This qualitative, phenomenological study described how nurse leaders in a large southwestern region of the United States perceived their lived experiences of structural empowerment and job satisfaction within an organization. Kanter's theory of structural empowerment and Herzberg’s two-factor theory of job satisfaction provided the study’s theoretical foundation. A modified van Kaam method analysis assisted in answering the study’s three research questions: How do nurse leaders perceive their lived experiences of structural empowerment and job satisfaction? What perceived organizational factors contribute to structural empowerment and job satisfaction for the nurse leader? and how does the nurse leader perceive leadership effectiveness as it relates to their experience of structural empowerment and job satisfaction in a large southwestern region of the United States? Approximately, eighteen nurse leaders were recruited from a large southwestern region in the United States for the sample size. A descriptive qualitative methodology aided in answering research questions while revealing emerging themes. The sources of data included a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews completed with the nurse leaders. Meaningful themes emerged and were coded by NVivo qualitative software. The thematic analysis identified the following themes: autonomy communication, connection, experience, job satisfaction, influence, perception, structural empowerment, work environment. The results of this study may assist leaders and workers in the area of empowerment and job satisfaction. Moreover, research is needed to make known additional factors to describe the lived experience while fostering new research considerations.