What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Community Impact position at Houston Dynamo FC?
The Houston Dynamo Football Club (HDFC) is a multi-faceted organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting soccer participation and growth in Houston, TX and beyond. The Club's brands include men's and women's professional teams - the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and Houston Dash (NWSL), a development academy, Houston Dynamo & Dash Charities, as well as Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park.
The Club has a rich history, including MLS Cup titles (2006, 2007) and in-season tournament championships for both the Dynamo (2018, 2023) and Dash (2020) and is focused on building toward the next championships, inspiring and uniting the city of Houston through the sport of soccer and community outreach, and creating the most inclusive sporting experience and diverse fan base in the city and state.
Purpose of the Job
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 to communities throughout Greater Houston.
The Director of Community Impact collaborates with Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash, Partnership and other external non-profit 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.
Duties and responsibilities
Charitable Programs and Community Impact
- Lead planning, execution and continuous improvement of Dynamo & Dash Charities programs and community impact initiatives, with 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.
Grantmaking and Charitable Funding Administration
- 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.
- Works closely with the Sr. Director of Soccer Programs in providing scholarship opportunities for youth soccer players to join pay-to-play leagues.
Operations, Budget and Administration
- 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.
Board Relations & Governance
- 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, reports, and supporting
- 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.
QUALIFICATION 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 ability to manage multiple programs, deadlines, budgets and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills with 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.
Knowledge, Skills, ABILITIES, anD OTHER ATTRIBUTES
- 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 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.
- Maintains Organizational Core Competencies.
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 – Being 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.
OTHER INFORMATION
Diverse candidates of all backgrounds are welcome, and the Club seeks individuals passionate about sport, inspiring the city and devoted to the organization's growth. While duties and responsibilities vary across positions, we are seeking individuals who are accountable, collaborative, progressive, agile and ethical/values driven.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.