Program Officer, Racial Equity Initiatives

Job Description

Job Description

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is seeking to hire a Program Officer, Racial Equity Initiatives (Evaluation & Education Focus) .

POSITION SUMMARY

The  Program Officer, Racial Equity Initiatives (Evaluation & Education Focus)plays a key role in advancing the Foundation's racial equity strategy by integrating program management, evaluation, education, and organizational capacity building into the Foundation's work and partnerships. Reporting to the Director of Racial Equity Initiatives (DREI), this position collaborates across Foundation teams and with community partners to ensure racial equity initiatives are thoughtfully designed, effectively implemented, rigorously evaluated, and continuously improved.

This role serves as both a strategic program officer and a racial equity educator, helping organizations and community partners apply a racial equity lens to policies, programs, and decision-making. Through facilitation, education, coaching, and evaluation, the Program Officer supports organizations in making racial equity actionable and measurable by using racial equity lens training, shared language, historical context, and data-informed learning.

The position manages initiatives from planning through implementation and evaluation, coordinates internal and external resources, develops learning and measurement frameworks, facilitates trainings and workshops, and helps strengthen the Foundation's role as a regional leader in advancing racial equity.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program and Project Leadership

• Support the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of racial equity initiatives through research, program development, analysis, and evaluation.
• Coordinate with Foundation staff, community partners, consultants, and grantees to ensure projects align with strategic priorities and racial equity outcomes.
• Develop and manage project timelines, work plans, budgets, and deliverables.
• Organize and facilitate meetings, convenings, and events related to racial equity initiatives.
• Support the Director of Racial Equity Initiatives and the Associate Vice President in advancing strategic priorities, partnerships, and cross-functional initiatives.

Racial Equity Education and Capacity Building

• Design, develop, and facilitate racial equity learning experiences, including the Foundation's Racial Equity Lens Training for Foundation staff, nonprofit partners, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and continuously improve curriculum, facilitation guides, learning activities, and educational resources that translate racial equity concepts into practical tools for organizational and community change.
• Help organizations apply racial equity frameworks and impact analysis tools to policies, programs, grantmaking, budgeting, and organizational practices.
• Provide coaching, consultation, and technical assistance, in partnership with the Director of Racial Equity Initiatives (DREI), to organizational leaders and teams as they integrate racial equity into decision-making and operations.
• Foster shared language, historical understanding, critical reflection, and practical application of racial equity principles that strengthen collaboration and support measurable organizational change.
• Evaluate and refine training content and instructional approaches based on participant feedback, emerging research, and community needs to ensure learning experiences remain relevant, engaging, and impactful.

Evaluation, Learning, and Impact

• Design and/or work with a consultant to design and implement evaluation frameworks and logic models for racial equity initiatives, identifying key performance indicators and data collection strategies.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, metrics, and reporting systems with the assistance of the Knowledge Management Officer that track progress toward racial equity goals.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to assess the effectiveness and impact of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable and Community Foundation-supported programs and partnerships.
• Synthesize and present findings in accessible, actionable ways for internal teams, leadership, and external partners.
• Work collaboratively with Foundation staff to integrate learning and evaluation into planning, decision-making, and grantmaking.

Community and Partnership Engagement

• Maintain and grow a strong network across diverse community sectors, including nonprofit, government, business, and philanthropy.
• Support and assist DREI to facilitate collaborative efforts among stakeholders to create shared agendas, common measures, and sustainability strategies.
• Support partners in building their capacity to collect, analyze, and use data in ways that advance racial equity.
• Attend community meetings and learning exchanges focused on equity and evaluation.

Communication and Knowledge Sharing

• Work with the DREI to communicate key findings, stories of impact, and lessons learned.
• Develop written and visual materials—including reports, presentations, and data summaries—to share insights and elevate the Foundation’s role as a learning organization.
• Contribute to a culture of transparency, curiosity, and continuous improvement within the Foundation and among partners.

OTHER JOB DUTIES:

• All other duties as assigned.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

• None (may oversee consultants or evaluation contractors).

TRAVEL

• Minimal travel may be required for professional development or learning exchanges within the eight counties of Western New York.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE/EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in fields such as public administration, public policy, education, evaluation, planning, sociology, or related disciplines.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in philanthropy, community engagement, education, evaluation, research, or program management.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing evaluations for complex community or systems-change initiatives.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods.
• Familiarity with collective impact frameworks, racial equity tools, and community-based participatory approaches.
• Excellent communication, education, and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate data into compelling narratives and actionable insights.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) a plus.
• Commitment to racial equity, inclusion, and community-centered learning.

Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000 Annually

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION:

For more than a century, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo has enhanced and encouraged long-term philanthropy in the Western New York community. A 501 (c)(3) organization, the Community Foundation’s mission is: Connecting people, ideas and resources to improve lives in Western New York. Established in 1919, the Community Foundation has made the most of the generosity of individuals, families, foundations and organizations who entrust charitable assets to the Community Foundation’s care. Learn more at cfgb.org.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Community foundations are designed to grow and evolve as our community’s needs change, and new positions are regularly created as a result. As the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo continues to grow, we’re looking for talented people who want to use their abilities to make a lasting difference. If that is you, then please send a cover letter explaining your interest in this position and what you would bring to the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Application deadline: [Friday September 4, 2026] We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. As such, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is committed to providing a collaborative work environment that is free of all forms of unlawful harassment, discrimination and retaliation. The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo values the promotion of a safe professional environment for all employees and stakeholders.