Lead, Community Building & Engagement

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION • Washington, DC

7d • $75,000 - $125,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Community Building and Engagement Lead is a core member of the SAI staff team and the organizational lead for all engagement, participant development, and community-building functions of the Initiative. This position is responsible for the full lifecycle of volunteer and stakeholder engagement-from identifying and recruiting the scientific experts who build USSAI’s assessment products, to sustaining the relationships that keep them engaged over time, to developing the broader community infrastructure that connects authors, reviewers, stakeholders, and organizational partners across the SAI network. SAI’s model depends entirely on the willingness of experts- scientists, researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers- to contribute their time and knowledge to a shared mission. The Engagement Lead is the organizational steward of that human capital. The success of this role is not measured in events held or newsletters sent; it is measured in whether the right people show up, stay engaged, and want to come back. This is a relationship-intensive, strategically demanding position that requires equal comfort with high-level community architecture and hands-on operational execution. In the early stages of the organization, the Engagement Lead will build foundational systems and infrastructure largely from scratch. As SAI grows, this role will shift progressively toward managing and improving those systems and the communities they support.

Requirements

• Master’s degree required in a relevant field, including but not limited to: environmental science, climate science, science communication, public policy, nonprofit management, organizational communications, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in community engagement, volunteer management, scientific outreach, or a closely related function, preferably within a scientific, academic, nonprofit, or policy-adjacent organizational context.
• Experience working with scientific communities, including demonstrated ability to communicate credibly with researchers, academics, and subject matter experts across disciplines.
• Experience designing and managing stakeholder engagement processes, including convening events, facilitated input sessions, or public comment processes.
• Experience building or managing volunteer or participant programs, including recruitment pipelines, onboarding systems, and retention strategies.
• Experience developing and managing community communications, including newsletters, email lists, social media, and similar channels.
• Experience with CRM, database, or contact management systems used to organize and track participant and stakeholder relationships.
• Proficiency with standard productivity and collaboration tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, project management platforms).
• Experience with database or CRM platforms is specifically required.
• Proven ability to manage time to ensure all tasks are completed by deadline.
• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately, responding in a timely manner; speak and write clearly, concisely and with impact.
• Capability to exercise discretion on confidential matters.

Nice To Haves

• Doctoral degree in a relevant scientific or policy field is an asset but is not required.
• Experience working in a startup, early-stage nonprofit, or similarly resource-constrained organizational environment is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with scientific conference culture, particularly within the Earth and climate sciences community is a significant asset.
• Experience with science communication or public engagement in a scientific context is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead recruitment and selection of volunteer participants across SAI programs, ensuring diverse, qualified, and mission-aligned participation.
• Develop and manage a comprehensive volunteer talent pipeline and database, maintaining candidate pools, recruitment systems, outreach strategies, onboarding processes, and participation metrics to support current and future assessment needs.
• Build, engage, and retain SAI’s contributor community, including authors, alumni, early-career scientists, and stakeholders, by creating meaningful engagement opportunities, recognition programs, and pathways for ongoing participation.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement throughout the assessment lifecycle, including planning and facilitating input sessions, public comment activities, stakeholder convenings, and advisory council support, while ensuring stakeholder feedback is effectively documented and shared with assessment teams.
• Support assessment leadership and author recruitment efforts by partnering with Lead Report Editors to identify candidates, coordinate outreach, and assemble expert author teams aligned with assessment objectives.
• Lead external engagement and communications activities, including newsletters, volunteer communications, conference participation, public speaking opportunities, partnerships, interviews, podcasts, and other initiatives that strengthen SAI’s visibility and relationships.
• Develop and continuously improve engagement systems, processes, and reporting, including standardized tools, templates, performance metrics, and technology platforms that enhance recruitment, community-building, stakeholder engagement, and organizational effectiveness.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned, which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life Insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, wellness, tuition reimbursement, 403(b) retirement plan, FSA, HSA, theft protection, personal and professional development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed