Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Community Development Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Community Development Manager is a strategic, hands-on leader responsible for designing, implementing, and measuring place-based programs that increase community capacity, advance affordable housing and economic development goals, and strengthen resident and stakeholder engagement. This role leads multi-stakeholder initiatives, secures and manages funding (grants, contracts, public dollars), and translates community needs into actionable program plans and policy recommendations. Ideal candidates combine project management rigor, deep community engagement experience, policy fluency, and measurable outcomes orientation.

Primary SEO keywords: community development manager, community engagement, affordable housing, program management, grant writing, stakeholder engagement, economic development, nonprofit program manager.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Community Organizer or Field Coordinator with direct resident engagement experience
Program Coordinator or Program Specialist focused on neighborhood initiatives
Housing Specialist or Affordable Housing Case Manager
Economic Development Analyst or Workforce Development Coordinator

Advancement To:

Director of Community Development or Director of Neighborhood Services
Senior Program Director, Community Impact, or Head of Community Partnerships
Vice President of Community Engagement / VP of Community Impact
City/County Community Services Director or Policy Director (public sector)

Lateral Moves:

Policy Analyst / Policy Manager focused on housing or land use
Grants Manager or Development Manager (nonprofit fundraising)
Stakeholder Relations Manager or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the strategic planning, design, and full lifecycle implementation of community development programs (affordable housing projects, small business support, workforce training, neighborhood revitalization), ensuring alignment with municipal plans, funder requirements, and resident priorities.
Develop, manage, and optimize program workplans, timelines, and milestones; coordinate internal teams, external partners, contractors, and volunteers to deliver projects on schedule and within scope.
Serve as the primary liaison to residents, neighborhood associations, municipal agencies, nonprofit partners, and the private sector; convene multi-stakeholder working groups and facilitate consensus-driven decision making.
Manage grant development and stewardship: identify funding opportunities, author competitive grant proposals, prepare budgets and narratives, and ensure compliance with reporting and audit requirements.
Oversee program budgets and financial management for community initiatives, including forecasting, expense tracking, contract oversight, monthly reconciliation, and ensuring fiscal accountability for public and private funds.
Design and implement monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks: define outcomes, select indicators, collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and produce timely dashboards, evaluation reports, and success stories for funders and stakeholders.
Prepare persuasive communications and materials (program briefs, funding proposals, policy memos, community newsletters, impact reports) tailored to residents, elected officials, corporate partners, and grantors.
Build, cultivate, and sustain cross-sector partnerships with housing developers, philanthropic institutions, workforce agencies, health providers, and small business networks to scale impact and leverage complementary resources.
Conduct community needs assessments and asset mapping (surveys, focus groups, public meetings, GIS analysis) to inform program priorities, culturally appropriate outreach strategies, and evidence-based interventions.
Lead inclusive community engagement and outreach campaigns—door-to-door canvassing, public hearings, digital engagement, multilingual materials—to ensure meaningful resident participation and co-creation of solutions.
Manage procurement and vendor relations: develop scopes of work, negotiate contracts, monitor deliverables, and ensure vendors meet performance, diversity, and equity requirements.
Advocate for community priorities with local government, funders, and regional coalitions; prepare testimony, policy recommendations, and briefing materials to influence funding allocations and policy change.
Oversee capacity-building programs for community-based organizations and grassroots leaders, providing training in nonprofit management, fundraising, governance, and program evaluation.
Coordinate land use and housing-related processes such as community benefit agreements, affordable housing commitments, relocation mitigation strategies, and inclusionary zoning implementation with legal and planning teams.
Lead small business and entrepreneurship support initiatives including business coaching, micro-grants, façade improvement programs, and access-to-capital pipelines that drive neighborhood economic resilience.
Design and manage workforce development and job placement partnerships that connect residents to living-wage opportunities, training providers, and career pathway programs.
Ensure equity, anti-displacement, and culturally responsive practices are integrated into program design and implementation; apply equity impact assessments and measure outcomes for historically marginalized groups.
Respond to community inquiries, complaints, and conflict situations with timely, empathetic, and solution-oriented approaches; escalate policy issues and systemic barriers for executive attention.
Track legislative and regulatory changes at the municipal, state, and federal level that impact community development funding, housing policy, and land use; translate policy changes into organizational strategy and operational readiness.
Recruit, supervise, coach, and evaluate program staff and volunteers; set performance objectives, conduct regular check-ins, and foster a high-performing, inclusive team culture.
Manage communications and media relations for community initiatives, including press releases, social media strategy, and public presentations that elevate program visibility and stakeholder buy-in.
Design and implement risk management and compliance processes to ensure programs adhere to funding terms, safety protocols, data privacy standards, and municipal procurement rules.
Use data-driven decision-making to iterate programs: run pilots, A/B testing of outreach tactics, scale successful interventions, and document lessons learned for continuous improvement.
Represent the organization at conferences, coalitions, and community events; present findings, secure collaborators, and position the organization as a leader in community development best practices.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform grant proposals, program targeting, and impact storytelling; maintain dashboards and data visualizations.
Contribute to the organization's overall community development strategy, cross-team initiatives, and long-term neighborhood plans.
Collaborate with finance, legal, planning, and operations teams to translate program goals into contracts, procurement, and operational workflows.
Participate in organizational planning cycles, budget planning, and quarterly strategic reviews; provide input on resource allocation and program prioritization.
Mentor junior staff and interns on community engagement techniques, program management basics, and professional development pathways.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Grant writing & funder relations: demonstrated experience securing foundation, federal, state, or municipal grants and managing complex reporting requirements.
Program management: advanced skills with workplan development, Gantt charts, multi-project coordination, and delivering on-time, on-budget results.
Budgeting & financial oversight: proficiency preparing program budgets, tracking expenditures, reconciliation, and managing subcontracts.
Monitoring & evaluation (M&E): designing indicators, data collection instruments, logic models, and using evaluation findings to improve programs.
Community outreach & engagement methodologies: public meeting facilitation, participatory planning, stakeholder mapping, culturally responsive engagement.
Policy analysis & advocacy: translating legislation and municipal policy into programmatic implications and advocacy strategies.
Data analysis & visualization: Excel (advanced), SQL or basic database queries, and dashboard tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Google Data Studio.
CRM & case management systems: experience with Salesforce, NationBuilder, CiviCRM, or other constituent relationship platforms.
Housing & land use knowledge: affordable housing financing, tax credit programs (LIHTC), inclusionary zoning, and community benefits agreements.
Contract & vendor management: RFP development, negotiating scopes of work, performance monitoring, and compliance.
Fundraising & development: individual giving campaigns, corporate partnerships, sponsorship pipelines, and fundraising events.
GIS and spatial analysis (preferred): capacity to use GIS tools for mapping community assets, service gaps, and neighborhood indicators.

