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.

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 
• Serve as primary liaison between Economic Development Team programs and priority-area communities, aligning MainStreet programs, corridor development, and business technical assistance with priority-area goals

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.