124
    All openings
    718
    Median posted pay
    $94k

    Hiring most here: ALSAC / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, SpaceX, Jabil

    Based on 718 openings.

  25. 25

    Lexington KY

    17%

    Director and above
    38
    All openings
    221
    Median posted pay
    $101k

    Hiring most here: Xometry, Lockheed Martin, Veterans Health Administration

    Based on 221 openings.

Full ranking

All 85 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Gainesville FL28%136
2Daytona Beach FL27%102
3Durham NC26%775
4Coral Gables FL24%252
5Brentwood TN23%189
6Miami FL22%2,311
7Mc Lean VA22%234
8Jacksonville FL22%1,055
9Charlottesville VA21%504
10Greenville NC20%122
11Jackson MS20%113
12Lake Mary FL20%126
13Roanoke VA20%177
14Chattanooga TN20%208
15Knoxville TN20%446
16Columbus GA19%104
17Atlanta GA19%5,502
18Franklin TN19%132
19Tallahassee FL19%739
20Palm Beach Gardens FL19%178
21Cary NC18%229
22Nashville TN18%1,654
23Falls Church VA18%168
24Memphis TN17%718
25Lexington KY17%221
26Naples FL17%195
27Fort Lauderdale FL16%565
28Frankfort KY16%153
29McLean VA16%1,167
30Tampa FL16%1,717
31Fairfax VA16%407
32Research Triangle Park NC16%102
33Charlotte NC16%3,201
34Fort Myers FL15%155
35Birmingham AL15%584
36Augusta GA15%195
37Raleigh NC15%1,421
38Melbourne FL15%305
39Reston VA15%782
40Duluth GA15%150
41Norcross GA14%138
42Louisville KY14%2,065
43Marietta GA14%267
44Wilmington NC14%190
45Lynchburg VA14%113
46Richmond VA14%1,133
47Boca Raton FL14%340
48Columbia SC14%334
49Fayetteville NC14%108
50Charleston SC14%307
51Morrisville NC14%154
52St. Petersburg FL14%132
53Alexandria VA14%576
54Arlington VA13%1,978
55Alpharetta GA13%566
56Oak Ridge TN13%196
57Clearwater FL12%161
58Greensboro NC12%436
59Doral FL12%138
60Orlando FL12%1,256
61Greenville SC12%313
62Pensacola FL11%174
63Savannah GA11%186
64Chesapeake VA11%131
65Kennesaw GA11%171
66Mobile AL9%137
67Asheville NC9%140
68Sarasota FL9%195
69Huntsville AL9%1,146
70Montgomery AL8%193
71Norfolk VA8%327
72Virginia Beach VA8%255
73Vienna VA8%162
74Spartanburg SC8%100
75Ashburn VA8%257
76Sterling VA7%305
77Manassas VA7%228
78Newport News VA7%144
79Herndon VA7%820
80Tysons VA6%189
81Hampton VA6%112
82Fort Belvoir VA6%192
83Springfield VA4%269
84Chantilly VA4%554
85Cape Canaveral FL3%172

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for director and executive jobs in the southeast?
Gainesville leads the Southeast for director and executive jobs: 28% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 15% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
85 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 85 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Southeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-southeast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-southeast">Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Southeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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