Outreach Coordinator - City of Newton
Newton, MA 02459
About the Job
Company Description
THE CITY:
The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus. The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.
OUR GOVERNMENT:
Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.
AS AN EMPLOYER:
The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset. To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits. We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities. We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings. We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees. And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.
Human Resources Diversity Statement
We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:
- Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
- Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
- Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
- Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
- Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
- Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- 457 Deferred Compensation plans
- Metro Credit Union
- Verizon Wireless discount
- Employee Assistance Program
- Generous paid leave time benefits and paid holidays.
- City Retirement (Mandatory)
- Weekly Direct Deposit
- Opportunity to serve the public and join a dynamic team of dedicated employees
Job Description
Primary purpose:
Under the direct supervision of the Director and Deputy Director of Planning & Development.
The position of Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Planning and Development will be a key member of the department. The Outreach Coordinator will oversee communications and outreach for the Planning Department and work collaboratively with the Mayor’s office and other City departments. Graphic design and strong verbal and written communication skills desired.
Supervision:
Supervision Received: Director, Deputy Director
Supervision Given: None
Essential Functions:
(The essential functions or duties listed are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.)
- Responsible for Planning Department community-focused outreach and communication.
- Establish a program of more continuous community communication for interdisciplinary Planning Department. This includes establishing relationships with community members and groups, public presentations, website development, surveys, newsletters, videos, and other tools as identified.
- Serve as a coach for Planning Department and other City staff in public process design, community engagement, and presentation. Prepare outreach materials to facilitate community engagement.
- Act as a liaison to potential interns or volunteers; duties may include incorporating intern/volunteer efforts with planning and departmental initiatives.
- Provide staff support for various planning and implementation projects, in collaboration with other City departments.
- Manage Planning Department social media accounts
- Provide advice to developers on community engagement methods with the goal of expanding the use of community engagement earlier in the process.
Secondary Elements
- Attend and participate in Department and other meetings and special events.
Minimum Entrance Qualifications:
(To perform successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.)
Education, Training and Experience: The City is seeking applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in planning, public policy, communications, or a similar field and 2 to 5 years of experience.
Knowledge, Ability and Skill:
- Must be a highly motivated self-starter who can balance multiple projects and deadlines and who enjoys working with members of the public
- The candidate should have demonstrated experience in written and verbal communication.
- The candidate should also be aware of and have experience using and creating various online communication methods.
- The candidate should have graphic design skills for creating web graphics, posters, flyers, and similar products.
- Design and writing samples may be required
- A strong commitment to public service is required.
Physical requirements/work environment
(The physical demands described here represent those requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)
- Work is performed under typical office conditions; the noise level is quiet to moderate at most times. Essential functions are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
- Has frequent contact with other City departments, elected officials, and community members.
- Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5 - 10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation. Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally. Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
Performance Standard
Employees at all levels are expected to effectively work together to meet the needs of the community and the City through work behaviors demonstrating the City’s values. Employees are also expected to lead by example and demonstrate the highest level of ethics.
(This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.)