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Program Officer, Sustainable Homes

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) • United States • Added on Jul 27, 2026
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The Program Officer leading the Sustainable Homes initiative at LISC Massachusetts acts as a central operator for high-impact building decarbonization programs. You will manage the day-to-day administration of multi-million dollar grant funds, such as the Climate Ready Housing Program, while overseeing technical analysis for solar and EV charging installations in affordable housing portfolios. This role bridges the gap between available financing and local implementation, ensuring that green energy resources reach the organizations and residents who need them most to improve property resilience.

This position is vital because it addresses the dual crisis of housing affordability and climate change within the Massachusetts ecosystem. By facilitating energy efficiency and renewable energy transitions for under-served communities, you directly influence the intersection of social equity and environmental health. Your work ensures that the benefits of the green economy—reduced utility costs and cleaner air—are accessible to low-income residents rather than just market-rate developments.

This suits someone who possesses a deep understanding of community development and building science, paired with the organizational skills to manage complex, multi-party grant programs. You should be a collaborative strategist who thrives when connecting technical experts, state agencies, and community-based practitioners.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The core of this role involves the comprehensive management of the Climate Ready Housing Program, a major $16M annual grant initiative focused on building decarbonization. You will lead the entire grant cycle, from developing application materials and conducting statewide outreach to coordinating technical review committees and drafting final recommendation memos for state housing offices. Beyond grant administration, you are responsible for managing specialized initiatives like the STAR Solar and Community Charge programs. This includes selecting eligible housing partners for solar analysis and EV charging infrastructure, managing relationships with technical consultants, and ensuring that all reporting requirements for philanthropic and public funders are met accurately. Additionally, you will serve as a facilitator for the Energy Cohort, a peer-learning group for affordable housing practitioners. By organizing building tours and technical forums, you help build the internal capacity of local organizations to navigate the complexities of renewable energy and climate resilience, while providing one-on-one support for their portfolio-wide decarbonization efforts.

Key learning opportunities for this job

Candidates in this role will gain deep expertise in the Massachusetts building decarbonization ecosystem, including familiarity with state-specific regulatory frameworks and public-private financing models. You will work at the leading edge of energy policy, learning how to integrate complex technical requirements like solar feasibility and EV charging capacity into the operational realities of affordable housing. There is also significant exposure to interagency collaboration, offering the chance to understand how state agencies like MassHousing and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities operate. You will refine your skills in grant governance, impact measurement, and community-centric program design while working alongside premier building science firms and environmental nonprofits.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings at least 5 years of experience at the intersection of sustainability and community development. You should have a solid grasp of green building standards and the financial mechanisms behind real estate development, particularly how these apply to mission-driven, non-profit environments. A blend of technical knowledge and empathetic relationship management is essential. Prior success in grant writing and program administration is crucial, as is the ability to navigate complex data to identify trends in building retrofits. We look for someone who has a demonstrable commitment to economic empowerment and who can translate high-level policy goals into actionable steps for local housing providers.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, emphasize your specific experience with the Massachusetts housing market or its energy efficiency programs. Since this role is as much about relationship building as it is about technical management, providing examples of how you have successfully convened diverse stakeholders—such as developers, state officials, and community advocates—will be highly beneficial. In your cover letter, articulate your vision for how decarbonization can be used as a tool for social equity. Analysis of LISC’s recent Climate Ready Housing cycles or the Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap will show you have the requisite curiosity and strategic alignment to hit the ground running.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role focuses intensely on the environmental justice aspect of sustainability, specifically reducing the carbon footprint of the residential building sector. It targets the physical resilience of affordable housing, ensuring these structures can withstand climate impacts while utilizing renewable energy to lower operational costs for low-income residents. Strategically, you will be working on systemic decarbonization. Instead of isolated projects, this role seeks to build a scalable ecosystem of funding, technical expertise, and policy support that makes net-zero targets achievable for the entire affordable housing sector in the state.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

A primary challenge will be navigating the funding and regulatory gaps that often exist between ambitious climate goals and the tight budget constraints of affordable housing providers. Balancing technical 'ideal' solutions with the financial and operational realities of property owners requires significant persistence and creative problem-solving. Managing a multitude of stakeholders with varying priorities—from state agencies focused on compliance to local practitioners focused on resident needs—can also be demanding. You will need to maintain momentum across several complex programs simultaneously without losing sight of the detailed reporting required by funders.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a weekly team call with state administrative partners to track the progress of grant applications. You might spend the mid-morning developing new outreach materials or updating the Decarbonization Hub with fresh resources for housing owners, followed by a meeting with external consultants to review solar feasibility studies for a new portfolio. In the afternoon, you could transition to facilitating a virtual forum for the Energy Cohort, where you lead a discussion on heat pump adoption or EV charging incentives. The day might conclude with drafting a recommendation memo for a new round of grants or coordinating with the Deputy Director on upcoming state-level policy advocacy initiatives.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

This role offers high visibility within the community development finance and sustainability sectors, positioning you as a thought leader in the green housing space. Success in this position could lead to senior leadership roles within LISC or other national community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Additionally, because you are managing major state-level programs, you will develop a professional network that spans both the public and private sectors. There are opportunities to represent the organization in high-level coalitions and working groups, which can pave the way for careers in public policy, sustainability consulting, or executive non-profit management.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will interact daily with affordable housing practitioners and community development corporations (CDCs) who are looking to improve their buildings. You will also coordinate closely with specialized technical partners like New Ecology and Resonant Energy to deliver the necessary building science expertise to these partners. Externally, you are a key liaison for public agencies such as MassHousing and MHP, and you will report to philanthropic funders who support LISC’s mission. Internally, you will collaborate with the LISC Massachusetts leadership team and other program officers to ensure the Sustainable Homes initiative aligns with broader regional goals.

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