Program Specialist

Program Specialist

Industry

Community Foundation

Employment Type

Full-Time

Employment Status

Non-Exempt

Job Functions

Public Coordination

Direct Reports

0

Position Reports to

Community Health & Wellness Senior Program Manager

Career Pathway

A200

Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Bemidji MN

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) is one of the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs) established by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to assist Minnesota’s rural regions during the farm crisis in the 1980s. As the region’s MIF and the only community foundation in the region, NMF has been serving the vast nonprofit community in northwest Minnesota for more than 30 years.

NMF provides grants and loans to organizations and small businesses and scholarships to individuals within the 12-county region and the two tribal nations. Since its founding, NMF has invested millions to help make the region a better place to live and work.

Position Description

The Program Specialist plays a dynamic, and highly collaborative support role within the Programs Division. This position contributes to meaningful regional work every day—helping communities access resources, supporting projects that strengthen northwest Minnesota, and amplifying program impact through thoughtful communication and data practices.

The Program Specialist organizes, coordinates, communicates, and supports a variety of Foundation initiatives and program activities. This position helps keep projects moving forward, maintains strong organizational systems, and ensures programs, partners, and staff remain well supported and connected.

Duties & Responsibilities

You will assist, collaborate, support, prepare, organize, update, and communicate across the following areas:

Program & Project Coordination

• Assist and support implementation of program activities, projects, and initiatives across assigned program areas.
• Assist Program Officers and Program Managers with planning, scheduling, tracking deliverables, and maintaining project timelines.
• Coordinate follow-up activities to ensure projects remain organized, documented, and progressing toward established timelines.

Meeting & Event Support

• Assist with coordination of logistics for meetings, trainings, convenings, and community engagement activities.
• Prepare meeting materials, support virtual and in-person event administration, document meeting outcomes, and assist with follow-up activities and task tracking

Community & Partner Relations

• Serve as a professional and welcoming point of contact for community members, partners, advisory groups, vendors, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• Respond to inquiries, provide information and referrals, and help connect partners with appropriate Foundation resources and opportunities.

Communications & Outreach

• Support program communications, outreach, and engagement efforts through maintenance of contact lists, preparation of communication materials, coordination of mailings, and assistance with surveys, events, and outreach campaigns.
• Assist with creation, editing, and distribution of program and partner communications

Data & Records Management

• Maintain accurate program records, files, databases, and documentation in accordance with Foundation policies and funding requirements.
• Assist with data collection, reporting, survey administration, record retention, and quality assurance activities.
• Compile and maintain routine reports, tracking tools, and program data to support program management and decision‑making

Grants, Contracts & Financial Support

• Assist with administrative processes related to grants, contracts, consultant agreements, invoices, reimbursements, and other program transactions.
• Support documentation collection, routing, approvals, and record maintenance to ensure compliance…