Director of Community Initiatives

Key Job Responsibilities:

Strategic Partnerships & Program Leadership: 20%

Develop and implement a forward-thinking plan for family support and community engagement aligned with the Children's Trust mission and strategic plan.

Collaborate across internal teams (communications, development, policy, and operations) to amplify the impact and secure support.

Build systems for gathering and incorporating parent voice, racial equity, lived experience and community feedback into programs that intentionally address the needs of historically marginalized communities.

Lead and/or collaborate on initiatives such as Child Safety as a Shared Responsibility, economic mobility and/or mental health strategies, concrete needs, family centers, database/referral systems, and culturally responsive prevention strategies aligned to strategic priorities

Cultivate new and existing coalitions and collaboratives that center family supports to foster shared accountability for child and family well-being across statewide initiatives, policies, convenings, cross-sector partnerships and campaigns.

Policy & Systems Integration:20%

Design and institutionalize systems-level structures to support fidelity, equity, and accountability in a multi-organization, statewide initiative. This includes the creation of centralized rubrics, tools, and guidance documents to ensure consistent implementation and reporting across diverse program sites.

Participates in or informs state-level policy development. Works across agencies to align family support programs with related sectors (e.g., early childhood, health, housing).

Drives statewide systems-change initiatives and continuous quality improvement by ensuring partners, networks and coalitions are engaged in technical assistance, training, and evaluation.

Grants, Budget and Contract Oversight: 20%

Oversees both incoming and outgoing public and private funding streams, ensuring all federal, state, foundation, and internal requirements are met with high standards of fiscal and programmatic accountability.

Responsible for the full lifecycle of a grant and contracting processes, including procurement (quotes, bids, info, etc.), development, technical assistance to applicants, budget review leading to contract execution, and ongoing monitoring.

Manages awarded grants and organizational budgets with a focus on strategic fund utilization, compliance, variance tracking, adherence to regulatory and audit standards and reporting.

Ensures robust contract management, including performance measurement, quality assurance, and timely resolution of compliance or performance issues with funded partners.

Collects and analyzes financial and programmatic data, prepares funder and internal reports, and develops presentations to communicate outcomes, impact, and return on investment to stakeholders.

Promotes effective business practices that support transparency, sustainability, and accountability across all funding relationships.

Data, Evaluation & Reporting: 20%

Leads the design, implementation, and oversight of program evaluation frameworks, ensuring alignment with agency goals, funding requirements, and community impact.

Oversees the agency's internal data systems and infrastructure, including the management and continuous improvement of the centralized database used for performance tracking, reporting, and grant compliance.

Ensures data integrity, security, and accessibility across programs and partners, and provides strategic guidance on data system optimization.

Collects, analyzes, and translates quantitative and qualitative data into actionable insights to support decision-making, advocate for policy and funding, and improve program design and service delivery.

Develops dashboards, reports, and visualizations to communicate progress toward outcomes to stakeholders, funders, leadership, and the public.

Serves as the primary liaison to external evaluators and research partners, ensuring that all evaluation efforts are rigorous, equity-informed, and responsive to community needs.

Fosters a culture of learning and accountability by promoting data-driven practices, staff capacity-building, and continuous quality improvement across the agency and partner organizations.

Team Management & Staff Supervision: 20%

Provides direct supervision to program coordinators, contracted employees and/or consultants, ensuring clarity of roles, alignment with agency priorities and upholds high standards for program delivery, partnership management, and community impact.

Leads regular team and supervision meetings and prioritizes cross-functional coordination efforts to ensure strong internal communication, collaboration and operational alignment.

Supports the professional growth of staff by identifying development needs, providing access to relevant training and learning opportunities, encouraging a growth mindset, and aligning individual and team development goals with the agency's mission.

Conducts regular performance evaluations, sets clear expectations, and provides timely, constructive feedback to promote staff accountability and excellence.

Fosters a positive, inclusive, and impact-driven team culture by promoting psychological safety and a strong sense of belonging.

Models adaptability, effective communication, conflict resolution while celebrating individual and team successes.

Travel will be required for this position.

Questions regarding this position, or the application process, should be directed to Martine.laine@mass.gov.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

Client-provided location(s): Boston, MA

Job ID: Commonwealth_of_Massachusetts-250006NH

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2025-09-20T18:33:55