Community Manager

Community Manager

Community Manager

Reports to: Director of Communities

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 Community Manager to own the relationship health of one of our site-based communities. Reporting to the Director of Communities, the Community Manager will make sure every young person is surrounded by an activated network of volunteers working toward their goals, while building authentic relationships and developing the volunteer leaders who make it happen.

This is a role for a relationship-centered community builder who leads through others. Rather than solving every challenge personally, the Community Manager knows how young people are doing, spots where relationships are weakening, and activates the right volunteers, colleagues, and resources around emerging needs.

Key Responsibilities

Community Health & Young Person Outcomes

• Track the health of your community, including young person progress, volunteer engagement, and emerging needs.
• Ensure every young person is surrounded by volunteers who know their goals and are equipped to support them.
• Identify young people who are disengaging or off-track, and mobilize the right relationships and resources.
• Step in directly with a young person when urgency or complexity requires it.

Volunteer Experience & Leadership

• Build authentic, trusting relationships with volunteers so they feel known, valued, and connected to Thread's mission.
• Communicate proactively, follow through on commitments, and address concerns quickly.
• Identify, coach, and retain volunteer leaders, including Heads of Family and GrandParents.
• Intervene early when volunteer engagement begins to weaken.

Community Engagement

• Cultivate an inclusive community where young people and volunteers experience belonging and shared ownership.
• Mobilize participation in Thread programming, threadHOURS, threadCONNECT, and community-wide events.
• Apply community-organizing principles to re-engage young people and volunteers who are becoming disconnected.

Resource & Opportunity Activation

• Identify what young people and volunteers need and connect them to the right resources, opportunities, and teams.
• Surface patterns in unmet needs and access barriers to the Director of Communities.

Cross-Lane Collaboration

• Partner with program, resources, recruitment, career pathways, data, and communications colleagues to support young people through each stage of their journey.
• Receive new volunteers through a warm hand-off and ensure they are onboarded, activated, and retained.

Planning & Data

• Develop, monitor, and adjust community engagement plans using data and relationship-based knowledge.
• Use Thread's systems to document relationships, track engagement, and inform decisions.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Minimum of three years of success in community organizing, coaching, youth development, volunteer engagement, education, or a related field.
• Experience coaching individuals, facilitating groups, and developing volunteer or community leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others, mobilizing volunteers toward shared goals without formal authority.
• Experience recruiting, training, or coaching volunteers preferred.
• Familiarity with Baltimore-area schools, out-of-school-time programs, and community organizations preferred.

• Skills & Competencies

• Ability to build authentic, trusting relationships with young people and adults from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Strong facilitation, communication, coaching, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong service orientation, organization, and follow-through across multiple responsibilities.
• Comfort using data alongside relationship-based knowledge to assess engagement and progress.
• Familiarity with strengths-based, trauma-informed, and youth-centered approaches preferred; bilingual or multilingual ability a plus.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed, and reliable transportation.

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.