The senior executive who owns the community services portfolio for an organization — overseeing programs, directors, partnerships, and the strategic direction of services delivered to communities. Often a member of the senior executive team.
Vp of community services (vice president of community services) pay typically runs $101K–$130K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 6% through 2034.
Most days tend to involve a blend of executive leadership work, portfolio oversight, and external relationships with funders, government partners, board members, and community stakeholders. You'll often spend part of the time on strategic priorities — service expansion, new program development, geographic reach — and part on escalations that need senior judgment.
The hardest part is often balancing mission ambition against the resource math that nonprofits and community-serving organizations live with. You'll typically navigate complex stakeholder dynamics — funders with their own theories of change, communities with their own priorities, board members with their own expectations — while keeping a leadership team aligned and motivated.
People who tend to thrive here are mission-anchored, operationally rigorous, and politically literate. The trade-off is the public-facing visibility of senior community services leadership and the chronic resource challenges of the sector. If you find satisfaction in shaping how a sector-leading organization serves communities at scale, this role can be among the most consequential paths in the social sector.
Turn your career record
into a springboard for growth.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Don't know if you want to stay in your job?
Get your career on record. Then decide.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Social Services roles →The senior executive who owns the community services portfolio for an organization — overseeing programs, directors, partnerships, and the strategic direction of services delivered to communities. Often a member of the senior executive team.
Median pay for a vp of community services (vice president of community services) is about $78K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $50K to $130K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources, and Time Management.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 6.4% through 2034, with roughly 195,490 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Community Center Director, Adult Daycare Coordinator, and Program Supervisor.
Do one small thing to grow in your career this week. Pick one of these; each comes with the words to use.
More career advice
We believe careers grow through small steps taken often, more than big leaps. So we’ve collected hundreds of them for you to try.
Browse career adviceStill figuring out what you want to become
when you grow up?