Community Development and Neighborhood Connections Director

TOWN OF APEX

invites applications for the position of:

Community Development and Neighborhood Connections Director

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE: $133,857.00 - 163,979.00

SALARY RANGE: $133,857.00 - 207,470.02

WORK LOCATION: 73 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502

SCHEDULE: Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm

POSTING CLOSING DATE: September 25, 2026 at 7pm

The Town of Apex is seeking a visionary, people-centered leader to strengthen neighborhoods, expand community connections, and turn resident needs into meaningful results. If you're energized by bringing people together, building partnerships, and creating programs that make a lasting difference, we invite you to lead this important work. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

HOW YOU'LL MAKE AN IMPACT:

As Director of Neighborhood and Community Connections, you will provide strategic, operational, and people-centered leadership for the Town's housing, community engagement, neighborhood connections, and resident service functions. The Director translates Town Council and organizational priorities into measurable programs, policies, projects, and community outcomes. The Director builds and sustains a positive, healthy, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture grounded in trust, accountability, collaboration, professional respect, transparent communication, and employee development. The position leads a multigenerational and multidisciplinary workforce and works collaboratively across Town departments and with residents, community organizations, housing partners, developers, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders.

HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE:

• Provides executive oversight for Ask Apex and resident information, customer service, service coordination, and issue-resolution functions.
• Establishes and sustains a positive, healthy, inclusive, and high-performing culture characterized by trust, teamwork, professional respect, open communication, psychological safety, and shared accountability.
• Leads a multigenerational and multidisciplinary workforce by adapting communication, coaching, recognition, and development approaches while applying policies, expectations, and performance standards consistently.
• Builds trust through visible, accessible, ethical, and transparent leadership; seeks employee input and communicates the rationale for significant decisions and changes.
• Empowers managers and employees through appropriate delegation, clear decision-making authority, and accountability for results.
• Monitors employee engagement, workload, morale, turnover, and workplace relationships and takes timely action to address organizational or cultural concerns.
• Addresses conflict, performance concerns, and disruptive workplace behavior promptly, fairly, consistently, and constructively.
• Models emotional intelligence, self-awareness, sound judgment, adaptability, humility, and respect in interactions with employees, colleagues, elected officials, residents, and partners. Translates strategic plans, Council priorities, organizational assessments, and community needs into work plans with schedules, responsible parties, budgets, performance measures, and deliverables.
• Establishes systems to track departmental commitments, policies, projects, contracts, grants, community initiatives, and Council-directed priorities; intervenes when progress is delayed or accountability is unclear.
• Provides the Assistant Town Manager with accurate, timely, and candid updates regarding progress, risks, barriers, resource needs, and emerging issues.
• Uses data and performance measures to evaluate program effectiveness, customer experience, community impact, and operational efficiency.
• Engages affected departments early, clarifies roles and decision points, resolves disagreements professionally, and elevates significant risks or unresolved policy questions in a timely manner.
• Leads organizational change with clarity, empathy, consistency, appropriate employee involvement, and continuity of service.

Functions of All Town Director Positions

• Monitors and evaluates service delivery methods and procedures; assesses workload, support systems, and reporting relationships; identifies opportunities for improvement; and directs implementation of changes.
• Develops and maintains a high-performing workforce committed to customer service, results, and collaboration across the organization.
• Provides training and development, manages performance, and ensures accountability of department employees.Supports diversity, equity, and inclusion through hiring, promotions, training, career development, and implementation of inclusive work programs.
• Confers with and serves as an advisor to the Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager on departmental policies, strategies, and programs; coordinates activities with other departments and public and private agencies.
• Supervises departmental staff; applies Town policies accurately and consistently; establishes departmental policies as needed; maintains records; communicates short- and long-range direction; sets and monitors priorities; and uses staff time, systems, and resources effectively.
• Manages development and administration of the department budget; accurately forecasts needs, manages expenditures, controls costs, requests transfers as needed, and promptly reports unplanned expenses beyond the department's capacity.
• Represents the department to other Town departments, elected officials, and outside agencies; explains programs and policies; and negotiates and resolves sensitive, significant, and controversial issues.
• Participates on boards, commissions, and professional groups and remains current on trends and innovations in the field.
• Provides regular feedback, coaching, recognition, professional development, succession planning, and opportunities for emerging leaders.

WHAT SETS YOU UP FOR SUCCESS:

Bachelor's degree in public administration, community development, housing, urban or regional planning, public policy, business administration, organizational leadership, or a closely related field, with six (6) or more years of related experience including supervisory responsibilities.

WHAT SETS YOU APART:

Master''s degree and demonstrated experience building organizational culture, improving employee engagement, managing change, developing cross-functional partnerships, and implementing complex initiatives is strongly preferred.

GET TO KNOW APEX:

Known as "The Peak of Good Living", the Town of Apex is a rapidly growing Wake County municipality with a current population of more than 84,000 and has been ranked as one of Money Magazine''s Best Place to Live in America. Our current workforce is comprised of over 740 full-time employees and over 125 part-time/seasonal staff. Our Human Resources Department - with the support and confidence of Town leadership - is committed to providing best-in-class HR programs for our employees, with a mission to create a culture of empowerment and accountability that maximizes individual and organizational potential. We offer a generous benefit package and have a highly competitive compensation program. More than that, the Town is an awesome place to work, as evidenced by the high job satisfaction rating received in the last employee opinion survey conducted with our employees.

BENEFITS THAT SUPPORT YOU:

Not only is the Town "The Peak of Good Living", but it''s also a great place to work! We strive to "reach the peak" of being an employer of choice by providing competitive salaries and excellent benefits, including:

• Free or low-cost medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for employees
• 5% contributions to the NC401(k) retirement plans (no matching required)
• Participation in the Local Government Employees'' Retirement System (LGERS)
• Traditional sick and vacation leave
• 80 hours Peak Paid Time Off per year
• $1,200 Peak Lifestyle Benefit to pay for health and wellness activities (after completion of probation)
• 8 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• 3 weeks of Paid Caregiver Leave
• Bereavement leave
• 13 paid holidays
• Longevity pay
• Tuition assistance
• Expansive wellness program, and more!

KEEP IN MIND:

Providing a safe work environment for our employees is a top priority, therefore all new hires must successfully complete a pre-employment drug test, post-offer functional testing (if required by position), background verifications including references, criminal record and driver''s license check prior to employment. Some positions may also require SBI fingerprinting as part of the background screening process.

The Town of Apex provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, political affiliation or marital status, veteran status, or genetic information.