Founding Director Jobs in Spring, TX (NOW HIRING)

About Greentown Labs
Greentown Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accelerating climatetech innovation for the planet, people, and prosperity. As the world's largest climatetech and energy startup incubator, Greentown catalyzes ecosystems to provide entrepreneurs mission-critical access to labs, equipment, customers, capital, talent, community, and resources for business and leadership growth. Greentown is home to more than 250 startups and has supported more than 675 since its founding in 2011; these startups, with a survival rate of 88 percent, have collectively created more than 16,600 jobs and raised more than $12.5B in funding. We are entering a new phase of growth-strengthening our platform, expanding globally, and building more structured, scalable ways to serve our two core customer bases: startups and corporate partners. For more information, visit www.greentownlabs.com or follow Greentown on LinkedIn.
Position Overview
Greentown Labs is hiring a Director of Community Strategy to lead the Community Experience team at our Houston location. This is a hands-on, player-coach role reporting to the Head of Houston. You will be the day-to-day leader of the Houston member experience.
You will manage a team across memberships and sales, community engagement, and front desk and office operations. You will own two things at once: the numbers and the experience. On the numbers, you will bring a sales-manager's discipline to membership growth, setting targets and holding the team to them. On the experience, you will bring operational rigor to how members are onboarded and supported, fixing what is broken and building what is missing, while being the visible, energizing face of Greentown Houston.
This is a startup operator's role inside a nonprofit that runs like one. Our processes are actively being reworked, so the right person is scrappy, organized, and energized by change rather than thrown by it. This is a fully in-person, customer-facing role.
What you'll do
Lead and develop the Community Experience team

• Directly manage team members across memberships and sales, community engagement, and front desk and office operations
• Set clear expectations, goals, and standards, and hold the team accountable
• Have the hard conversations directly and kindly while keeping the team motivated and supported

Own membership growth and sales performance

• Bring a sales-manager mindset to the memberships function: set targets and KPIs, manage the pipeline, and coach the team to hit their numbers
• Own the end-to-end onboarding of new members, from first touch through a smooth, welcoming start in the space
• Track membership performance and report on growth, retention, and pipeline health

Fix and own the operations of member experience

• Act as the operational thought leader for how the Houston site runs day to day, evaluating current processes and deciding what to keep, tweak, or rebuild
• Redesign and streamline member onboarding and other member-facing workflows that are not yet working, then implement and iterate on those changes
• Bring order and organization to a fast-changing environment where processes evolve week to week

Be the face of Greentown Houston

• Serve as a primary point of contact for the member community, setting the tone for a fun, engaging, and welcoming in-person environment
• Own the day-to-day member experience and community engagement, including member communications, newsletters, and the social and community programming that builds loyalty
• Oversee front desk and office operations so the space runs smoothly, from a professional first impression to the everyday logistics a coworking community depends on

Who You Are
You are a scrappy, startup-minded operator and a natural gap-filler. You do not stop at your job description; you jump in and do what needs to be done. You have run a team before and you are comfortable both nurturing people and holding them accountable. You are organized and operationally minded, you lean into change, and you bring genuine warmth and energy to a community. You are ready to be in the space, in person, every day.
Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in community, membership, operations, or a related field, including direct people management; having run a team is required for this role
• Experience in a startup or entrepreneurial environment, with the scrappiness and comfort with ambiguity that comes with it
• A track record of setting expectations and holding a team accountable, including handling direct, sometimes difficult, performance conversations
• A sales or revenue-management orientation, comfortable owning targets, KPIs, and pipeline
• Demonstrated operational and process-improvement instincts; you spot what is broken and you fix it
• Strong organization and adaptability, with a genuine preference for fast-moving, change-heavy environments
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a people-first, culture-additive presence
• Genuine interest in Greentown's mission and the climatetech ecosystem; familiarity with startups, coworking, or membership organizations is a plus
• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience

What Success Looks Like in Year 1

• Member onboarding is streamlined, reliable, and no longer a pain point for members or the team
• The team is operating to clear expectations, with accountability and coaching in place
• Membership targets are being met, with a healthy pipeline and a repeatable sales cadence
• Houston feels like a vibrant, engaging, in-person community that members are proud to be part of
• The Head of Houston has a true operating partner running the day-to-day member experience

General Physical Demands
Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to enable candidates to perform the essential functions of the position.

• Communication: Regularly required to communicate with others in person, via phone, and virtually/electronically
• Stationary Work: Prolonged periods working on a computer
• Mobility: Regularly moving around the office to interact with colleagues, access files, and attend meetings
• Physical Demands: Lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs.

Additional Considerations

• Travel: Occasional travel may be required to attend off-site events or conferences.
• Late Hours: Evening work will be necessary for some events.

Work Location and Schedule
This is a fully in-person, customer-facing role. Because of the nature of the responsibilities, it does not permit a hybrid or remote schedule; an on-site presence is required at our Houston location Monday through Friday. Occasional evening and late hours will be necessary to support community events and programs. Our standard business hours are 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Be a part of a dynamic and growing organization committed to making a positive impact on the world
• Work in a collaborative and supportive environment with opportunities for professional development
• Employees may be eligible for incentive compensation at year-end; incentive compensation is tied to organizational performance and individual performance

Equal Opportunity Statement
Greentown Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, pregnancy, status as a veteran, genetic information, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.
Greentown Labs seeks to fully represent our community and constituencies-particularly low-income communities and communities of color-to amplify those voices and provide opportunities to participate in the direction and leadership of the organization. We actively encourage candidates from broad, diverse backgrounds to apply.
Accommodations: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Greentown Labs will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. To request an accommodation during the application process, please contact hr@greentownlabs.com.
At-will Employment
This job description is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract of employment for any specific duration. Employment with Greentown Labs is at-will, meaning that the employment relationship can be terminated by the employee or the Company at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.
The pay range for this role is:
90,000 - 105,000 USD per year (Houston)