Director of Programs, Community Development

Browning the Green Space; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Flexible schedule

Coworking desk CIC Boston

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Browning the Green Space (BGS) seeks a Director of Programs, Community Development to lead strategy and execution of community-focused initiatives in Massachusetts. You will cultivate partnerships with community-based orgs, residents, and funders, translating needs into programs and partnerships while building capacity for growth.

Reporting to the Executive Director, you will design engagement opportunities, manage programs, and drive equitable outcomes through collaborative leadership and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Progressive experience leading community engagement, development, programs, partnerships, and coalition building.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy, design, implementation, and continuous improvement of community programs and partnerships.
• Develop initiatives that connect community priorities with workforce, business development, and systems-change work.
• Manage program budgets, timelines, and deliverables and supervise staff as capacity grows.

Skills

Community development

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Coalition building

Policy alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

About Us

Browning the Green Space (BGS) is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to accelerate an equitable clean energy transition by developing diverse talent, empowering BIPOC-led clean energy businesses, and shaping policies and systems that reduce structural barriers. Through trusted relationships, a unique cross-sector network, and deep clean energy expertise, BGS serves as a bridge among communities, employers, entrepreneurs, funders, policymakers, and innovators so that clean energy growth creates meaningful economic opportunity for communities historically excluded from the sector.

About the Role

The Director of Programs, Community Development is a senior program and engagement leader responsible for the strategy, development, implementation, and growth of BGS community-focused initiatives and relationships. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role will build and strengthen BGS’s community pillar by ensuring that community priorities, partnerships, and lived experience inform BGS programs, initiatives, and broader organizational strategy.

The Director of Programs, Community Development will cultivate trusted relationships with community-based organizations, residents, coalition members, clean energy partners, public agencies, funders, and other stakeholders; develop opportunities for meaningful engagement; and translate community needs and opportunities into programs, partnerships, convenings, and initiatives aligned with BGS’s mission.

This is both a strategic and hands‑on role. In BGS’s current lean structure, the Director of Programs, Community Development will personally lead significant coordination, outreach, convening, communications, and program execution while also building the systems, partnerships, and program infrastructure needed for the community portfolio to grow. As organizational capacity expands, the role may supervise a dedicated Program Manager or other community program staff. In the interim, the Director may receive program‑management support from broader BGS program staff based on priorities and capacity.

Essential Functions

Community Strategy, Program Development & Leadership

• Lead the strategy, design, implementation, and continuous improvement of BGS’s community-focused programs, initiatives, and engagement efforts.


• Translate organizational priorities into clear community goals, implementation plans, partnerships, timelines, resource needs, and measurable outcomes.


• Build and strengthen BGS’s community pillar, identifying opportunities where BGS can add value while avoiding duplication of work effectively led by community partners.


• Identify emerging community needs, barriers, and opportunities related to clean energy access, energy burden, economic mobility, environmental justice, and participation in the clean energy transition.


• Develop initiatives and partnerships that connect community priorities with BGS’s workforce development, business development, and systems-change work.


• Assess opportunities to strengthen, scale, replicate, or sunset initiatives based on outcomes, stakeholder feedback, funding, mission alignment, and capacity.


• Community Engagement, Partnerships & Coalition Building


• Build and steward trusted relationships with community-based organizations, residents, local leaders, municipalities, public agencies, clean energy organizations, employers, funders, coalition members, and other partners.


• Create consistent mechanisms for listening to community stakeholders and incorporating their perspectives into BGS programs, partnerships, and priorities.


• Design accessible community engagement opportunities that consider barriers such as language, disability access, technology, transportation, scheduling, childcare, and compensation.


• Lead community meetings, listening sessions, roundtables, workshops, focus groups, convenings, and other engagement opportunities.


• Identify and develop partnerships, sponsorships, and collaborative initiatives aligned with BGS’s mission and community priorities.


• Lead the recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and strategic direction of the BGS coalition membership initiative and represent BGS at external events and convenings.

Community Programs & Initiative Execution

• Lead the development and delivery of community-centered initiatives, including community benefit agreements (CBAs), that expand access to clean energy opportunities and advance equitable outcomes.


• Plan and execute programs, workshops, events, meetings, and convenings, including budgets, logistics, promotion, facilitation, partner coordination, and follow‑up.


• Coordinate outreach and recruitment for community participation in BGS programs and initiatives.


• Establish clear objectives, roles, timelines, budgets, deliverables, and measures of success for community initiatives.


• Provide hands‑on program and project management while developing repeatable workflows and practices that can be delegated as the organization grows.


• Partner across BGS to integrate community engagement appropriately into workforce, business development, and other organizational initiatives.

Impact Measurement, Learning & Communications

• Establish goals, engagement indicators, program measures, and feedback mechanisms to assess community reach, participation, relationships, outcomes, and impact.


• Use quantitative and qualitative data, surveys, stakeholder feedback, and community experience to strengthen programs and inform future priorities.


• Maintain accurate program, partner, and engagement information and ensure commitments to community stakeholders are documented, assigned, and followed through.


• Prepare program reports, impact summaries, presentations, grant reports, proposals, and other materials communicating community needs, activities, outcomes, and lessons learned.


• Partner with communications resources to elevate community stories, opportunities, partnerships, and impact.


• Document program models, relationships, workflows, and institutional knowledge to support continuity, growth, and reduced key‑person dependency.

Organizational Leadership & Resource Development

• Serve as a member of BGS’s leadership team, bringing community perspective to organizational strategy, planning, decision‑making, and cross‑functional problem solving.


• Partner with the Executive Director on community‑related funding opportunities, proposals, funder conversations, partnerships, and resource development.


• Manage community program budgets and resource needs and monitor spending, grant/contract deliverables, and program commitments.


• Coordinate with workforce development, operations, finance, communications, consultants, and other resources to support successful program delivery.


• As capacity grows, supervise and develop staff, interns, contractors, or consultants supporting the community portfolio.

Education, Experience & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience required; advanced study in community development, nonprofit management, public policy, environmental justice, economic development, clean energy, urban planning, or a related field is a plus.


• Progressive experience leading community engagement, community development, programs, partnerships, coalition building, or related work, with responsibility for both strategy and hands‑on execution.


• Demonstrated ability to build authentic, sustained relationships across diverse communities and stakeholders and translate community input into programs, partnerships, and action.


• Experience working with coalitions and a background in equity and inclusion programming preferred.


• Experience designing and facilitating community meetings, listening sessions, workshops, events, or collaborative planning processes.


• Demonstrated program/project management experience, including planning, budgets, timelines, stakeholder coordination, implementation, and reporting.


• Experience establishing and using metrics, surveys, feedback processes, or other tools to assess engagement and program effectiveness.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills across community, nonprofit, business, government, and funding audiences.


• Knowledge of clean energy, climate, environmental justice, energy equity, community development, economic mobility, or related fields preferred; ability to learn complex sectors quickly is essential.


• Experience working in a small, entrepreneurial, growing organization where leaders combine strategic thinking with hands‑on execution.


• Prior people‑management experience preferred but not required.

Travel

Local and regional travel may be required, primarily within Massachusetts and the surrounding region.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

BGS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. BGS provides equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits and Perks

• The salary range for this position is based on experience.


• BGS offers full‑time employees with the following generous benefits package:


• Remote work and flexible schedule


• Access to coworking desk at CIC Boston


• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 100% for employees and 75% for dependents)


• Life insurance


• Short and long‑term disability insurance


• Unlimited paid time off, Federally designated holidays, and four weeks of paid time off during office closures (two weeks at the end of August and two weeks at the end of December)