Community Engagement Specialist

Sound Transit supports people, planet and prosperity by providing affordable, environmentally-friendly public transit that connect residents to where they live, work and play.

Transform the region with us. Yes, it’s a big ask, but at Sound Transit, we are all about going big. We are working on the largest system expansion effort in the country and connecting more people to more places. We are also committed to doing things the right way by creating equitable opportunities for all and providing continued career growth and development. So if you’re looking for a meaningful career where you can “go big” and truly make a difference, you’ve come to the right place.

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GENERAL PURPOSE 

Community Engagement Specialist:

Under general direction, devises, coordinates and oversees the community outreach programs for assigned projects within their geographic areas during the planning, design and construction of Sound Transit’s capital projects; serves as a liaison and point of contact between Sound Transit (ST) and members of the community for anything regarding capital projects; coordinates and provides public information about capital projects; coordinates and develops strategies, goals, and tactics for public involvement, public information, and community relations programs activities; creates materials responds to public inquiries and constituent concerns; and plans and staffs community outreach events; identifies issues that may impact construction neighbors and takes appropriate action to avoid or minimize problems; and responds to construction community hotline 24-7 when scheduled.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.

• Works as part of a team to plan and project manage a multi-disciplinary outreach and engagement program for assigned capital projects during the planning, design and construction phases or for assigned customer-facing projects, including proposed service changes and fare changes.
• Evaluates their work through a lens of social and racial equity. Applying equity and social justice principles is a foundational expectation for the community engagement team at Sound Transit. In this role, Engagement Specialists will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work on a daily basis.
• Develops strategies, goals, and objectives for public involvement, public information, and community relations programs and activities.
• Makes recommendations to senior staff about issues that impact the public. 
• Coordinates and provides public information about capital projects, proposed service changes or proposed fare changes; creates materials for communicating information to the public via a variety of media sources.
• Serves as a liaison and point of contact between Sound Transit, community organizations, and members of the community; responds to a variety of public inquiries and constituent concerns· 
• Plans and staffs a variety of community outreach events; Creates presentations and speaks publicly.  Writes a variety of public communication pieces including newsletters, construction alerts, brochures, postcards, websites, staff reports, etc. Creates and implements public involvement plans. Collects, synthesizes and reports on public input. 
• When applicable, proactively identifies issues that may impact or affect construction neighbors and takes appropriate action to avoid or minimize problems. Advocates for customer-focused responses to constituent issues; advises senior management and collaborates with consultants, construction contractors and construction management staff in order to address community concerns.  
• When applicable, recruits, trains and manages agency volunteer Ambassador staff needed to support outreach efforts.
• Responds to construction community hotline 24-7 when scheduled.
• When applicable, oversees small works or consulting contracts as necessary; monitors and oversees the contractor/consultant in terms of time management and billing, review of work projects, and correspondence between the consultants and other outside the agency staff who are working within the program.
• Champions and models Sound Transit's core values and demonstrates values-based behaviors in everyday interactions across the agency.
• Contributes to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in alignment with Sound Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Policy.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the Agency safety rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to their assigned duties and responsibilities, which could include systems, operations, and/or other employees.  
• It is the responsibility of all employees to integrate sustainability into everyday business practices.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public affairs, public administration, English, or closely related field and three years of experience working in community outreach, community relations, or public relations that includes leading outreach or public relations projects within a diverse urban community;
• OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required Licenses or Certifications:

• Valid state driver’s license.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Operations, services, and activities of a community outreach program.
• Methods and techniques of public relations and integrated communications.
• Operations, services, and activities of the transit operations and capital projects, programs, and functional areas. in order to provide community outreach program services.
• Public speaking principles and techniques for effective presentations to various audiences.
• Public relations methods and techniques.
• Transportation infrastructure projects.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
• Customer service principles and practices.
• Methods and techniques of data collection, research, and report preparation.
• Principles and practices of record keeping and records management.
• Principles and practices of project development and administration.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and statistical databases.
• Meeting facilitation and conflict resolution.
• Establishing and maintaining effective and collaborative working relationships with community members, organizations, businesses, property owners and the general public.
• Developing and delivering clear, engaging presentations. Distilling highly technical information into concise, easy to understand messages for public consumption. 
• Interpreting and administering policies and procedures sufficient to administer, discuss, resolve, and explain them to staff and other constituencies.
• Effectively representing Agency programs in contacts with the public, businesses, community organizations, and other government agencies.
• Project management including ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and organizing work to meet changing priorities and deadlines and facilitating work of a matrixed team.
• Applying appropriate communication techniques to various individuals ranging from Agency employees, the general public, elected officials, community leaders, and local, state, and federal agencies.

Physical Demands / Work Environment  

• Work is performed in a standard office environment.
• Subject to standing, walking, bending, reaching, stooping, and lifting of objects up to 25 pounds; may occasionally be exposed to dangerous machinery, extreme weather conditions, physical harm, and extreme noise when conducting site visits and working in the field. 
• The Agency promotes a safe and healthy work environment and provides appropriate safety and equipment training for all personnel as required. 

Compensation

Salary range is $50k to $100k, with a midpoint of $75k. New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market.

Important information pertaining to our COVID-19 protocols, including our hybrid workforce options, can be found here. 

Sound Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment action based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or other protected class.