Director of Communities

Reports To: Managing Director
Lane: Investment 

Operating as a "mini executive director" for their site, the Director of Communities is accountable for engagement, retention, and outcomes across all community members while ensuring that Thread's relational model is implemented with fidelity and consistency. The Director leads a cross-functional team, stewards key institutional relationships, oversees site-level partnership agreements, and serves as the primary owner of the neighborhood ecosystem surrounding the site.

The Director ensures that schools, universities, employers, healthcare systems, houses of faith, community organizations, and public agencies are woven into the Thread experience in ways that create meaningful opportunities and reduce barriers for young people.

While recruitment of volunteers, donors, and staff is owned by other functions within Thread, the Director of Communities is responsible for the engagement, retention, stewardship, and activation of those resources once they enter the Thread ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the executive leader for an assigned Thread site, ensuring the successful implementation of Thread's mission, strategic plan, and relational model.
• Develop and execute site-level strategies that strengthen the local ecosystem of support surrounding young people and volunteers.
• Maintain accountability for site-level engagement, retention, and outcome metrics across young people, volunteers, collaborators, and partners.
• Ensure that Thread's values, culture, and core competencies are consistently demonstrated throughout all aspects of site operations.
• Represent Thread within neighborhood-based coalitions, community meetings, and collaborative initiatives.

Team Leadership & Coaching

• Supervise, coach, and develop Community Managers, Program Managers, Resources & Opportunities Managers, and other assigned staff.
• Build a high-performing team culture grounded in accountability, learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Provide regular coaching, feedback, and professional development opportunities for team members.
• Ensure staff members are effectively utilizing Thread playbooks, systems, and operating practices.
• Foster an environment of trust, restoration, and mutual respect.

Community Member Outcomes

• Ensure young people and volunteers experience meaningful engagement throughout their Thread journey.
• Monitor site-level performance indicators related to recruitment, engagement, retention, credential attainment, employment, self-efficacy, and other organizational outcomes.
• Use data and community feedback to identify trends, remove barriers, and improve experiences.
• Collaborate with Operational Excellence and other functions to ensure continuous improvement.

Institutional Partnership Leadership

• Build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with key neighborhood anchor institutions, including:
  • Schools
  • Colleges and universities
  • Employers
  • Healthcare systems
  • Houses of faith
  • Community-based organizations
  • Civic institutions
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for major site-level partners.
• Ensure institutional relationships are aligned with Thread's strategic goals and create measurable value for community members.
• Identify opportunities for deeper collaboration and expanded impact.

Partnership Stewardship & Agreement Management

• Serve as the site-level owner of institutional agreements and partnership commitments.
• Understand and actively monitor the commitments contained within site-level MOUs and partnership agreements.
• Ensure both Thread and partner organizations fulfill agreed-upon responsibilities.
• Track reciprocal value generated through partnerships and identify opportunities to strengthen engagement.
• Raise concerns when commitments, outcomes, or expectations are not being met.

Multi-Level Relationship Mapping

• Develop and maintain relationship maps for major institutional partners.
• Ensure Thread maintains documented relationships across staff, leadership, and governance levels within key institutions.
• Coordinate with other Thread staff who hold relationships within the same institution to ensure alignment and consistency.
• Reduce partnership risk by strengthening organizational relationships beyond any single individual contact.

Resource Hub Development

• Develop and sustain a network of neighborhood-based resource hubs that support the needs and aspirations of young people and volunteers.
• Identify opportunities to connect community members with education, employment, wellness, housing, financial, and civic resources.
• Work collaboratively with site partners to expand access to opportunities and services.
• Ensure each site functions as a highly connected Relational Resource Hub.

Data, Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Ensure high-quality documentation, data entry, and record maintenance across all site operations.
• Utilize data, scorecards, and reporting tools to guide decision-making and improve outcomes.
• Collaborate with Operational Excellence to implement quality assurance processes and continuous improvement practices.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, legal requirements, grant obligations, and partnership agreements.
• Support the implementation of organizational playbooks, SOPs, and operational standards.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with:
  • Director of Operational Excellence
  • Director of City Wide
  • Partnerships & Recruitment
  • Career Pathways
  • Development
  • Relational Technology
  • Infrastructure functions
• Steward opportunities toward the appropriate functional teams when additional resources, partnerships, funding, or staffing needs are identified.
• Support organizational initiatives that strengthen Thread's citywide impact and strategic goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Six or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in youth development, community engagement, nonprofit management, education, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and achieving measurable outcomes.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong coaching, facilitation, and people management skills.
• Experience using data to drive strategy and performance improvement.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities.
• Ability to clearly communicate and live out Thread’s core values & core competencies.

• Master's degree in Education, Social Work, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Community Development, or related field.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in youth development, community engagement, nonprofit management, education, or related fields.
• Experience managing institutional partnerships and formal agreements.
• Familiarity with Baltimore City communities, educational systems, employers, and community resources.
• Experience working within collective impact, community development, or place-based initiatives.
• Knowledge of relationship-centered youth development practices.

Thread Employment Benefits (Full-time) 

• 12 weeks of Paid parental leave 
• Competitive salaries, meaningful equity; 403(b) plan 
• 100% employee coverage of Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 10 Paid holidays 
• 4 weeks of PTO in year 1, increase to 5 weeks in year 2 
• 5 days of sick and safe leave 
• 3 floater holidays 
• Annual Health and Wellness reimbursement 
• Access to counseling/therapy at no cost 
• Paid Sabbatical after 6 years of employment