Community Outreach Associate

Who We Are:

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands—especially in communities that need them most—to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.

Position Summary:
Trust for Public Land’s Bay Area Parks for People Program works with communities, state and local agencies and non-profit partners to design and build parks, urban trails, and green schoolyards in disinvested neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The Community Outreach Associate will lead a variety of community engagement activities to ensure meaningful and inclusive participation in the creation of parks, urban trails and green schoolyards; organize education and advocacy activities, and build community coalitions to advance park equity and access to nature for all residents in the Bay Area and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. The Community Outreach Associate will support program staff in engaging community organizations and residents in all project phases, from concept design through implementation and stewardship.

This position requires field and in-office work, as well as working outside of regular business hours including weekends and evenings in order to participate in community events and local government meetings. Though the position is based out of our San Francisco office, the Community Outreach Associate will engage in field work at project sites and in communities of interest for the expanding Parks for People Program. Access to reliable transportation is required.

Essential Functions:
Community outreach and organizing

• Represent TPL in the project communities (San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin counties)
• Develop outreach and communication strategies
• Coordinate work with Parks for People team and TPL California and national staff
• Identify and engage with community organizations and stakeholders, conduct interviews for Park Listeners and park equity outreach other programs
• Develop outreach and educational materials (flyers, newsletters)
• Keep track of and participate in community events, and organize outreach events (workshops, barbecues, art projects, tabling at events, online meetings, etc.)
• Generate community contact lists, and maintain good working relationships and partnerships
• Attend city council meetings and commission hearings.

Workshop and meeting preparation and facilitation

• Organize workshop logistics including budgeting, identifying meeting locations, securing refreshments and preparing and bringing meeting materials and supplies
• Assist in preparation of meeting presentations
• Conduct phone calls to alert community members to upcoming meetings
• Create and mail flyers for upcoming meetings or workshops
• Facilitate or present at community meetings or workshops
• Record community feedback during workshops or meetings
• Maintain organized workshop supply storage between engagement events
• Be able to engage communities remotely as well as in person (online surveys, social media, and virtual meetings)
• Coordinate workshops and meetings with TPL project managers, external consultants, and city agencies staff.
• Compile and summarize community feedback
• Document meetings, events, and other outreach activities for reporting to funders and public grant applications.

Green Schoolyards Initiative and general program support

• Provide general program support to team members and for individual park or green schoolyard improvement projects
• Work with project staff to develop partnerships with schools, school district staff and board members, with and other non-profits
• Organize, prepare for, and document meetings
• Assist in writing and submitting grants to seek funding for green schoolyards, park development, and urban trail development
• Occasionally assist in producing communication and marketing materials.

Qualifications:

• Alignment with The Trust for Public Land’s mission and a passion for social and environmental justice are essential
• A degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Environmental Design, Urban Planning or other related field from an accredited university or equivalent work experience
• At least 1 year of community engagement or related experience
• Demonstrated ability to build trust, motivate and support community residents to actively engage in change making activities in their community, and build community capacity
• Demonstrated cultural competency and understanding of environmental justice issues in historically disinvested communities
• Ability to work as part of a team and support the framework of a national organization
• Ability to collaborate and negotiate with diverse groups and interests
• Ability to multi-task, meet schedules, and achieve long term goals
• High degree of creativity, vision, flexibility and resourcefulness
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Basic graphic design skills: Adobe Creative Suits, PowerPoint
• Ability to work with moderate level of supervision
• Flexibility with periodic nighttime and weekend community meetings
• Must be able to work independently in the field as well as in a standard office environment
• Must be able to engage with diverse community members, elected representatives, and non-profit partners in order to ensure successful park, trail and green schoolyard projects
• Fluency in Spanish or other languages besides English is a plus
• Basic understanding of the design and construction process for public spaces is a plus
• Environmental, outdoor education background, or prior working with schools is a plus
• Public speaking experience is a plus

Compensation:
Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near our San Francisco office. As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for the Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation and sick pay plus holidays, a year end office closure, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring range for this position is $58,000 – 65,000 annually. This role will may also include additional locality pay based on the candidate’s location.

Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.