Program Officer - Housing

Oregon Community Foundation•Portland, OR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Program Officer - Housing, in collaboration with the Senior Program Officer, Economic Vitality and Housing (SPO) and the Program Officer for Economic Vitality and Housing (PO-EV) is responsible for implementation of Housing initiatives and serves as the Foundation’s statewide resource on issues related to housing in Oregon. The officer conducts planning, research, strategy development, strategy implementation and evaluation, relationship management and communications for the housing portfolio. The officer also supports OCF’s economic vitality portfolio, particularly at the intersection of housing and economic vitality.

Requirements

Six or more years of experience with nonprofit organizations, grantmaking and/or program planning and management
Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience in lieu of degree
Extensive knowledge of Oregon and strong interest or knowledge of philanthropy
Strong knowledge of principles and tools to strengthen Oregon’s housing sector
Trusted relationships in diverse communities across the state of Oregon
Able to analyze, think critically and clearly explain alternatives; good problem solver
Comfortable with ambiguous and/or complex situations
Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including public speaking and meeting facilitation
Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain relationships and work collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes
Cultural agility skills necessary to work effectively with diverse people, teams and communities
Collaborative, able to address conflicting needs, able to assign tasks appropriately and diplomatically, and able to supervise and mentor others
Strong project and time management skills, able to prioritize and manage several projects concurrently, organized and efficient
Ability to work independently and to take initiative as needed
Demonstrate experience in equity, bridging and belonging
Excellent customer service skills to provide service that is courteous and competent, promoting trust and confidence
Basic familiarity with nonprofit budgeting and accounting
Strong knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams.
Experience working in a network environment with an integrated database
Requires valid driver’s license and personal vehicle for regular use to effectively perform job duties.

Responsibilities

Manage grant budget for the housing portfolio; serve as point person for OCF’s grant investments in Oregon’s housing sector.
Oversee the design and implementation of OCF’s housing initiatives, including coordinating convenings, developing grant programs, collaborating with partner funders and community leaders, and communicating about the work internally and externally.
Create and manage budgets as needed for grant programs and related opportunities such as learning communities, convenings, etc.
Serve as primary contact for potential grantees. Respond to inquiries for grants, manage application processes, communicate with grantees and conduct site visits and nonprofit outreach.
Oversee grant programs and associated committees including development of program guidelines and criteria, application processes, proposal review and development of grant recommendations.
Work with evaluation experts and OCF's research team to design a method for evaluation of the effectiveness of OCF’s housing strategies and create and maintain systems to track the progress and ensure that timelines and benchmarks are met.
Work with other staff across departments to ensure OCF’s housing goals and strategies are integrated or aligned with other initiatives where possible and appropriate.
Lead discussions and coordinate with other departments to ensure alignment with current trends and research.
Lead or participate in coalitions of leaders, funders and/or organizations to develop and share evidence-based practices and coordinate housing policy and advocacy efforts.
Support OCF’s economic vitality portfolio, with a focus on the intersection of housing and economic vitality.
Collaborate and engage with program staff across the state to maintain high quality programs that address regional needs and collaborate with staff to fulfill the broader, overarching mission and goals of the foundation.
Apply equitable grantmaking practices to ensure accessibility, reach and distribution of funding based on population or community need and intended impact.
Monitor the collection and assessment of grantee reports; integrate findings into communications plans.
Develop knowledge and expertise about organizations, people and issues related to housing while building relationships with diverse communities and leaders across Oregon.
Remain abreast of research and trends regarding effective and innovative practices and community needs related to housing to increase impact and identify opportunities for OCF investments.
Serve as a resource for OCF Board members, Leadership Council members, donors, community members, foundation partners and OCF colleagues by providing information and guidance on nonprofit, and community needs related to housing.
Assist the SPO to plan and develop agendas and coordinate presentation materials and discussions for committees and Board; report and present to groups when applicable.
Act as a public representative for OCF's programming related to housing; deliver community presentations and meetings with other foundations; communicate with Board, Leadership Councils, donors, staff and external partners in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Represent OCF at meetings with public agencies, policy makers and other key stakeholders; serve on statewide or regional committees or task forces.
Represent OCF at local and national conferences and events to share OCF's work and impact.
Conduct outreach, communicate with, and develop relationships with grant seekers and other constituents statewide about foundation priorities, guidelines, grant opportunities and grant decisions.
Plan, implement and evaluate community engagement strategies to strengthen relationships and establish trust, build capacity, and provide meaningful opportunities for community involvement in OCF's community impact work.
Identify opportunities for volunteer engagement; participate in volunteer engagement trainings and adhere to volunteer management practices and policies to ensure alignment across OCF.
Collaborate with Philanthropic Services Department to support prospective donors, provide high quality donor stewardship, and support donor engagement in OCF's priorities.
Assist Donor Relations Officers in providing research and analysis about community issues, nonprofits and grant applications, as requested by OCF donor advisors.
Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to develop and execute communications that increase stakeholder awareness and engagement about economic vitality.
Create reports to externally communicate progress, successes, challenges and future directions, as applicable.
Deepen our partnerships with other foundations, business and government to advance OCF's strategic priorities.
Work to collaborate with other foundations and ensure approaches are coordinated when appropriate.
Support the Community Grants and other responsive grantmaking programs by reviewing proposals and sharing specific expertise, as needed.
Identify opportunities to deepen impact on issues related to the housing ecosystem in Oregon.
Shape the strategic direction, planning and development of strategies and investments for OCF’s housing portfolio including grantmaking, Impact Investing programs and other initiatives.
Align priorities with other OCF programs and initiatives.
Conduct analysis of opportunities for OCF to have strategic impact and recommend well-reasoned options for action to the SPO and/or Board to consider.
Develop strategies using the breadth of tools available, including community engagement, grantmaking, research, advocacy/policy, partnerships with funders, loans and equity investments.