Executive Vice President

Position Summary

Founded in Baltimore in 2004, Thread is a proven, relationship-based model that re-engages the most academically underperforming, disconnected high school freshmen and equips them with the tools and resources needed to complete high school, pursue a post-high school pathway, achieve self-efficacy and experience upward economic mobility. Regardless of what challenges arise, Thread maintains a 10-year commitment to all young people enrolled and to date, 65% have completed high school - a rate 10 times that of their peers. Thread annually enrolls 40% of the lowest performing freshman at the lowest performing schools in City Schools and engages over 1,500 young people and alumni with the support of more than 4,000 volunteers and collaborators ( A Path Forward ).

The Executive Vice President, Enterprise Operations (EVP) serves as Threads senior executive responsible for the integrated back-office strategy, processes, and systems that enable the organization to achieve its mission, care for its people, manage risk, and sustain long-term growth. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of the Executive Team, the EVP provides enterprise leadership through a portfolio of senior functional leaders and is accountable for ensuring that the portfolio is capable of delivering stability, consistency and efficiency for Thread operations. Rather than performing the work of each discipline, this position sets the enterprise strategy, establishes shared priorities and standards, coaches and holds functional leaders accountable, allocates resources and resolves cross-functional barriers.

Thread is growing, and its enterprise infrastructure must mature to meet what comes next. A central charge of this role is to assess the structure, capability, and performance of the back office portfolio

against where the organization needs to be, and to build the team required to get there.

As a close partner to the CEO, Executive Team and Board of Directors, the EVP translates Threads strategic direction into coordinated operating plans, sound stewardship, scalable systems, and measurable organizational performance. Success is reflected in the health of the whole enterprise: strong leaders, aligned systems, responsible resource use, well-managed risk, high-quality decision support, and a staff experience consistent with Threads core competencies: showing all the way up, failing forward, treating relationships as wealth, and learning from all voices.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Enterprise Strategy

- Shape organizational strategy and drive decisions by bringing an integrated perspective on human, financial and social capital and providing meaningful and actionable data on organizational health, financial sustainability, workforce capacity, enterprise risk and, infrastructure readiness.

- Translate strategic priorities into coordinated enterprise operating plans, investment decisions, performance expectations, and clear accountability across the organization.

- Ensure Threads operations, policies, processes, facilities, administrative services, and enterprise systems are reliable, scalable, and responsive to staff needs required to execute the mission.

- Share ownership of Threads culture and impact, with an outsized influence on strengthening organizational health, manager effectiveness, succession readiness, employee engagement, accountability, equity, and belonging.

- Ensure workforce planning, organizational design, compensation, benefits, performance management, leadership development, employee relations, and culture initiatives align with strategy and financial capacity.

- Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that require coordinated execution across multiple organizational systems.

Organizational Intelligence & Resource Strategy

- Provide executive leadership for Threads data & business intelligence strategy, ensuring data, analytics, enterprise applications, cybersecurity, and technology investments advance organizational priorities.

- Ensure financial plans and operating investments align with Threads strategy, programmatic commitments, workforce plans, risk tolerance, and long-term sustainability.

- Provide executive oversight for enterprise budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, audits, cash and reserve planning, internal controls, capital planning, and organizational resource allocation.

- Ensure staff and the Board receive timely dashboards, forecasts, analysis, and organizational insights on financial and programmatic performance that support sound decisions and continuous improvement.

- Champion digital transformation, thoughtful automation, and AI-enabled capabilities while requiring appropriate governance, human oversight, change management, and measurable value.

Portfolio Leadership, Team Building & Accountability

- Provide executive direction, coaching, and accountability to the back office team members responsible for finance and accounting, human resources, business operations, data and technology, risk management & compliance, facilities & office management, governance and board of director engagement.

- Clarify who makes key decisions and when issues escalate, set clear service standards for each

- back-office function, and establish shared priorities and regular planning and check-in routines/rhythms across the organization..

- Develop leadership capacity and succession plans across the portfolio; ensure each function has the talent, structure, tools, and resources needed to deliver. Assess talent against the capabilities each function will require, and close gaps through development, role change, or recruitment.

Enterprise Risk, Compliance & Governance

Establish and oversee an integrated enterprise risk management framework covering financial, operational, people, legal, regulatory, technology, cybersecurity, data privacy, facilities, insurance, and continuity risks. Oversee organization-wide policy governance, internal controls, legal and regulatory compliance, insurance strategy, records practices, incident response, and business continuity planning and provide appropriate level reporting to staff leadership and Board of Directors. Hold the enterprise accountable for responsible data governance, security, privacy, quality, accessibility, knowledge management, and ethical use of emerging technologies. Ensure the organization operates in accordance with Threads approved financial policies, spending guidelines, and delegation of authority, and that exceptions are identified, escalated, and resolved. Establish quality standards and assurance practices for enterprise services, records, and controls, including periodic testing and corrective action when standards are not met. Serve as executive liaison for the Executive, Audit and Governance Board committees, ensuring timely materials, clear recommendations, effective meetings, and disciplined follow-through.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

- Bachelors degree required; masters degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Finance, Organizational Leadership, or a related field preferred. An equivalent combination of education and exceptional executive experience may be considered.

- Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including significant executive responsibility for multiple corporate-services or back-office functions in a complex, mission-driven organization.

- Demonstrated success leading senior leaders and integrating several of the following disciplines: finance, operations, human resources, risk and compliance, data, technology, facilities, governance, and administration.

- Experience advising a CEO and Board, overseeing significant budgets and enterprise investments, managing organizational risk, and leading cross-functional strategy and change.

- Track record of building scalable systems, strengthening organizational health, improving operational performance, and stewarding resources through growth or complexity.

- Proven record of recruiting, developing, and retaining senior functional leaders, and of raising the performance of an inherited team.

- Direct experience with nonprofit financial management, including audit, internal controls, and Board-level financial reporting.

- Demonstrated commitment to Threads mission of building interwoven communities and helping young people prepare for successful adulthoods.

Leadership Competencies

- Enterprise leadership and systems thinking: sees interdependencies, clarifies tradeoffs, and aligns people, resources, systems, and execution around mission and strategy.

- Executive judgment and stewardship: makes principled decisions with limited information; balances opportunity, risk, sustainability, urgency, and long-term impact.

- Leadership through leaders: sets clear outcomes, delegates meaningful authority, coaches senior talent, strengthens succession, and holds teams accountable without unnecessary operational involvement.

- Talent judgment and organizational design: accurately assesses capability and structure against future needs, makes sound decisions about roles and people, and builds a team that can carry the work.

- Builders orientation: creates structure, systems, and clarity; comfortable establishing something rather than inheriting it.

- Financial and operational acumen: interprets complex financial and performance information and turns it into practical choices, investments, and actions.

- Relationship-centered influence: builds trust, navigates conflict, facilitates alignment, and communicates with candor and care across diverse stakeholders.

- Change and execution leadership: converts strategy into coordinated plans, establishes operating discipline, and sustains progress through ambiguity and organizational change.

- Commitment to equity and belonging: integrates equitable practices into people leadership, resource allocation, policy, systems design, and organizational decision-making.

- Technology and data fluency: understands the strategic value, risks, and governance needs of enterprise technology, cybersecurity, analytics, automation, and AI.

- Exceptional written, verbal, facilitation, presentation, and Board-level communication skills.

- Ability to clearly communicate and consistently model Threads core values and core competencies.

Thread Benefits Full-Time Employees

Thread offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid parental leave; paid time off (PTO); and an employer-matched 403(b) plan.

Thread is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.