Community Engagement Project Coordinator

PRR•Seattle, WA

1d•$29 - $31•Hybrid

About The Position

This entry-level position sits within PRR's Transportation Division and will support community engagement and communications for public transportation projects in the Puget Sound region. This role will support project managers in planning and implementing communications and inclusive engagement activities for a variety of transportation-focused projects. This is a hybrid position based in our downtown Seattle office. The selected candidate is expected to work from PRR's Seattle office approximately three days per week to start, with in-person community outreach work throughout the Puget Sound region as needed. Many projects involve public meetings, open houses, and community events that take place in the evenings and on weekends, so flexibility to work outside standard business hours on a regular basis is required. This role also requires travel to project sites, meetings, and events, so a valid driver's license and the ability to drive are required. We prioritize candidates with demonstrated commitment to social and racial justice and experience supporting successful efforts to reach diverse audiences. Candidates with multilingual skills are encouraged to apply. Also desired: experience and strong interest in transportation infrastructure and public transit.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, or journalism or equivalent experience in communications or a related discipline, or someone interested in transitioning into the community engagement profession.
Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
Excellent verbal and written communication and community outreach skills.
Able to write in a clear, concise, public-friendly way in a variety of client styles.
Able to analyze complex technical information, translate it into easily understood language, and tailor messages for public audiences.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Strong work ethic and ability to take initiative and work independently and efficiently.
Ability to stay on task and meet deadlines in a deadline-driven environment.
Superior commitment to quality control, e.g., editing for grammar and typos and attention to detail and client style guides.
Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
Comfort working in a variety of settings, including a busy office, remote settings, meetings with elected officials, or out in the community, including evenings and weekends as needed.
Proficient with PCs and MS software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Ability to quickly learn new software, including content management systems.
Ability to travel independently and reliably to project sites, public meetings, and community events, which may occur outside standard business hours or in locations not served by public transit.
A valid driver's license is preferred.

Nice To Haves

Interest in public planning, government processes, transportation planning, and infrastructure development.
Social media content creation or community management experience.
Multilingual skills.
Experience working with historically underserved communities.
Experience working in customer or client service and/or the public sector.
Knowledge of CRM systems like OTR, GovDelivery, or Adobe Suite programs.

Responsibilities

Support equitable community engagement efforts to meaningfully involve historically underserved communities in decision-making, including people who are Black, people who are Indigenous, and people of color, people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and people who use languages other than English.
Support implementation of communications and community engagement plans with strategies and tactics to reach historically underserved communities.
Learn and convey project information and key messaging to the public at in-person events, including evening and weekend meetings, open houses, and community events.
Maintain a working knowledge of regional and local public events in assigned project areas and coordinate reservations and logistics for participation.
Plan and staff virtual and in-person meetings, briefings, interviews, and events, including some evening and weekend commitments.
Coordinate and facilitate in-person door-to-door flyer distribution to project neighbors and businesses.
Maintain databases to track contacts, events, and correspondence.
Draft responses to questions and correspondence from community members.
Create meeting agendas, take notes, and prepare meeting summaries.
Research, write, and edit content for newsletters, press releases, fact sheets, informational materials, presentations, summary reports, online open houses, and websites.
Help produce PowerPoint presentations.
Coordinate with PRR's in-house specialty services, including our Creative Studio on graphic design and video needs, Language Services team on language access needs, and Research Team on demographic analyses and survey design and fielding.
Support a variety of project teams at once, primarily on water infrastructure projects, including participating in project team meetings and collaborating with cross-disciplinary staff.
Complete tasks within scope, schedule, and budget for projects.
Provide regular status updates on assigned tasks to project managers.
Ensure work is on time, on budget, and on target with objectives.
Proactively complete tasks and troubleshoot any issues as they arise.
Develop and manage task or event work plans.
Coordinate project purchasing, including vendor engagement, tracking, and timely submission of expense documentation.
Establish and support effective working relationships with PRR's clients.
Professionally represent clients to the public and key audiences.
Work to establish trust and respect with community-based organizations and community members.
Provide excellent customer service.
Provide responsive and timely information to clients.
Maintain confidentiality of client information.
Attend client meetings.
Maintain or exceed a 90% billable utilization goal. This means 36 out of 40 hours per week are spent on billable client work.
Complete timesheets and expense reports on time and with accurate information.
Attend all-staff meetings and participate in internal initiatives, as appropriate.

Benefits

Health, dental, and vision insurance for full-time employees and their dependents
Flexible spending account/dependent care spending account
Life insurance
Paid family and medical leave
Short- and long-term disability
401(k) plan with discretionary company match
Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
Pet insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Professional development training allowances
Gym or mass transit subsidy
Paid Time Off benefits, including 120 hours of Paid Time Off, 56 hours of paid sick/personal time, and 12 paid holidays