Director of Community Engagement

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding.

Guiding Principles (We believe…)

• The people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, full lives. 
• City Government should both recognize its culpability in creating and sustaining inequity and aspire to its responsibility to provide opportunities, represent the best interests, and promote the well-being of all residents. 
• People can offer meaningful insights into both personal experiences and how systems around them function. 
• Poverty is a deliberately created systemic issue and city government can lead in calling for justice and dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities. 

Values (How we work)

• Dignity: We actively respect our individual colleagues and people in the community.
• Inclusivity: Our work is more beneficial, valuable, and valid when our full range of experiences, knowledge, and skills can contribute.
• Persistence: We recognize the challenges inherent in this work, and when we get discouraged, we find ways to be resilient, lift each other up, and push forward.
• Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.
• Honesty: We create a space to have healthy, honest dialogues about systems, people, and misconceptions and then communicate truthfully.

Job Description

The Director of Community Engagement is a key position in helping oversee and implement community engagement campaigns by leading the creation and execution of place-based engagement plans and organizing based on a variety of City-Internal and external projects.  

This position includes directly managing the Community Engagement Supervisors and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders including but not limited to Data & Evaluation Teams, Community Resource Teams, other Place-Based Initiative groups, other city departments engaged to fund or partner on community engagement activities, and the broader CEO organization. 

This position will collaborate with a range of stakeholders to ensure a layered and comprehensive engagement strategy and workplan per project.   This position is part of the broader Place-Based Initiatives unit and is responsible for identifying best practices to be applied across the broader CEO organization. 

Essential Functions

• Under the leadership of the Deputy Executive Director of Place-Based Initiatives, collaborate with Directors of Community Resources and Director of Neighborhood Initiatives to develop CEO’s approach to community engagement. 
• Define and oversee the execution of a comprehensive community engagement strategic plan that includes both organizing and canvassing best practices and implementation to improve outcomes in communities. 
• Develop and implement project-based organizing and canvassing plans based on needs and defined goals from external partners. 
• Directs team in engaging in broad-based community listening through canvass level and neighborhood organizing work. 
• Leads implementation of quantitative and qualitative dat