Community Engagement Specialist

UNC-Chapel Hill • Chapel Hill, NC

4d • Remote

About The Position

This position is a 100% remote work arrangement, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside in North Carolina, within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station. If business needs change, an individual employee’s designation may be adjusted with a required minimum of ten (10) business days’ notice unless employee conduct or safety issues necessitate otherwise at the discretion of management. Though this position is 100% remote, periodic travel within North Carolina will be required for in-person meetings or stakeholder engagement. The Center for Aging and Adult Research & Educational Services (Cares) is one of several community engaged programs within the UNC School of Social Work. The mission of the School of Social Work is to advance equity, transform systems, and improve lives. Cares provides education, community engagement, systems capacity building, and policy analysis across the state to empower older adults, adults with disabilities and their families to experience choice and dignity in their lives. The position of Community Engagement Specialist at UNC Cares serves to develop, support, and evaluate projects and activities that build communities’ capacity to enable adults of all ages and abilities to thrive. This includes creating curricula, training, and other educational materials as well as working with individuals, backbone and steering teams, working committees, organizations, and multi-stakeholder coalitions.

Requirements

• Previous work experience related to community engagement and cross sector collaboration.
• Demonstrated ability to work under broad direction with considerable initiative.
• Experience in human services program policy and/or practice.
• Experience in curriculum development and training.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite products.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Experience in meeting facilitation.

Nice To Haves

• Master of Social Work ( MSW ) or similar degree and related human services experience.
• Experience working with aging, adult services, and/or disability practice.
• Knowledge and/or practice applying the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ), Olmstead, Guardianship, Supported Decision Making, and other issues related choice and self-determination.
• Experience related to Collective Impact and/or other systems change models.
• Experience related to direction/oversight of programs that focus the academic and research resources of a higher education institute towards community or regional issues.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate community engagement with diverse stakeholders.
• Lead, facilitate, or otherwise support steering teams, working committees, and multi-stakeholder coalitions, as required.
• Ensure that stakeholder groups involve representation of those with lived experience, i.e., self-advocates and/or families.
• Support the use of Collective Impact by identifying or developing the five elements of the model (a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support organizations).
• Develop educational materials (courses, curricula, training, etc.)
• Research cutting edge and best practices, peer-reviewed research literature, and existing resources related to educational topics, including subject-matter experts.
• Write and design educational materials using best practice for instructional design (including plain language and digital accessibility).
• Tailor educational materials for different and targeted audiences, including individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD), older adults, family caregivers, and professionals in various fields such as social work, education, and healthcare.
• Deliver education through presentations, training, and other settings. (Examples include creating online, on-demand, hybrid, and in person training for several divisions under the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
• Contribute to UNC Cares strategic planning and tactical operations.
• Assist in developing and implementing project workplans.
• Prepare and/or contribute to quarterly, annual, and other project update reports.
• Represent Cares’ mission and work within the School of Social Work and the University, and with partner organizations and other entities across the State of North Carolina and beyond.
• Collaborate and communicate with Cares team members to accomplish the program’s goals.
• Utilize project management and communication tools to efficiently and effectively advance program deliverables (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, including Teams and Planner).
• Evaluate processes and outcomes.
• Identify or develop appropriate tools for evaluation.
• Utilize both formative and summative evaluation strategies.
• Support the use of evaluation results to improve processes and outcomes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level