Director, Community

The Director, Community is accountable for growing and activating TBI’s global biomimicry community by turning Impact Team strategy into effective membership, learning, networking, and engagement programs, and ensuring those programs deliver measurable participation, value, and sustainable revenue in service of TBI’s mission.

Essential Functions

Community is a new functional area for the Biomimicry Institute and the scope of essential functions captures the aim of the program activities as it develops, however within the first year the aim is to establish and stabilize core activities and position for growth.

Percentage allocations represent annual average estimates and may shift based on funding levels, contractual commitments, and organizational priorities.

Membership and Practitioner Engagement (30%)

• Grow a global membership community that delivers clear value to practitioners and strengthens participation in the field of biomimicry.
• Establish and achieve goals for membership growth, engagement, retention, organizational participation, revenue, and member value.
• Strengthen the member value proposition and experience based on practitioner needs, behavior, feedback, and results.
• Create pathways that move people from participation toward deeper practice, contribution, leadership, and application of biomimicry.
• Develop opportunities for members to contribute, lead, gain recognition, and connect their work to TBI’s climate, biodiversity, and materials priorities.

Learning and Practitioner Development (30%)

• Build a focused portfolio of learning experiences that develops the capability practitioners need to apply biomimicry effectively.
• Establish and achieve goals for participation, learning outcomes, practitioner progression, revenue, and financial performance.
• Ensure learning creates clear progression from knowledge to capability and application within TBI’s broader practitioner pathways.
• Use practitioner needs, demand, outcomes, and financial performance to determine which offerings to improve, grow, develop, or discontinue.
• Develop corporate partnerships and grant funded opportunities that expand access, capability, and the reach of TBI’s learning programs.

Networks, Co-Labs, and Convenings (30%)

• Build networks and collaborative structures that enable professional practitioners and organizations to connect, exchange knowledge, and act together on consequential challenges leveraging biomimicry.
• Oversee Co-Labs, working groups, peer exchange, events, and convenings toward defined outcomes and clear value for participants and partners.
• Develop a global and regional network model that strengthens existing biomimicry groups and leaders and increases local capacity for connection and action.
• Translate climate, biodiversity, and materials priorities into focused opportunities for practitioners, organizations, and partners to collaborate and contribute.
• Develop corporate and organizational partnership, sponsorship, and participation models that enable high-value networks and convenings to grow and sustain themselves over time.
• Coordinate with Development and Communications on membership revenue, sponsorship opportunities, member communications, and event visibility.

Team Management (10%)

• Translate Impact Team strategy and organizational priorities into clear annual and seasonal goals, projects, budgets, staffing, and resource priorities.
• Establish clear accountability for results through defined ownership, roles, workplans, timelines, and performance expectations; coach and develop staff to succeed against them.
• Allocate budgets, staff, contractors, and capacity according to priorities and expected results.
• Establish operating rhythms and performance measures that surface progress, risks, dependencies, and decisions early enough to act.
• Coordinate actively across Inspiration, Community, and Innovation so that knowledge leads to practitioner capability and engagement, and practitioner engagement leads to solutions advanced—delivering TBI’s theory of change as an integrated system.
• Contribute to Impact Team planning, budgeting, measurement, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional background required, advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible work in membership, practitioner community building, adult learning, building corporate and partner, networks, events, field building, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success growing a membership program, practitioner community or cohorts, professional networks, learning portfolio, or comparable engagement initiative.
• Track record increasing participation, engagement, retention, and revenue through membership, learning, events, sponsorship, organizational participation, or related models.
• Development of practitioner pathways that deepen learning, connection, participation, and leadership over time.
• Partnership development with companies, professional networks, educators, practitioners, and aligned organizations to expand community reach and value.

Core Competencies

• Knowledge of biomimicry, sustainability, climate, biodiversity, materials, regenerative design, or related fields.
• Strong leadership, judgment, and decision-making.
• Ability to translate direction into clear priorities, projects, and results.
• Effective people leadership, delegation, and accountability.
• Strong program, budget, and resource management.
• Analytical and systems thinking with a results orientation.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and coordination.
• Entrepreneurial, adaptable, and effective in evolving environments.
• Commitment to biomimicry and TBI’s mission.
• Proficiency with Asana, Google Workspace, Zoom, Airtable, and related tools.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of that which an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Activities that occur constantly are communicating effectively with others to exchange information; assessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of the work; repeating motions efficiently that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers; remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.
• Activities that occur occasionally are moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another; adjusting or moving objects less than 50 pounds in all directions.

Work Environment (Remote)

The work environment described here is representative of that which an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Duties are performed in a home workspace. Employees are expected to maintain their home workspace in a safe manner, free from safety hazards.
• May require up to 10% travel.

This is not necessarily an exhaustive or all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, functions, or working conditions associated with the job. This job description is not a contract of employment, or a promise or guarantee of any specific terms or conditions of employment. The Biomimicry Institute may add to, modify, or delete any aspect of this job (or the position itself) at any time as it deems advisable.

Comp & Benefits

• Applicants from California, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and Washington:
  Salary is determined based on internal equity; internal salary ranges; market
  data/ranges; applicant’s skills; prior relevant experience; certain degrees or
  certifications, etc. The salary for this position ranges: $90-125K
• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Enjoy 100% coverage for employees for medical/dental/vision provided by Biomimicry Institute. (Please note, employees are responsible for coverage for spouses and/or dependents.)
• Retirement Plan: Begin your retirement savings after just 6 months of employment.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Benefit from our generous PTO policy, allowing you to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Paid Holidays: Take advantage of paid holidays as outlined in our Employee Handbook.
• Home Office Stipend: Receive a monthly stipend to help support your home office setup.