Senior Community Health and Strategy Officer

Reports to: President and CEO

WHO WE ARE

Connecticut Community Foundation envisions an equitable, inclusive, just, and vibrant community in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills where all residents have what they need to thrive. Serving a 21-town region, the Foundation provides leadership in addressing the community’s critical issues, strengthens local nonprofit organizations through grants and technical assistance programs, and works with individuals, families, nonprofit organizations, and corporations to administer more than 600 charitable funds.

VALUES

The Foundation strives to be open, strategic, and fair as we seek to demonstrate integrity and commitment for the long term. We aim to be a welcoming partner that works to meet community needs by effectively transforming ideals into action. Values the Foundation embraces and practices include:

• Courage and Purpose. We set ambitious goals, forge connections, and collaborate to address our community’s needs.
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. We welcome, invite, and commit resources toward the participation and well-being of all in our community
• Integrity and Transparency. We hold ourselves to high standards of ethics, service, stewardship, and accountability to our donors, partners, and community.
• Thoughtful Leadership. We listen, learn, and evolve along with our community.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Connecticut Community Foundation is seeking a dedicated and proactive 40 hours per week Senior Community Health and Strategy Officer to help manage and grow grant-making operations. This is a unique opportunity for an individual who is passionate about addressing health disparities, supporting underserved communities, and advancing preventive care. The successful candidate will play a critical role in board engagement, managing the logistics of grant applications, and raising awareness about the Foundation’s funding opportunities. This position offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of historically underserved populations. Moreover, there is great potential and expectation to take on increasing responsibility for managing additional grant areas as the foundation’s needs evolve.

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

The Connecticut Community Foundation is staffing a supporting organization whose mission is to facilitate equitable access to health care services for the Greater Waterbury community and values equity, inclusion and impact. The organization was established in 2019, pursuant to state law, as a means of receiving and administering the charitable funds of the former nonprofit Waterbury Hospital after it was sold to Prospect Medical Holdings, a for-profit entity, in 2016. The organization is not affiliated with Waterbury Hospital and is a supporting organization of the Connecticut Community Foundation. Our goals are to distribute funds designated to cover medical expenses for those unable to pay, to provide scholarships for nurses and others in the medical field, and to expand access to medical care. As a local funder, our service area consists of the following towns/cities in Connecticut: Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Plymouth, Prospect, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott and Woodbury.

Key Responsibilities:

Community impact and strategy:

Provide direct support and coordination of resources for the Waterbury Hospital Foundation, a supporting organization of the Foundation. Support includes governance, grant making and strategic planning around community investments.

Develop and maintain a knowledge base of current health trends and critical health issues in the state, in philanthropy, and across a specific 13-town service area, particularly as they relate to promoting and supporting equitable opportunity and outcomes for local residents.

Promote and engage in community leadership activities by fostering productive relationships with other funders and regional health leaders in order to understand community needs, facilitate collaboration, and develop strategic partnerships.

Oversee process improvements around grantmaking, community leadership, measuring impact and programmatic outcomes.

Develop plans to implement and carry out the operational and strategic goals of the Foundation.

Grants Management:

Oversee the full lifecycle of grantmaking, from the development of funding guidelines to the review and distribution of grants.

Manage the application process, ensuring efficient communication with grant applicants, and thorough review of proposals.

Summarize and present grant requests to the board, ensuring clarity and alignment with the Foundation’s priorities, including supporting underserved communities, addressing health disparities, paying medical debt, and promoting preventive care.

Board and Subcommittee Engagement & Governance:

Serve as the primary staff liaison to designated board subcommittees (e.g., Grants and Strategy, Governance, and Communications) ensuring agendas, materials, and discussions are aligned with the foundation’s strategic goals.

Actively engage with a board by presenting actionable data and proposals, making the case for key strategic initiatives, and encouraging participation in grant-making decisions.

Provide regular updates to the board on grant progress and emerging opportunities within the Foundation’s mission area.

Plan and facilitate subcommittee meetings, including scheduling, agenda development, materials preparation, documentation, and follow-up.

Synthesize complex issues and present clear updates, recommendations, and options for board consideration.

Ensure timely and accurate reporting to board subcommittees on relevant programs, grants, and special initiatives.

Financial and Administrative:

Collaborate with the Director of Finance and Administration to develop an annual operating budget for grants distribution.

Coordinate with the Treasurer of the board and Director of Finance and Administration to prepare regular financial reports to the board.

Maintain accurate records of all grants, correspondence, and board meeting minutes.

Track grant funding and expenditures to ensure compliance with the Foundation’s policies and budget.

Community Outreach & Relationship Building:

Develop and maintain strong relationships with community organizations, healthcare providers, and local leaders to raise awareness of the Foundation’s funding opportunities.

Work with partners to help identify emerging needs and opportunities for collaboration that align with the Foundation’s focus on health equity and preventive care.

Facilitate informational sessions or webinars to educate the community and potential applicants about the Foundation’s grants and application process.

Help coordinate events, meetings, and conferences related to the Foundation’s health initiatives.

Other duties as assigned.

What We Are Looking For

• A highly organized individual with a strong understanding of board governance and exceptional relationship-building and facilitation skills;
• A preference for working collaboratively within and across teams;
• An energetic, positive and flexible attitude; and
• A willingness to learn, grow and thrive.
• Experience working for health equity and furthering the mission of addressing health disparities in underserved communities.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, with excellent time and project/program management skills.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders, including community partners, board members, and applicants.
• Creative problem-solver with the ability to think strategically about resource allocation and grant-making impact.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience in health-related nonprofit or philanthropic organizations or a related field. Experience working with a nonprofit board to ensure smooth governance as well as in or with historically underserved communities, health disparities, or public health is a plus.

Education: A bachelor’s degree in public health, nonprofit management, social work, or a related field is preferred, though equivalent professional experience will be considered.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Experience working in non-profit and/or philanthropy;
• Ability to balance competing priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy with great attention to detail;
• Works well under minimal supervision with the ability to critically think, problem solve, anticipate needs, take initiative, ensuring successful project completion, and task tracking for timely delivery;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information in a clear and compelling way to diverse audiences, including a board of directors.
• Proven ability to engage and motivate a board or leadership group
• Organizational skills, including managing multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• Proficient in grant management software and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with diverse community partners.
• Motivated, disciplined, and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a high-volume environment with multiple overlapping timelines;
• Flexibility, adaptability, and curiosity with the ability to anticipate and solve problems proactively;
• Creates positive, long-term working relationships by demonstrating a commitment to tact, dependability, diplomacy, and flexibility; and
• Undergraduate degree or combination of work experience and education preferred.