Community Engagement Coordinator

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Descriptions

Salary Information:

Salary Range: $26.54/hr at Step 1 to $40.22/hr at Step 20.

Expected hiring range is $26.54/hr to $34.15/hr. dependent on qualifications and verifiable experience.

Job Duties Include:

The Community Engagement Coordinator leads and improves Saline County’s countywide community engagement practices. The CEC develops practical tools, standards, communication processes, public information resources, and measures that help the County involve residents in decisions, projects, policies, services, budget matters, and strategic initiatives. The CEC provides strategic support to the County Administrator, County Commission, department heads, and project leaders. The position leads the County’s strategic planning process; seeks and administers grants that support County priorities; and leads the outside-agency appropriations process, including support for the Opioid Task Force and Social Services Review Committee. The CEC leads the Social Media Work Group and Employee Engagement Team. The position also helps departments communicate clearly, consistently, and accessibly with residents, community partners, and other stakeholders.

The CEC leads implementation of the Saline County Community Engagement Strategic Framework. The position develops and maintains countywide engagement standards, planning tools, communication protocols, templates, shared calendars, branding guidance, and public feedback reporting practices. The CEC also trains staff on how to use these tools. The CEC ensures major engagement efforts include a clear plan to summarize public input, share key themes with decisionmakers, and report back to participants on next steps and how input was considered.

The CEC advises department heads, elected officials, and project leaders on the right approach for public engagement. This includes helping departments identify the decision to be made, who may be affected, what public input can influence, and how the County will collect and report feedback.

The CEC leads or coordinates public input activities such as surveys/polls, listening sessions, town halls, workshops, stakeholder meetings, County Conversations, outreach in smaller communities, partner outreach, and public education efforts. The methods used should fit the issue, the audience, and the level of public impact.

The CEC works to ensure residents throughout Saline County have fair opportunities to participate, including rural residents, smaller communities, businesses, community partners, and people who may face barriers to participation. The CEC maintains or coordinates a public-facing engagement webpage or similar resource with current opportunities, project information, timelines, frequently asked questions, surveys, public notices, and summaries of public input.

The CEC identifies local, state, federal, and private grant opportunities that support County priorities. The position prepares grant applications and supporting materials and works with departments to gather project information, budgets, data, and other required documents.

The CEC assists departments with grant writing when requested and helps the Assistant County Administrator maintain a centralized system to track grant applications, awards, deadlines, match requirements, deliverables, reporting requirements, and compliance obligations. The position also helps develop strategies to increase outside funding for County programs, services, capital projects, and strategic initiatives. 

The CEC may support emergency public information activities when assigned. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

1. A Bachelor’s Degree with major course work in mass communications, journalism, public relations, public administration, business, or related field preferred. Any combination of education and experience equal to the degree can be considered.
2. A minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, strategic planning, grant writing or administration, communications, public relations, public administration, nonprofit management, or a related field is required. Experience in local government or a comparable public-sector setting is preferred.
3. Experience facilitating meetings, planning sessions, public outreach activities, stakeholder engagement efforts, or cross-department projects is preferred.
4. Experience in grant writing and grant administration is preferred. Experience in grantmaking, outside-agency funding, program evaluation, compliance, or management of public funds is desirable.
5.  Strong writing, editing, presentation, facilitation, verbal communication, organizational, analytical, and project-management skills are required.
6. Must demonstrate the ability to plan, organize, and manage multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, stakeholders, and confidential information.
7. Must have the ability to translate technical, financial, policy, infrastructure, and service information into clear, accurate, accessible, and public-facing communications.
8. Familiarity with social media platforms, digital communication tools, website content tools, survey or engagement platforms, data-tracking tools, and basic content-creation software is required. Basic graphic-design ability is required, including familiarity with tools such as Canva, Adobe Express, or similar platforms.
9. Experience in cross-agency, intergovernmental, or community-partnership coordination is desirable.
10. Knowledge of local government operations, public meetings, budgeting, public records, accessibility, procurement, and public information practices is desirable.
11. Must have good communication skills to work with staff, elected officials, outside agencies, and the public in a professional and congenial manner.
12. Must have a valid Driver’s License and must provide own transportation.

Physical Requirements:

Determined Work Level: Level 2 – Light Work Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently. Required walking or standing to a significant degree; or requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls. Including the ability to carry and assemble a sign/presentation that is no greater than 20 pounds. Other equipment includes laptops, bags, and camera equipment. Ability to communicate ideas by means of the spoken and/or written word. Must be able to give directions/assignments and interact with the public. Must have fine and gross manual dexterity to operate computer and telephone. Possesses eye/hand/foot coordination sufficient to drive vehicle. 

Veteran's Preference:

Former military personnel or their spouse that have been verified as a veteran under K.S.A. 73-201 will receive an interview if they meet the minimum qualifications of the position and successfully pass any required pre-employment testing or any requirements such as licensing. The veterans' preference laws do not guarantee the veteran a job. Positions are filled with the best qualified candidate as determined by the hiring officials. To be successful, the expectation is that a candidate will be able to competently perform the routine tasks of the position with limited supervision by the end of the probationary period of covered positions.

Veteran's Preference Notice

Veteran's Preference Eligibility Request Form

Benefits

Please review our benefits here: Benefits - at - a - Glance 

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