Program Officer – Sustainable Homes

CommonWealth Beacon; Boston, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

LISC Massachusetts seeks a Sustainable Homes Program Officer to advance energy efficiency and decarbonization in Massachusetts’ multifamily affordable housing. You will work with the Deputy Director to catalyze programs, assess services, identify gaps, and develop policy solutions with diverse partners.

Responsibilities include managing grant programs (~$16M), coordinating with funders and consultants, convening energy cohorts, building capacity, and advocating for resources at state and local

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college; Master’s degree preferred or requisite relevant work experience.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in sustainability, affordable housing, real estate development, community development finance, urban planning, lending, public policy, nonprofit program management, or related field work in neighborhoods.
• Knowledge of green building and sustainable development strategies, standards, and policies.
• Experience in grant writing, management, and reporting.
• Experience in data and policy analysis.
• Demonstrable commitment to community development or economic empowerment.
• Ability to balance creativity and innovation with outcomes-based program evaluation, data management, and reporting.
• Demonstrated success working with a variety of community, public, and private actors to design and implement effective, scalable, sustainable strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, complex matters and programs at various stages and coordinate with multiple internal and external parties to meet deadlines and objectives.
• Excellent communication, research, analysis, relationship, and team building skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day management of the Climate Ready Housing Program and related materials.
• Manage the STAR Solar Program grants and partnerships, including proposals and reporting.
• Oversee the Community Charge EV charging program outreach and subgrants.
• Cultivate relationships with funders and partners to align funding with goals.
• Convene Energy Cohort meetings and support capacity building for housing practitioners.
• Provide 1-on-1 support for decarbonization efforts and participate in interagency working groups.

Skills

Communication

Research

Analysis

Relationship building

Team building

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Position Overview

LISC Massachusetts seeks a dynamic, detail-oriented, and motivated professional with a passion for strengthening communities to join its team as the Sustainable Homes Program Officer. The selected candidate will work with the Deputy Director to catalyze and support the energy efficiency and renewable energy transition in Massachusetts’ multifamily affordable housing sector. Together with diverse partners, the Program Officer will assess available services and programs, identify gaps in the building decarbonization ecosystem (e.g. technical assistance, funding/financing, enabling regulations, and access to good paying green building related jobs), and propose and advance program and policy solutions. Specific duties include:

Program Management

• Provide day-to-day management of the Climate Ready Housing Program, a ~$16M annual decarbonization grant funding program which LISC administers on behalf of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), and MassHousing. This includes developing and updating program application, review, and outreach materials, sharing/presenting program details via outreach to partners statewide, leading weekly calls with the administrative team, assembling and managing the review committee, preparing review/scoring materials for review committee, reviewing applications as part of the review committee, and drafting recommendation memos, press releases, case studies, and related materials as requested.
• Manage the STAR Solar Program, which provides solar technical and financial analysis for the housing portfolios of Massachusetts affordable housing partners. This includes developing and updating program application, review, and outreach materials, presenting information to interested organizations, providing grants to eligible participating organizations, meeting with and managing program partners Resonant Energy and Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) on a regular basis, and preparing related grant proposals, subgrants/consultant contracts, and reports for program funders.
• Manage the Community Charge Program, an electric vehicle charging station installation program for Massachusetts affordable housing partners, in partnership with PowerOptions and Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Provide program outreach and subgrants for selected participants. Support reporting to program funders as needed.
• Cultivate relationships with funders, financial institutions, public agencies, and philanthropic partners to align funding and investment opportunities with LISC Massachusetts’ housing and sustainability goals.

Partner Capacity Building and Convening

• Convene the Energy Cohort, a peer learning group for affordable housing practitioners interested in building decarbonization, climate resilience, and resident health to network, learn, and share information. Lead planning meetings with Energy Cohort program partners MACDC and New Ecology, plan Energy Cohort meetings, roundtables, forums (both virtual and in-person), and building tours. Develop content for these meetings in partnership with building science firms and other partners and arrange logistics. Survey members and summarize feedback to identify trends in member needs and inform future topics. Prepare related grant proposals, subgrants/consultant contracts, and reports for program funders.
• Provide 1-on-1 support and connections for affordable housing organizations interested in decarbonizing their portfolios.
• Participate in interagency affordable housing decarbonization working group and related coalitions.

Research and Data Analysis

• Maintain the Decarbonization Hub, which is a consolidated resource for affordable housing owners interested in accessing technical assistance and funding for building decarbonization projects. Update resources on a regular basis in consultation with technical providers and funding partners.
• Maintain a working knowledge of available sources of decarbonization funding and financing, including building relationships with funding partners.
• Analyze financial and retrofit data to identify trends and opportunities for enhancement.

Policy Advocacy

• Provide support to the Deputy Director in advocating at the state and local level for needed decarbonization resources and regulatory solutions for affordable housing partners.

The selected candidate will manage grantees and consultants and will work on special projects and other initiatives as assigned. The Program Officer should be adept at developing and maintaining effective relationships with funders, partners, community members, and other stakeholders. They should be prepared to facilitate or provide technical assistance and training; organizing and community engagement; as well as working with other stakeholders to achieve objectives. This Program Officer will be a part of LISC Massachusetts’ overall efforts to invest in strengthening underinvested communities and will work closely with the rest of the LISC Massachusetts team. Knowledge of, and effective relationships within, the Massachusetts affordable housing, energy efficiency and renewable energy, philanthropic, and/or community development fields will be valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) from an accredited college or university. Master’s degree preferred or requisite relevant work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in sustainability, affordable housing, real estate development, community development finance, urban planning, lending, public policy, nonprofit program management, or related field work in neighborhoods.
• Knowledge of green building and sustainable development strategies, standards, and policies.
• Experience in grant writing, management, and reporting.
• Experience in data and policy analysis.
• Demonstrable commitment to community development and/or economic empowerment through past work and/or lived experience.
• Ability to balance creativity and innovation with outcomes-based program evaluation, data management, and reporting.
• Demonstrated success working with a variety of community, public, and private actors to design and implement effective, scalable, sustainable strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, complex matters and programs at various stages and coordinate with multiple internal and external parties to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Excellent communication, research, analysis, relationship, and team building skills.

COMPENSATION:

LISC offers a competitive salary ($90,000-$95,000) and excellent fringe benefits.