Soft Skills

Exceptional oral and written communication; comfortable briefing elected officials and writing compelling grant narratives.
Relationship building and diplomacy: proven ability to mobilize partners, build coalitions, and resolve stakeholder conflict constructively.
Strategic thinking and problem solving: able to balance short-term delivery with long-term planning and scalable solutions.
Cultural humility and inclusive leadership: experience working across diverse communities and centering resident leadership.
Facilitation and public speaking: lead meetings, workshops, and public hearings with clarity and authority.
Adaptability and resilience: manage shifting priorities in complex political and funding environments.
Attention to detail and strong organizational skills for managing multiple grants and reporting deadlines.
Coaching and team development: mentor staff, set clear expectations, and cultivate a collaborative team environment.
Negotiation and influencing skills with private developers, funders, and municipal partners.
Time management and prioritization: consistently deliver high-impact results under tight timelines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Social Work, Community Development, Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MPA, MUP, MSW, MA in Urban Planning/Community Development) or equivalent professional certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Urban Planning and Policy
Public Administration
Social Work and Community Practice
Community Development and Nonprofit Management
Economics or Public Finance
Political Science or Public Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in community development, neighborhood planning, housing, economic development, or nonprofit program management.

Preferred:

5+ years managing multi-stakeholder community programs with demonstrated success in grant writing, budget management (managing budgets of $250K–$2M+), partnership cultivation, and measurable impact.
Experience working with municipal governments, housing developers, and philanthropic funders.
Proven track record of community engagement, program evaluation, and policy advocacy that led to tangible neighborhood improvements or funding wins.