Youth Engagement Specialist

City of New York•New York City, NY

About The Position

The Campaign Finance Board (CFB), a nonpartisan, independent New York City agency, seeks a Youth Engagement Specialist to support its Youth Programs Team within the Public Affairs Division’s Community Engagement unit. The team builds relationships with youth-serving organizations and provides voter education and civic engagement programming for young New Yorkers ages 14–24. Programming addresses topics such as civic engagement, local history, and campaign finance, with a focus on developing civic knowledge, leadership, and sustained participation in the democratic process. The role has particular relevance to neighborhoods with low youth voter turnout, including the South Bronx and East New York. The Specialist leads voter education and engagement efforts by developing and facilitating workshops, planning and executing community events, delivering train-the-trainer sessions for educators and youth leaders, partnering with public schools, and creating other opportunities for young people to engage with elections. The role builds and maintains relationships with youth-serving organizations, schools, and community partners; manages multiple programs and collaborations; and adapts programming to young people’s needs and community contexts. The work centers accessibility, relationship-building, youth leadership, and creating respectful spaces where young people feel heard and empowered. The position also involves researching and cultivating partnerships, developing paid partnership and educational opportunities, convening partners, producing accessible educational content, collecting participant feedback, maintaining project and partner data, and reporting event outcomes through agency systems. Candidates with lived or professional experience developing and implementing youth programming in the South Bronx or East New York are especially encouraged to apply. The position is part of a division that engages New Yorkers, informs them about elections, and promotes participation in the democratic process.

Requirements

Knowledge of NYC campaign finance law, voter registration processes, and the CFB’s role in supporting elections and civic participation.
Knowledge of best practices and safety protocols for working with minors, including child safety laws in New York City and New York State.
Strong public speaking skills.
Ability to build trust with diverse communities, especially historically underrepresented groups.
Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully across ethnic, linguistic, and cultural groups, adapting communication style to build trust and credibility.
Ability to explain complex civic topics in content appropriate to the audience.
Understanding of best practices for building and maintaining partnerships with community-based organizations and civic institutions.
Understanding of high-school-age and college-age youth (ages 14–24), particularly NYC Public Schools and CUNY students, including their histories, cultures, languages, and barriers to access such as immigration status, the digital divide, and trust in government.
Ability to communicate clearly with partners and stakeholders and build authentic relationships rooted in trust and understanding.
Basic knowledge of New York City local and state government.
Understanding of age-appropriate learning principles and instructional formats for diverse audiences.
Ability to facilitate engaging, audience-appropriate presentations and trainings in varied formats, including for people with diverse literacy levels and English proficiency.
Basic proficiency with PowerPoint and ability to prepare engaging, professional slide decks with clear visuals.
Openness to learning about and deepening understanding of New York City communities.
High emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and relational awareness.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with elections and voting work, especially in New York City.
Previous experience working in NYC Public Schools and/or developing curriculum, especially in history, social studies, or civic engagement.
Proficiency in one or more of NYC Votes’ covered languages; strongly preferred.
Lived or professional experience developing and implementing youth programming in the South Bronx or East New York.

Responsibilities

Research and identify new and existing partner organizations, including city agencies, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and advocacy groups, to expand NYC Votes’ outreach.
Develop and implement tailored partnership-building plans for organizations in assigned geographies, aligned with strategic goals.
Develop, manage, and evaluate paid partnership opportunities with organizations serving people in priority neighborhoods, with measurable community impact.
Identify opportunities to deepen partnerships through collaborative initiatives, advisory opportunities, co-created programming, and ongoing community feedback mechanisms.
Convene partners through meetings, listening sessions, advisory groups, and networking opportunities to strengthen relationships and gather feedback.
Manage requests for and distribution of materials to voters in priority neighborhoods, ensuring NYC Votes printed materials and toolkits are widely available.
Develop educational content for youth voters in priority neighborhoods on accessibility tools, civic engagement, voter contributions, and candidate participation.
Plan community conversations, trainings, and workshops for assigned geographies and audiences, both virtually and in person.
Work with partner organizations to improve NYC Votes educational content and delivery, including accessible print and downloadable tools.
Deliver education in formats suited to audience needs, including conversation circles, presentations, and classroom-style activities.
Develop paid educational programming with key partners and coordinate related invoicing and purchases with the Supervisor and Finance Department.
Collect and incorporate audience feedback using methods such as real-time surveys, pre- and post-surveys, and follow-up calls.
Create experiential programming and other creative forms of community engagement.
Collect, maintain, and regularly update project data, ensuring it is complete, accurate, and documented according to unit policies.
Use CRM systems, project management tools, data dashboards, and other agency tools to manage work, track progress, and support reporting and decision-making.
Maintain organized partner data, including contact information, meeting notes, organizational tags, relationship history, and other required information.
Keep events accurately entered and updated on calendars and event trackers.
Promptly enter event details, attendance, outcomes, and other required information into designated trackers, CRM systems, dashboards, and reporting tools, following established standards and procedures.
Review assigned data and records regularly, correcting errors, missing information, and inconsistencies to maintain data quality and integrity.
Take ownership of administrative systems and processes and proactively identify opportunities to improve workflows, documentation, and data management practices.