Director of Leadership Formation

The Organization

The BTS Center, located in Portland, Maine, cultivates and nurtures spiritual leadership for a climate-changed world. Our work is guided by the vision of human hearts renewed, justice established, and creation restored.

Toward that vision, we’re working to catalyze spiritual imagination with enduring wisdom for transformative faith leadership. We do this by offering theologically grounded programs of spiritual and vocational formation: workshops and retreats, learning communities, reading groups, public conversations and rituals, and projects of applied research.

The BTS Center is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation growing from the deep roots of the former Bangor Theological Seminary. We seek to honor the work of God in the world by embodying these values:

• Courage: Honestly engaging our changing religious landscape
• Resilience: Cultivating the ability to adapt
• Collaboration: Doing more together
• Generosity: Readily giving of ourselves and our resources
• Integrity: Holding ourselves to high standards in all we do

Statement of Purpose

The Director of Leadership Formation serves as a key member of The BTS Center’s leadership team, responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating the leadership formation programs of The BTS Center — retreats, workshops, and cohort-based programs of learning and collegial support, both online and in person — that contribute to the spiritual and vocational formation of clergy serving in congregational settings, chaplains in every sector, spiritual directors, scholars, and engaged laypersons.

Responsibilities

The Director of Leadership Formation will:

• Take the lead role in overseeing existing programs of leadership formation: the EcoPreacher Initiative, the Climate Conscious Chaplaincy Initiative, Spiritual Accompaniment Circles, an emerging Public Rituals Initiative, and an EcoWriters Retreat, among others
• Collaborate with Associate Director and others in developing and implementing a comprehensive leadership formation strategy aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and core values
• Collaborate with Strategic Communications Director to develop program-related communications through website, e-newsletters, print newsletters, social media, and annual Report to the Community
• Convene and coordinate planning teams and interface with program partners
• Identify, manage, supervise, and evaluate short-term and long-term program consultants
• Dialogue with existing and potential program participants, individually and occasionally in focus groups, to gather feedback and seek input about topics of interest
• Develop plans and tools for evaluating programs, tracking data, and assessing impact
• Collaborate with Director of Applied Research in the collection of data through participant surveys and the communication of impact stories and outcomes
• Track program-specific budgets and work closely with Associate Director and Operations Manager to ensure that all leadership formation program expenditures are recorded and reported appropriately

To help shape the strategies and thinking that inform The BTS Center’s work, the Director of Leadership Formation will:

• Monitor trends in religious practice and theological education to identify emerging needs and opportunities
• Contribute to thought leadership in the field of spiritual leadership formation
• Network with other organizations, seeking out new opportunities for partnerships and collaborative programs as they support the mission and goals of The BTS Center

To contribute as an important member of The BTS Center’s team, the Director of Leadership Formation will:

• Participate in and occasionally lead weekly Program Team meetings
• Report to the Board of Trustees as requested
• Help to nurture positive relationships within The BTS Center team, with partners, and with the public

Note: The duties and responsibilities described here do not represent a comprehensive list. Additional tasks may be required from time to time.

Characteristics & Qualifications

A strong Director of Leadership Formation candidate will bring the following qualifications:

• Graduate-level theological education and/or relevant faith formation and leadership experience
• Well-developed administrative, organizational, and leadership skills
• Expertise in program design, implementation, evaluation, and development for a mission-driven organization

They possess the following personal characteristics:

• Strong resonance with the mission, vision, and core values of The BTS Center
• Demonstrated interest in issues related to spiritual leadership and the climate crisis
• Awareness of current realities facing faith communities and of the changing religious landscape
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and belonging
• Experience in communicating with socio-economically, racially, and religiously diverse audiences

In work settings, they exhibit:

• • Highly effective communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Comfort representing the organization in public settings and/or on camera
  • Ability to strategize, plan, and delegate effectively
  • Project management skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Ability to work independently and to take initiative
  • Flexibility, adaptability, and ongoing practice of self-reflection
  • A proven ability to listen, assume positive intent, manage conflict, and identify solutions
  • An open-minded, collaborative, encouraging spirit that fosters a positive, mission-driven team culture

Desirable experience may include any or all of the following:

• Preaching experience
• Teaching, facilitating, and public speaking experience
• Clergy status, chaplaincy credentials, and/or training as a spiritual director
• Professional experience in a nonprofit setting

If your experiences do not correlate with all of the above qualifications, but you believe you would still be a strong candidate for this position, we would still be happy to receive an application from you.

Salary & Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position, offering competitive compensation and benefits:

• • Salary: $80,000
  • Employee medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution and match
  • Short- and long-term disability and life insurance policies
  • 20 days paid vacation, plus personal days and sabbatical option
  • 10 paid holidays
  • Opportunities for professional development

Collaboration & Accountability

The Director of Leadership Formation works collaboratively with and under the supervision of the Associate Director, in close collaboration with the Executive Director, Strategic Communications Director, Director of Applied Research, Operations Manager, and the rest of the staff team.

Work Space

Our core staff are all located within driving distance of Southern Maine, and likewise, this position will be oriented toward The BTS Center’s collaborative office space located on India Street in Portland, Maine, with flexibility for a hybrid office / at-home work balance.

Hiring Commitment

The BTS Center commits to recruiting, equipping, and supporting staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and abilities in order to more deeply reflect the communities of which we are a part. A climate-changed world calls us to reckon more deeply with historical and present-day human marginalization. We believe deeply in the gifts of diversity in race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, ability, and national origin.

To Apply

Please send the following by August 14, 2026, to Acting Executive Director, Rev. Nicole Diroff, at nicole@thebtscenter.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and initial interviews will be scheduled during the second half of August.

1. A thoughtful cover letter
2. Resumé or CV

Start Date

October 15, 2026, or as soon as available