Community Impact Senior Program Officer, Florida

Knight Foundation; Miami (FL); On-site; USD 103,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Generous benefits package

Job summary

Knight Foundation is seeking a community-rooted Senior Program Officer to work with residents, grantees, civic leaders, public agencies and funders to turn ideas into action in Miami, FL. Based in Miami, this role helps shape Knight’s investments across four Florida communities, driving transformational change in information, mobility and culture.

You will report to the VP/Community Impact, travel ~35% of the time, and translate strategy into clear plans, priorities and execution across major

Qualifications

• Field knowledge and community awareness to assess local context.
• Evidence-informed perspective to guide recommendations.
• Strong relationship-building skills with diverse partners.

Responsibilities

• Active management of grants portfolios across Florida communities with budgets and outcomes.
• Provide independent input and escalate risks and opportunities to leadership.
• Conduct rigorous due diligence on strategic fit and risk.
• Set and monitor clear outcome goals across initiatives.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and field learning.
• Build constructive relationships with grantees, residents and partners.
• Represent Knight in the field to raise visibility of the work.

Skills

Field knowledge

Community awareness

Context and stewardship

Learning-oriented

Relationship builder

Collaborative by instinct

Values-driven

Job description

Senior Program Officer, Community Impact (Florida)

Miami, FL

Knight Foundation is seeking a community-rooted Senior Program Officer to work alongside residents, grantees, civic leaders, public agencies and funders to support local ideas and connect resources, relationships and ideas to action. Based in Miami, this role presents an opportunity to help shape how Knight’s investments drive lasting, transformational change across four Knight communities in Florida. As Senior Program Officer, you will engage questions central to the conditions that allow communities to thrive and support Knight’s vision to be the leading catalyst of scalable solutions that strengthen the information ecosystem, economic mobility and cultural vibrancy.

What This Role Is

Focused on Knight’s Florida portfolio of communities including Miami, West Palm Beach, Bradenton and Tallahassee, you will translate strategic direction into clear plans, priorities and execution across significant areas of the portfolio. You will bring sound judgment and field awareness to grantmaking and partnerships, coordinate across colleagues and functions, and keep mission, operations and learning connected.

You will support the deployment of Knight’s capital in three ways: financial capital through grantmaking and strategic investments; knowledge capital through learning, synthesis and sharing insights; and social capital through convening, connecting people and strengthening networks. Success means strengthening the Community Impact portfolio in Florida while contributing to the broader coordination, visibility, learning and effectiveness of Knight’s work.

You will report to the VP/Community Impact. This is an in-office role based at our headquarters in Miami, Florida. Expect to travel approximately 35 percent of the time. For more information on Knight’s Community Impact Team, visit kf.org.

What You Will Do

• Active management of the grants portfolios for Miami, West Palm Beach, Bradenton and Tallahassee, including budgets, outcome measurements, reporting and follow through.
• Work with increasing independence, bringing a clear point of view to recommendations and decisions within your scope and elevating significant risks, tradeoffs and opportunities to program leadership.
• Conduct and contribute to rigorous due diligence, assessing strategic fit, organizational health, financial information, risks and tradeoffs for potential impact.
• Establish and monitor clear outcome goals across grants and initiatives, identify patterns and risks, and use evidence and partner input to refine the work.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing, field learning and practices that improve effectiveness and impact.
• Build constructive, respectful relationships with grantees, residents, practitioners, community leaders, public agencies, funders and other partners across Miami’s civic ecosystem, contributing insight and perspectives that strengthen the foundation’s work and presence in the field.
• Represent Knight in field engagement, in coordination with program leadership, and contribute to learning and visibility around the foundation’s work.

The Qualities We Are Looking For

• Field Knowledge and Deep Community Awareness: You bring working knowledge of one or more of Knight’s focus areas and can build understanding quickly through listening, research, relationships and experience. You can assess context, identify patterns and offer a clear, evidence-informed perspective.
• Context and Stewardship: You listen closely, assess opportunities with rigor and curiosity, and bring care and a clear point of view to recommendations about where Knight can contribute for greater impact. You understand how markets and ecosystems work and can align financial, social and knowledge capital to accelerate real change.
• Learning-Oriented: You establish clear outcomes, track and measure them honestly and treat evidence as a tool for improvement. You are able to learn, synthesize and apply complex information.
• Skilled Relationship Builder: You earn trust across sectors – with grantees, community leaders, peer funders and colleagues alike. You are a clear communicator, skilled at navigating the inherent power dynamics of a funding relationship with integrity and respect.
• Collaborative by Instinct: You see across silos and actively pursue opportunities to reinforce colleagues’ work and be reinforced by it. You bring a team orientation and an appreciation for the complementary strengths of others
• Values-Driven: You engage with openness and respect, take shared responsibility for learning and feedback, and bring rigor and adaptability in equal measure.

About Knight Foundation

We ignite in every person the power to shape thriving communities.

John S. and James L. Knight believed that a well-informed community could best “determine its own true interests” and was essential to a well-functioning, thriving democracy. For more than 75 years, Knight Foundation has continued their work by supporting people, organizations and insights that lead to healthier communities. The foundation invests in journalism, arts and culture, research and field-building efforts that promote a more resilient information ecosystem, deepen shared understanding and advance a culture of free expression and community development in the 26 cities where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Since our founding in 1950, we have been committed to the communities we serve and to providing those communities with the tools they need for residents to thrive.

We believe in freedom of expression and in the values expressed in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. We believe an informed citizenry is essential for representative democracy to function effectively. We believe in engaged, equitable and inclusive communities. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives to foster positive change and build stronger, more equitable communities.

Our drive to create positive change is amplified by our ability to collaborate internally and with our partners. We look for authenticity, agility, and accountability, knowing we are at our best when we leverage our collective strengths and experiences. We proactively approach our work with a sense of pride and responsibility –adapting, as needed, to the changing realities in our communities.

Knight Foundation offers competitive pay and a generous benefits package. The hiring salary range for this role starts at $114,000. Actual compensation is based on a number of factors including qualifications, skills and relevant experience.

Knight Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.