Director, Community Impact

About the role

The Director of Community Impact serves as a strategic leader responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating community engagement and philanthropic initiatives that advance the mission of the Houston Dynamo & Dash Charities. This role leads community impact programs, nonprofit partnerships, volunteer engagement, grantmaking activities, and social responsibility initiatives that positively affect youth, education, and food security in communities throughout Greater Houston.

The Director of Community Impact collaborates with Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash, Partnership, and other external nonprofit organizations to strengthen community relationships, expand organizational impact, and enhance the club's reputation as a trusted community partner. The position reports to the Vice President, Community Engagement and works collaboratively across the organization to leverage the power of soccer, the Dynamo, the Dash, players, staff, and partners to strengthen the Houston community.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, execution, and continuous improvement of Dynamo & Dash Charities programs and community impact initiatives, with a primary focus on Education and Food Insecurity and support of the Club’s broader charitable pillars.
• Manage partner-supported charitable programs from concept through execution, ensuring objectives, budgets, timelines, participant experience, and partner commitments are delivered at a high level.
• Cultivate and manage partnerships with food banks, schools, community organizations, corporate sponsors, and government agencies to expand the Foundation's impact in addressing food insecurity.
• Oversee community food distribution events, meal-packing projects, backpack programs, holiday giving campaigns, and other hunger-relief initiatives.
• Coordinate with HDFC Partnerships, Marketing, Communications, Ticketing, Soccer Operations, and other departments to integrate community impact into Club and partner priorities.
• Support educational and literacy initiatives, STEM and scholarship efforts, food access and distribution initiatives, ticket and equipment donations, volunteer opportunities, and other charitable activations.
• Engage players, coaches, staff, and community partners in service projects that promote food security, healthy lifestyles, and education programs.
• Own the administrative lifecycle of the community grant program, including application development, outreach, intake, eligibility review, due diligence, evaluation materials, award documentation, payment coordination, and post-award reporting.
• Maintain accurate grant records, calendars, agreements, supporting documentation, and reporting requirements in partnership with HDFC Finance and Legal resources.
• Monitor grantee progress, outcomes, and compliance with award requirements and use learnings to strengthen future grant cycles and community investment decisions.
• Support administration of scholarships and other charitable funding programs, as applicable.
• Work closely with the Sr. Director of Soccer Programs in providing scholarship opportunities for youth soccer players to join pay-to-play leagues.
• Support annual planning and budget development for Charities programs and community investments.
• Support fundraising and stewardship events and initiatives, including Boots & Suits, Charities Classic, and other donor or partner engagement opportunities, as assigned.
• Represent Dynamo & Dash Charities at community events, meetings, matchdays, and partner activations; occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays are required.
• Develop program goals, KPIs, and evaluation practices; collect impact data, feedback, and stories to inform decisions and support impact reporting and partner stewardship.
• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Houston Dynamo & Dash Charities Foundation Board of Directors, fostering strong communication and engagement with board members.
• Partner with the VP, Community Engagement, Executive Leaders, and Board Chair to develop meeting agendas, presentations, and reports.
• Develop and maintain impact measurement systems and reporting dashboards. Prepare reports for Foundation leadership, board members, donors, sponsors, and community partners.
• Track program budgets and ensure responsible stewardship of Foundation resources.
• Use data and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve programs and outcomes.
• Ensure charitable programs, donations, and community investments follow applicable policies, nonprofit requirements, and Club standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, business, public administration, communications, sports management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive experience in community relations, nonprofit management, corporate social responsibility, foundation management, or community impact leadership.
• Minimum 3 years of people leadership and program management experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing community programs and external nonprofit or community partnerships from planning through execution and evaluation.
• Experience administering grants or charitable funding processes, including application review, due diligence, documentation, award administration, and outcome reporting.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple programs, deadlines, budgets, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate with executives, partners, nonprofit leaders, and community participants.
• Demonstrated financial acumen, attention to detail, and comfort managing budgets, invoices, records, and reporting.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office required; experience with CRM, grant-management, or project-management platforms preferred.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed; local travel throughout Greater Houston required.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Skills

• Working knowledge of nonprofit operations, grantmaking, governance practices, and community partnership development.
• Strong understanding of community impact principles and ability to align programs with demonstrated community needs and organizational priorities.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to build reliable processes and maintain accurate, confidential records.
• Ability to evaluate programs and partnerships using quantitative measures and qualitative community feedback.
• Ability to identify problems and root causes and develop practical, collaborative solutions.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills and judgment with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Agility to respond effectively to the evolving needs of a fast-paced sports and entertainment organization.
• Strong work ethic, sense of urgency, and commitment to high-quality execution and service.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects and influence without direct authority.
• Passion for using sport and the platform of the Dynamo and Dash to create meaningful impact in Greater Houston.

Organizational Core Competencies

• Accountable – Holds themselves (and when appropriate others) accountable for achieving goals and objectives.
• Collaborative – Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational outcomes.
• Progressive – Open-minded, accepting, creative, and innovative in approach.
• Values Driven – Ethical in decision-making and operating with professional integrity.
• Agile – Achieves personal and organizational success within a changing, dynamic, and complex environment. Ability to handle ambiguity.