Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Community Development Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Community Development Officer (CDO) leads place-based and people-centered initiatives that strengthen local communities, improve access to services, and foster economic and social inclusion. The CDO designs and implements community engagement strategies, manages programs and budgets, secures funding, builds partnerships across government, nonprofit and private sectors, and measures outcomes to ensure sustainable impact. This role requires strong stakeholder management, program delivery, policy literacy, and the ability to translate community needs into actionable projects.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Community Outreach Coordinator or Community Engagement Assistant
Social Worker, Youth Worker, or Case Manager with community-facing experience
Housing Officer, Volunteer Coordinator, or Program Support Officer

Advancement To:

Senior Community Development Officer / Senior Community Engagement Manager
Program Manager or Grants & Partnerships Manager
Director of Community Development or Head of Neighborhoods & Place

Lateral Moves:

Housing Policy Officer
Grants and Fundraising Officer
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design, planning and implementation of community development programs that respond to identified local needs, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with organizational strategic goals and local policy frameworks.
Conduct comprehensive community needs assessments using a mix of quantitative data, qualitative interviews, focus groups and participatory methods to identify service gaps, priority cohorts, and opportunities for targeted interventions.
Build and sustain strategic partnerships with local councils, service providers, schools, businesses, faith groups and resident associations to leverage resources, coordinate service delivery and amplify community voices in planning processes.
Develop, write and manage grant proposals, funding applications and donor reports, including preparing budgets, outcomes frameworks and evidence-based narratives to secure multi-year funding and maintain compliance with funder requirements.
Manage program budgets, track expenditure, prepare periodic financial reconciliations and work with finance teams to forecast costs, allocate resources and ensure fiscal accountability across community projects.
Design monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) frameworks for community programs, define key performance indicators (KPIs), collect baseline data, conduct outcome measurements and produce evaluation reports that inform continuous improvement.
Plan and deliver community engagement campaigns and outreach activities (workshops, town halls, pop-up events, door-knocking, social media outreach) to recruit participants, raise awareness and ensure broad, representative participation.
Coordinate volunteer recruitment, training and supervision programs, developing role descriptions, onboarding materials and retention strategies that enhance volunteer contribution and safeguard participant wellbeing.
Facilitate conflict-resolution, mediation and participatory decision-making sessions with diverse groups to build consensus, manage competing interests and ensure transparent, inclusive project governance.
Provide casework support and referral pathways for vulnerable residents by connecting individuals to health, housing, employment and social services, documenting needs and tracking follow-up actions to ensure continuity of care.
Translate policy and regulatory requirements into program operational procedures, ensuring projects comply with safeguarding, health & safety, privacy and statutory obligations across all activities.
Produce high-quality narrative and data-driven reports, briefings, and presentations for senior leadership, funders, council committees and community stakeholders that clearly communicate impact, lessons learned and next steps.
Lead place-based economic development initiatives—such as small business support, local procurement strategies, workforce development or market activation—to stimulate local employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Coordinate multi-agency project governance including steering groups, working groups and memoranda of understanding; prepare agendas, minutes and action trackers to keep stakeholders accountable and projects on schedule.
Use CRM systems and community databases to maintain accurate constituent records, manage referrals, track service uptake and generate quantitative reports to inform decision making and funding submissions.
Prepare and manage contracts and service agreements with subcontractors and third-party providers, overseeing procurement processes, setting deliverables and monitoring contractor performance against KPIs.
Design and deliver capacity-building workshops and training for residents, community leaders and partner organizations on topics such as community organizing, grant writing, governance and project management.
Lead communications and marketing activities for community projects, developing targeted messaging, producing promotional materials, managing social media channels and amplifying resident stories to boost engagement.
Advocate on behalf of communities to local government and service systems, preparing evidence-based policy submissions, attending council consultations and mobilizing residents to influence decisions affecting their neighbourhoods.
Support emergency response and resilience planning at the neighbourhood level by coordinating volunteers, disseminating critical information, and adapting program delivery during crises or public health events.
Oversee equitable access and inclusion strategies, ensuring program design addresses barriers faced by marginalized groups (e.g., language, disability, age, cultural differences) and tracks participation metrics by cohort.
Lead data collection and insight generation using spreadsheets, basic statistical tools and GIS mapping to identify service deserts, measure spatial inequalities and target interventions where need is greatest.
Coach and supervise junior staff, interns and project officers; set performance objectives, provide constructive feedback and foster professional development aligned with organizational values.
Support evaluation and translation of lessons learned into scalable practice by drafting playbooks, toolkits and standard operating procedures that replicate successful community development models.

