Community Engagement Manager

Job Type
Planning
Organization
City of Cambridge
Contact Name
Mary Greene
Contact Email
mgreene@cambridgema.gov
Contact Phone
Address

795 Mass Avenue
Cambridge, MA
United States

Job Description

As the planning agency for the City of Cambridge, the Community Development Department’s work touches upon all elements of life in the city -- from affordable housing to economic development, land use planning to zoning and development review, urban design to sustainable transportation planning, and energy planning to climate resiliency and preparedness. While our projects vary, our mission unites them all: to foster a livable, sustainable, and equitable community for those who live, work, study, and play in Cambridge.

The Community Development Department seeks a Community Engagement Manager with the vision and experience to lead the department’s overall engagement and outreach strategy. Reporting to the Director of Community Planning, the Community Engagement Manager is expected to be a highly visible presence in Cambridge neighborhoods and will be responsible for helping to plan, implement, and evaluate outreach efforts to reach a diverse community. The Community Engagement Manager will coordinate with the City’s Community Engagement Team(s) to engage underserved Cambridge residents, encourage community leadership, and support agencies in working with a diverse community: this may include American-born Black, Bangladeshi, Ethiopian, Haitian, Chinese, and Spanish and Arabic speaking communities.

The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to participatory and collaborative decision-making and must be aware of the historical and present-day impacts that race, ethnicity, class, housing tenure, age, citizenship status, etc. have on participation in community processes and propose innovative approaches to and strategies for community engagement and outreach that are mindful of these factors and that carefully and respectfully navigate them.  

Specific responsibilities include:

  • Manage the development of an overall plan for CDD’s community outreach and engagement with the goal to reach underrepresented communities. The plan should include a range of strategies that can be tailored to project scope, scale, and budget.
  • Research and implement innovative and non-traditional engagement tools to reduce barriers to equitable participation, including use of technology and art, and community-generated approaches to increase involvement from underrepresented communities. 
  • Oversee work of CDD’s Community Engagement Team. Responsibilities include: 
    • Oversee hiring, training, and supervision of approximately six part-time outreach workers responsible for direct engagement with underserved communities.
    • Plan and co-facilitate weekly outreach worker meetings including guest speakers and professional development. 
    • Work with department leadership to develop CDD’s Community Engagement Teamwork plan.
    • Plan, coordinate, schedule and follow up on the work of the outreach workers. 
    • Coordinate collaboration between CDD and DHSP’s CET staff.
    • Provide regular one-to-one supervision sessions to outreach workers.
    • Develop CET budget annually, track revenue and expenditures, write reports (fiscal and narrative)
  • Advise CDD’s project managers in designing engagement plans for projects and processes that respond to project-specific opportunities and constraints (e.g., budget, target audience, timeline, etc.). 
  • Design and implement evaluation tools to monitor the success of engagement strategies and make course corrections.  
  • Work with CDD’s Communications Manager to raise awareness among lesser represented communities about the department’s initiatives and opportunities to provide input.
  • Represent CDD in community initiatives and at events that support our work. 
  • Help plan, coordinate, and execute departmental engagement events. 
  • Foster positive and collaborative relationships with residents, community groups, nonprofit organizations, businesses, institutions, and student organizations.
  • Perform additional duties as assigned.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree with five (5) years or more of relevant experience and three (3) years or more in a supervisory role; candidates without a bachelor’s degree but with eight (8) or more years of relevant experience and three (3) years or more in a supervisory role will also be considered.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Experience in program development of community-based programs/initiatives and training of outreach staff. 
  • Strong public engagement and consensus-building experience, especially involving stakeholders with diverse interests and opinions.
  • Good judgment in dealing with a diverse range of City employees, volunteer board/committee members, elected and appointed officials, and members of the public.
  • Ability to understand and comply with confidentiality requirements.
  • Overall computer proficiency including general office applications (Microsoft Office suite).
  • The City of Cambridge's workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse.   Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

PREFERRED:

  • Knowledge of the Cambridge community.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Must have sufficient mobility to get back and forth from office to off-site meetings.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work involved is primarily indoors in a professional office setting although some work may be outdoors. The job requires meeting with members of the public outside the office as well as participation in a substantial number of evening meetings and flexibility to attend on short notice, if needed.

RATE: $76,626 to $92,597 + excellent benefits

 HOURS OF WORK:        37.5 hours per week, plus evening and weekend meetings, as required

 

 

 

Application Instruction

Submit both your resume and cover letter via email to: employment@cambridgema.gov or to Personnel Dept, Room 309, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA  02139. Fax 617-349-4312. Resumes and cover letters requested by 10/04/21.  Position will remain open until filled. we are an AA/EEO Employer.