Community Engagement & Outreach Associate

Job DescriptionPlease include a resume and cover letter with your application.Our EnviroIssues team believes in the power of community engagement to amplify the voices, ideas, and knowledge within communities to create a future where every person can thrive. We partner with our clients to develop human-centered conversations that elevate communities’ deep cultural and multi-generational relationships with the natural and built environments around us. We provide community engagement, outreach, facilitation, research, and creative services to various clients, across multiple sectors impacting the public. We work mainly in Washington and Oregon, with offices in Seattle and Portland. Our ideal candidate brings a commitment to supporting the success of our organization, clients, and the communities we serve.

The ideal candidate will bring a passion to outreach, community engagement, or the types of projects we do including transit, transportation, water, environmental cleanup, natural resources, facilitation, planning, design, and construction.

The Role

As a Community Engagement & Outreach Associate, you would be responsible for contributing alongside other teammates to develop and implement various communications and outreach efforts on projects. As part of teams, you will have many opportunities to be creative, try a vast variety of outreach and communications tools and play different roles based on project needs.

In this position, you will:

• Draft public materials such as flyers, web content, social media, letters and mailers, public event materials, responses to community questions via email. You may also review other team members writing and share feedback to support their development of writing skills
• Work with your team to maintain project databases tracking project contacts, communications, and activities
• Plan logistics for a wide variety of events such as public meetings, farmer’s market tables, and advisory committee meetings
• Communicate directly with community members about projects at events, over the phone, or via email
• Attend internal meetings and share ideas on outreach strategy and options with their teams
• Problem solve in real-time to support successful public engagement
• Work closely with graphic designers and website developers to develop public materials and tools that engage community
• Oversee and lead project elements or small projects, demonstrating project and contract management skills
• Work collaboratively with team members to delegate and assign work, offer mentorship, and share in collective learning
• Work closely with clients to develop outreach strategies and problem-solve
• Develop project scopes and budgets as well as engage in contract management activities such as monthly invoicing, contract amendments, and budget tracking
• Support business development efforts by maintaining an EI resume and contributing to proposal development
• Work collaboratively within their teams to continually learn and adapt innovative tools to engage community

Desired Qualifications

• At least two years of experience planning and conducting outreach or public involvement activities, or community/public relations, city or state planning, or general communications experience
• Experience, knowledge and interest in transportation, land use planning, water resources management and/or climate change
• Practiced ability to support and manage multiple projects and make decisions in autonomous environments
• The ability to anticipate and understand project, project manager and client needs
• Superior written communications skills including report writing and content development for the web, social media, fact sheets, meeting summaries, media, key messages and talking points
• Excellent attention to detail and demonstrated experience proofing and reviewing draft materials to publish-ready standards
• Refined oral communication skills and the ability to process information in a fast-paced consulting environment
• The ability to understand and explain technical and environmental information to a variety of audiences, often in high-profile situations
• Demonstrated research and data analysis skill, with the ability to synthesize, review and present quantitative and qualitative data in easy-to-understand formats
• Creative thinking and problem-solving skills
• A commitment to equity and demonstrated leadership working respectfully and professionally in diverse, multi-cultural settings
• The ability to work both independently and in a fast-paced team setting with a high level of initiative, creativity, tact and professionalism
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)
• Previous consulting experience preferred but not required

Conditions of Employment

• Occasional local travel to sites/events outside of regular business hours
• Occasional weekend and evening work as we want to meet community members where they are. Our work schedules can be flexible depending on event timing and your preferences
• Ability to work primarily remotely, in an EI office, or a hybrid of remote and in-office, depending on your preferences

Our Benefits

• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Medical, vision, and dental coverage for employees and their families (spouses, domestic partners, and children)
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Company-provided life insurance
• Voluntary long-term disability and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• A fully funded transit pass

Who Should ApplyWe value diverse perspectives and life experiences. Candidates will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. We may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.