Director, Community Partnerships & Investment

Job Description

Job Description

About Company:

Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) is the City of Baltimore’s economic development agency. We work to strengthen Baltimore’s economy by attracting investment, supporting businesses, advancing real estate development, and creating opportunities that help neighborhoods, employers, and residents thrive.

Our work is rooted in the belief that economic growth should benefit the entire city. From helping businesses launch and expand to advancing catalytic development projects, connecting entrepreneurs with resources, and building partnerships across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, BDC helps turn Baltimore’s potential into lasting progress.

At BDC, you will join a mission-driven team committed to shaping a more vibrant, equitable, and economically resilient Baltimore. We value collaboration, innovation, accountability, and a deep connection to the communities we serve.

Whether your expertise is in real estate, small-business support, finance, communications, community investment, grants, compliance, or economic development, your work at BDC can make a meaningful impact on Baltimore’s future.

About the Role:

The Director, Community Partnerships and Investment leads place-based economic development strategies in Baltimore’s priority investment neighborhoods, with a primary focus on community outreach, anti-displacement, and partnership development. Working directly with residents, community organizations, and neighborhood stakeholders, the Director ensures that development efforts build community wealth and protect historically underserved populations from displacement — while also coordinating BDC’s broader development activities, managing developer relationships, and tracking outcomes related to equitable development within priority areas. The ideal candidate pairs deep community-organizing instincts with the operational discipline to manage multiple developer relationships and area-based strategies at once.

Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Community Development, Public Policy, or a related field; an advanced degree is a plus.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in community development, place-based economic development, or neighborhood revitalization, including experience coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Strong understanding of gentrification dynamics, community engagement practices, and equitable development principles.
• Proficiency with community engagement tools, project management systems, GIS, and data analysis; Spanish language fluency strongly preferred.
• Excellent facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Knowledge of Baltimore’s economic and civic landscape and familiarity with the Mayor’s strategic priorities is a strong plus.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Performance Area

  Annual Target

  Priority-area engagement

  24+ resident/stakeholder engagement sessions held annually across priority neighborhoods

  Anti-displacement protection

  Measurable increase in households/businesses connected to anti-displacement resources or community land trust structures

  Community benefit agreements

  100% of priority-area developments have negotiated and monitored community benefit agreements

  Resource connection

  Year-over-year growth in priority-area residents/entrepreneurs connected to BDC lending, grants, and technical assistance

Key Responsibilities:

Community Engagement and Partnership Development

• Build trusted, long-term relationships with residents, business owners, and community leaders in historically underserved neighborhoods
• Design and implement community engagement protocols that give residents meaningful input into development decisions
• Establish and maintain relationships with community development corporations, resident organizations, and neighborhood stakeholders
• Facilitate community input processes, ensuring resident voices shape development decisions

Anti-Displacement and Community Protection

• Implement early warning systems identifying gentrification pressures in priority investment areas
• Develop and execute protective measures preventing residential and commercial displacement
• Work with communities to establish community land trusts and alternative ownership models
• Monitor development impacts and adjust strategies to protect historically underserved residents and businesses

Priority Area Strategy and Coordination

• Lead comprehensive place-based investment strategies in historically underserved priority neighborhoods
• Coordinate all BDC development activities within priority investment areas, ensuring community benefit
• Develop area-specific economic development plans that prioritize wealth building for existing residents and businesses

Development Project Management and Resource Integration

• Oversee community benefit agreement negotiations for developments in priority investment areas, ensuring inclusive development requirements are incorporated into all projects
• Manage developer relationships, ensuring commitments to the historically underserved community are honored
• Connect priority-area residents and businesses to BDC lending, grants, and technical assistance programs, and identify funding opportunities supporting anti-displacement initiatives
• Utilize GIS and data analytics to monitor demographic and business-composition trends and inform strategy adjustments

Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead through influence. Though this role has no direct reports today, the Director drives alignment across the Economic Development, Business Development, and Strategy teams, and community-based organizations, on priority-area work.

• Advise leadership. Serve as a trusted advisor to the VP, Commercial Districts and Senior Leadership Team on community engagement strategy, anti-displacement policy, and developer accountability

Skills:

The Director utilizes strong communication and interpersonal skills daily to build trust and foster collaboration among diverse community stakeholders and internal teams. Analytical skills are essential for assessing community needs, evaluating investment opportunities, and measuring program impact to ensure resources are effectively allocated. Leadership and project management skills enable the Director to guide cross-functional teams and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining alignment with strategic goals. Negotiation skills are critical when establishing partnership agreements and securing funding commitments. Additionally, proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools supports transparent communication of outcomes to senior leadership and external partners.