Community Engagement Specialist – Resilience Ambassador

The Sherman Park Community Association, Inc. (SPCA) is seeking a full-time Community Engagement Specialist- Resilience Ambassador to support a unique three-year collaborative agreement with the City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Resilience Ambassador will educate Milwaukee residents about climate change and connect them with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to mitigate and adapt to its impacts on their daily lives. By working with and through trusted community-based organizations, the Resilience Ambassador will help implement strategies from the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan, specifically the Healthy Home Energy Upgrades.  This position is grant-funded and will be limited-term.

ABOUT SPCA:

SPCA is a 53-year-old, 501(c)(3) membership-based neighborhood association comprised of residents, businesses, religious and community organizations in the Sherman Park neighborhood. Our purpose is to promote the advantages of living in a diverse neighborhood, to connect neighbors and residents, to support the community in the areas of home repair, public safety, economic viability, environmental justice, and other issues that affect our neighborhood.

ABOUT THE Healthy Homes & ECO Neighborhoods Project:

Toward the goal of promoting eco-friendly programs and services for residents throughout the Sherman Park area, in February 2021, Sherman Park became an “ECO-Neighborhood” adopting the precepts of the City of Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan.  As a result, SPCA is working closely with the City’s Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) to help residents pursue green infrastructure (GI) and decarbonization (i.e., energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy) projects on their residential properties. Through funding by the EPA Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant program, SPCA’s Resilience Ambassador will work with other resilience ambassadors across the city to implement the ECO Healthy Homes Program. They will coordinate in-home visits for approximately 250 households to educate and connect residents with free energy audits and other resources and programs that can create a “healthier home environment” including environmental health resources, housing improvement and energy efficiency programs like the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and rebates.

The Resilience Ambassador will also organize volunteers and community partners to conduct targeted outreach campaigns across neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s north and south sides to promote greater knowledge of and access to these resources.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Community Outreach and Engagement

• Canvas to recruit new households to participate in the ECO Healthy Homes Program.
• Attend project meetings, relevant community meetings and events to promote the project and encourage alignment with community interests.
• Create and implement an outreach and communications strategy to educate residents about the need for and benefits of Healthy Home Energy Upgrades and other climate solutions.
• Collaborate with other Resilience Ambassadors, community partners and volunteers to organize and implement educational events, presentations, and canvassing across the north and south sides of Milwaukee.
• Recruit new stakeholders and volunteers to support outreach.
• Plan and facilitate volunteer training and empower and encourage resident leadership.

Communications

• Create and present engaging, plain language, outreach and educational print and virtual materials for diverse individuals and groups.
• Generate resource referral reports for individual households participating in the ECO Healthy Homes Program.
• Collect participant data, feedback and stories associated with the project to increase community awareness and engagement.

Program Coordination

• Schedule and implement ECO Healthy Homes Program visits in coordination with energy auditors and other Resilience Ambassadors.
• Track and monitor ECO Healthy Homes Program and outreach activities to meet grant reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with the project team to routinely evaluate and adapt the program to ensure a high-level of participant satisfaction and overall efficacy.

 SPCA–RELATED DUTIES, ACTIVITIES & OUTREACH 

• Empower residents to meaningfully engage with the community by encouraging resident leadership, raising their awareness of and connecting them to SPCA’s programs and resources that address safety, home repair, environmental justice, economic viability and other issues.
• Participate in surveying and canvassing activities to recruit community members to participate in other SPCA programming (community-wide housing survey and civic/election activities) as needed.
• Provide staff support to the Sherman Park ECO Ambassadors as needed.

TIMEFRAME:

This is a 3-year, full-time, salaried position, with an expected average work week of 40 hours/week.  This position will report to the Executive Director.  The Resilience ambassador will be based at SPCA offices located at 3526 W. Fond du Lac Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53216.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Associate’s degree required, bachelor’s degree preferred, knowledge of building science/trades preferred, with 2-4 years of professional grassroots community engagement experience.

QUALITIES OF THE RESILIENCE AMBASSADOR (RA)

• Cultural sensitivity and competency with the ability, desire and experience working with diverse individuals from different backgrounds and develop trusted partnerships.
• Knowledge of the Sherman Park neighborhood, local environmental and social issues, the Milwaukee area, and community-based organizations.
• Ability to provide technical assistance and education tailored to meet the unique needs of the community.
• Ability to articulate what climate resilience is and the social, economic, and ecological benefits it has for community members.

• Commitment to helping create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABIILITIES & OTHER CHARACTERISTICS:

Communication and Interpersonal

• Written communications skills to be able to prepare outreach and educational materials, and technical reports.
• Skilled in virtual and in-person meeting organization and facilitation.
• Demonstrated capacity to communicate sensitive topics with individuals and large groups with patience, compassion, and transparency.
• Effectively present written and verbal information, respond to questions from residents and the public. Some public speaking may be required.

Technical

• Ability to review, analyze, and understand work-related materials to gather information and compile reports.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and social media platforms.

Judgement and Responsibility

• Ability to be thorough in the completion of assigned projects.
• Ability to think critically to find solutions to problems.
• Ability to multitask, manage multiple projects and deadlines and prioritize work requirements while maintaining a long-term vision.
• Ability to work well both independently with minimal supervision and as a member of a team.

Conditions of Employment: The Resilience Ambassador must be able to perform physical activities that require walking, bending, lifting heavy objects up to 50 pounds, climbing stairs and ladders, and sitting or standing for extended periods of time in indoor and outdoor environments. Must have a valid Wisconsin driver’s license, a vehicle, and automobile insurance.

Available to work evenings and weekends as required.

Compensation:  The salary range for the position is $50,000 – $55,000 commensurate with skills and experience. Benefits package includes health and life insurance, paid sick leave and vacation after probationary period.