Profession community development officer

Community development officers develop plans to improve quality of life in local communities. They investigate and assess the community's issues and needs, manage resources, and develop implementation strategies. They communicate with the community for investigation purposes, and to inform the community on development plans.

Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Government policy implementation

    The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.

  • Budgetary principles

    Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.

Skills

  • Analyse community needs

    Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.

  • Perform resource planning

    Estimate the expected input in terms of time, human and financial resources necessary to achieve the project objectives.

  • Liaise with local authorities

    Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.

  • Work within communities

    Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.

  • Ensure information transparency

    Ensure that required or requested information is provided clearly and completely, in a manner which does not explicitly withhold information, to the public or requesting parties.

  • Build community relations

    Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.

  • Conduct public presentations

    Speak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

  • Provide improvement strategies

    Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.

  • Maintain relations with local representatives

    Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.

  • Carry out strategic research

    Research long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.

Optional knowledge and skills

promote social awareness conduct public surveys advise on legislative acts maintain relationships with government agencies public housing legislation advise on economic development present reports ensure public safety and security develop professional network perform project management public law project management principles perform public relations public finance manage government policy implementation

Source: Sisyphus ODB