Community Engagement Coordinator

Summary

This position is assigned to the Office of Equity and Engagement of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS). The Community Engagement Coordinator plays an integral role in supporting DHS with the implementation of strategies that inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower community participation.

Immediate Duties and Responsibilities

•  Support most facets of our tabling program, including volunteer recruitment and coordination, acquisition and organizing of tabling supplies and keeping track of event invitations and DHS participation in events such as resource fairs, health fairs, etc.
•  Work closely with other tabling programs across the agency to guarantee success and non-duplication of tabling services.
•  Provide support to the mandated board managers by maintaining our Govenda platform, which includes adding and removing members, providing training videos and responding to general questions that might come up related to the platform usability.

Larger Scale Expectations:

•  Works with supervisors to evaluate program effectiveness and implement recommendations for program enhancement.
•  The coordinator will develop an understanding of community voice and narrative to complement (or challenge) analytics and data collected.
•  Seeks out new opportunities and methods of connecting with underrepresented populations.
•  Applies creativity and innovation in the development of unique opportunities that engage identified groups.
•  Works with cultural liaisons, staff at partnering organizations, and community leaders to bridge gaps in understanding human services.
•  Supports and upholds annual organization engagement goals to deepen engagement within neighborhoods, and opportunities for further participation with DHS and its programs, connecting with people and groups who are historically mistrustful of/harmed by systems and will prioritize their experiences, elevating them to leaders and advisors in this office.
Additional Responsibilities
From time to time, the employee will be required to perform additional tasks and duties as required by the employer, including some evening and weekend work.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

•  Excellent collaboration skills.
•  Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to be persuasive and concise.
•  Demonstrated knowledge and strong grounding in the historical context and contemporary perspective on the causes of institutional discrimination; and understands and appreciates the many ways that discrimination is manifested (race, gender, ability, sexual identity, immigration).
•  The ideal candidate will have experiences demonstrating initiative, tenacity, patience, empathy, sympathy and balance between project completion and efficacy.
•  Ability to approach people in a positive/strengths-based manner.
Supervisory Responsibilities
This job has no supervisory responsibilities at this time; will be assigned as team structure evolves.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions, consistent with applicable laws.

Education/Experience Requirements

Master’s degree in a related field, plus at least three years’ experience working in the human services field with demonstrated project or program management experience that spans the project lifecycle from initiation to closing.
-OR-
Bachelor’s degree in related field, plus 5 years’ experience working in the human services field with demonstrated project or program management experience that spans the project lifecycle from initiation to closing.
-OR-
Any equivalent combination of education and experience that meets the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Act 33, 34 and FBI clearances.
-AND-
Valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle as needed.

Why DHS?

·       It is innovative. Most recently, the national attention and awards we’ve gotten are for how DHS integrates data and uses them to improve the safety and well-being of children through tools that support front-line staff in making decisions (using predictive analytics).

·       DHS is diverse, but we strive to be even more inclusive. Our director has made it her top priority that DHS is “the kind of place where a diverse group of talented people want to come, grow, and do their best work.” This includes equity in hiring and advancement, as well as in unleashing the creativity and ideas of staff at every level of DHS.

·        It has strong, assertive leaders. We do not hire yes-people.

 You can make a big impact here. We stand out as one of the best human services organizations in the country. But we need problem-solvers, innovators, and terrific leaders to make sure we are smart in how we use our funding so that we reach the people who most need our help to make their lives better. 

 DHS strives to be the kind of place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come to grow and do their best work.