Secondary Functions

Provide administrative support for community programs including scheduling meetings, preparing materials, processing purchase orders and maintaining accurate documentation.
Respond to ad-hoc data and information requests from internal teams and external partners, preparing concise briefings and data extracts while maintaining data confidentiality.
Represent the organization at community forums, inter-agency working groups and public events when delegated by senior staff.
Assist with program recruitment campaigns, volunteer screenings, background checks and onboarding processes to maintain safe and effective volunteer engagement.
Support the development and maintenance of digital content for program webpages and community newsletters to ensure timely, accessible information for residents.
Contribute to grant acquittals and audit preparation by compiling supporting documents, participant lists and expenditure records as needed.
Provide logistical coordination for events and workshops, including venue booking, accessibility arrangements, catering, equipment setup and post-event evaluation.
Support pilot projects and small-scale trials by managing day-to-day delivery tasks and compiling rapid learning summaries for program leads.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program design and implementation: proven ability to design community programs, develop logic models and translate strategic goals into operational plans.
Grant writing and funding management: demonstrated experience preparing successful funding applications, budgets and funder reporting.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E): competency in designing indicators, collecting quantitative and qualitative data, and producing evidence-based evaluation reports.
Stakeholder engagement & partnership development: ability to forge and sustain collaborative partnerships across public, private and community sectors.
Budgeting and financial literacy: experience managing project budgets, tracking expenditures and preparing reconciliations.
Case management & referral systems: working knowledge of referral pathways, case documentation and support coordination for vulnerable populations.
CRM and database management: familiarity with constituent relationship management systems (e.g., Salesforce, CiviCRM) and maintaining accurate participant records.
Data analysis & reporting: skilled in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), basic statistical analysis, dashboard creation and GIS mapping for spatial analysis.
Contract and procurement management: experience drafting scopes of work, managing contractors and ensuring deliverable compliance.
Communications & digital outreach: ability to prepare promotional content, use social media effectively and create accessible community communications.
Event planning & volunteer administration: practical experience coordinating public events, volunteer rosters and training sessions.
Policy analysis and advocacy: ability to interpret local policy, prepare policy submissions and represent community interests in consultative processes.

Soft Skills

Exceptional interpersonal communication and public speaking skills; comfortable facilitating large group meetings and one-on-one consultations.
Strong relationship-building and diplomacy; able to influence diverse stakeholders and build trust with residents and partners.
Cultural competence and empathy; skilled at working respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
Problem-solving and critical thinking; able to synthesize complex information and propose practical, community-led solutions.
Leadership and team development; experience mentoring junior staff and creating an inclusive team culture.
Facilitation and conflict resolution; adept at mediating disputes and guiding participatory decision-making processes.
Time management and organization; capable of juggling multiple projects, deadlines and administrative requirements.
Adaptability and resilience; able to pivot delivery model in response to changing community needs or external shocks.
Strategic thinking and outcome orientation; focused on long-term impact while managing short-term deliverables.
Attention to detail and strong documentation skills for high-quality reporting and compliance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in community development, social work, urban planning, public administration, sociology, community psychology or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in community development, public policy, social work, urban planning or related discipline; complementary post-graduate certificates in project management, M&E or community engagement are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Community Development
Social Work
Urban Planning / City Planning
Public Administration / Public Policy
Sociology / Community Psychology
International Development (for humanitarian-focused roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of progressive experience in community engagement, program management or a related role; 5+ years preferred for Senior positions.

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record securing grants or managing donor-funded programs.
Experience working across government, non-profit and grassroots organizations.
Proven outcomes in community capacity building, stakeholder mobilization and program evaluation.
Familiarity with local government processes, statutory compliance and safeguarding policies.

Additional desirable credentials: Project Management Professional (PMP) or PRINCE2 certification, Certified Community Developer (where available), training in trauma-informed practice, and multilingual capabilities to serve diverse communities.