Director of Communities

Director of Communities

Reports to: Managing Director

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 freshmen 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 ).

Thread is looking for a Director of Communities to serve as the executive leader of one of our school-based sites. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director will lead a cross-functional site team, own community performance and outcomes, and strengthen the network of relationships, resources, and opportunities surrounding young people and volunteers.

This is a role for a people-first leader who brings it all together. Other teams own functions like volunteer recruitment, partnerships, and practice design; the Director of Communities makes sure it all works at the site, so young people, volunteers, and staff experience Thread as one connected community.

Key Responsibilities

Site Leadership & Strategy

- Serve as the executive leader of an assigned site, implementing Thread's mission, strategic plan, and relational model.

- Set annual, quarterly, and near-term site priorities aligned with organizational goals and local needs.

- Lead regular reflection and planning routines that use data and community insight to adjust strategy.

- Represent Thread as a senior leader within the school and surrounding community.

Community Outcomes

- Own young person and volunteer recruitment, engagement, retention, and progress toward Thread's outcomes, including high school completion, post-high school pathways, and employment.

- Monitor site performance data to identify trends, disparities, and areas requiring intervention.

- Identify barriers to engagement and deploy staff, relationships, and resources to address them.

Team Leadership & Coaching

- Supervise, coach, and develop Community Managers, the Program Manager, the Resources & Opportunities Manager, and other site staff.

- Build a high-performing team culture grounded in Thread's values, accountability, trust, and learning.

- Lead performance management, including goal setting, regular feedback, and annual reviews.

- Deploy people and resources toward the community's highest-priority needs as conditions evolve.

Relational Resource Hub & Partnerships

- Steward the site's Relational Resource Hub, ensuring volunteers, partners, resources, and opportunities are activated around young people's goals.

- Maintain key local relationships, including school leadership and neighborhood anchors.

- Identify gaps in the local ecosystem and communicate needs to Thread's centralized teams.

Data, Practice & Operations

- Build a site culture that uses data to ask questions, make decisions, and improve practice.

- Implement Thread's practice standards, playbooks, and operating routines consistently at the site.

- Ensure site operations meet policy, safety, and grant requirements, and escalate risks promptly.

Cross-Lane Collaboration

- Serve as the primary point of alignment between Thread's centralized teams and the site, including recruitment, pathways, practice, operations, data, development, communications, and HR.

- Ensure cross-lane work strengthens rather than fragments the experience of young people, volunteers, and staff.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

- Six or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in youth development, community engagement, nonprofit management, education, or a related field (eight or more preferred).

- Demonstrated success leading teams and achieving measurable outcomes.

- Experience building and maintaining relationships across multiple stakeholder groups.

- Experience managing institutional partnerships and formal agreements preferred.

- Experience with collective impact, community development, or place-based initiatives preferred.

Skills & Competencies

- 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.

- Familiarity with Baltimore City communities, schools, employers, and community resources preferred.

- Knowledge of relationship-centered youth development practices preferred.

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.