Senior Officer, Community Relations & Program Development

As the city’s largest volunteer network, we connect individuals, companies, and community partners to urgent needs across education, food security, public health, housing, and workforce development. At New York Cares, we believe that meaningful volunteerism has the power to strengthen communities, expand opportunities, and improve lives across New York City. We turn passion into action, creating long-lasting change.

As we look forward to our next chapter of growth and impact, we are seeking a transformational leader as our next Chief Fund Development Officer to elevate our fundraising strategy, deepen donor engagement, and position New York Cares as the most compelling investment in the nonprofit sector.

Why Join New York Cares

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of one of New York City’s most visible and impactful nonprofit organizations.

The Chief Fund Development Officer will play a defining role in:

• Expanding our community impact across New York City

• Building transformational partnerships

• Leading a development organization poised for ambitious revenue growth

• Creating innovative models that connect volunteerism and philanthropy

• Influencing civic engagement at scale

About The Position

The Senior Officer, Community Relations & Program Design, is a leader on the Community Relations and Program Design (CR&PD) team, reporting to the Director of CR&PD. In this role, the Senior Officer manages a small team. This role plays a pivotal role in advancing New York Cares’ mission through our specialized programming by implementing strategies that refine and scale our deep impact programs (Tax Prep, College Prep, SAT Prep, Financial Aid Assistance, Literacy) and Signature Programs (Coat Drive, Winter Wishes, and special projects). The Senior Officer in partnership with the Director, CR&PD balances strategic vision with operational execution, leverages data and innovation to address critical community needs, invigorates existing partnerships, cultivates new relationships, and ensures measurable, scalable impact across all special programming.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and cultivate a team including a Deep Impact Officer, Deep Impact Associate, and Specialist ensuring a team that is driven by innovation and measurable impact and rooted in human-centered leadership.

• Partner closely with the Director of CR&PD to continuously refine and operationalize the strategic vision for Deep Impact and Signature programming, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

• Use data and insights to identify emerging community needs, inform decision-making, and drive continuous program improvement and innovation.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Data & Analytics, Volunteer Experience, and Corporate Relations to ensure cohesive, high-impact program execution.

• Design, pilot, and scale innovative program models that effectively respond to critical community challenges and demonstrate measurable outcomes.

• Strengthen and steward relationships with community-based organizations, ensuring programs are responsive, equitable, and mutually beneficial.

• Translate strategy into clear implementation plans, timelines, and success metrics, ensuring strong execution and accountability across initiatives.

• Foster a culture of flexibility, learning, and iteration, adapting programs based on feedback, data, and evolving community needs.

• Support the development of scalable systems and processes that enable growth while maintaining program quality and impact.

• Serve as a thought partner and leader within the team, contributing insights on community trends, partnership opportunities, and program innovation.

WORK ENVIORNMENT

• Hybrid schedule with three days in the office weekly.

• Conduct external partner site visits.

• Observe and attend volunteer projects to inform program design.

• Support occasional program events in the evenings and weekends.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least seven years of professional experience with nonprofits, government agencies, or similar.

• Proven experience managing and developing direct reports, including regular performance check-ins, coaching, professional development, and fostering a cohesive team culture.

• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to balance multiple priorities and drive complex projects to completion.

• Exceptional relationship management and partnership-building skills.

• Exceptional communication and organizational skills, managing multi-directionally and balancing competing priorities.

• Proven coaching and facilitation experience with direct reports and peers.

• Proven, exceptional track record of designing impactful programming.

• Experience with monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practices.

• Enthusiasm for doing field work, getting to tour this great city, and visiting our community partners.

• Proficiency with Office and Google Suite Products (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.).

• Expertise with project management systems, ideally Asana.

• Proficiency with CRM Systems, ideally Salesforce.

• Commitment to New York Cares’ mission and professional growth.

BENEFITS

• Hybrid schedule: In office Mon/Tue/Thu. Remote Wed/Fri

• 11 paid holidays + 3 floating holidays

• Paid time off: 12 days in year 1 + paid last week of Dec. 18 days in year 2

• Paid sick leave

• Health & wellness coverage: medical, dental, vision (80% employer-paid), plus life & disability insurance

• Retirement & tax-advantaged accounts: 403(b) plan, flexible spending accounts, transit reimbursement