Community Outreach Director

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Summary/Objective:

The Community Engagement Director is responsible for coordinating The Safe Haven Network’s community outreach and engagement initiatives. They will work to increase the organization’s presence and reputation in the community and will build relationships with individuals, citizen groups and other organizations in support of The Safe Haven Network’s activities, promote pet space at domestic violence agencies in and around Chicago, and encourage pet-friendly policies with community service providers. They must possess excellent organizational skills and be able to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Specifically, the Community Outreach Director will manage link trainings, social media, and events for SHN. The Community Engagement Director is responsible for high-level activities and must be comfortable working independently and making their own decisions for the benefit of the organization.

Essential Functions:

• Organize and execute annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month supply drive - 15%
• Recruit, train, supervise and evaluate new volunteers, including Social Media Coordinator and Community Link Training Facilitator volunteers, through various techniques (databases, e-mail, social media, etc.) - 10%
• Schedule and organize training presentations for referral program partners and community partners - 10%
• Develop community engagement program goals and policies - 10%
• Develop and execute social media strategy - 10%
• Coordinate teams of volunteers for large-scale actions - 10%
• Draft and publish regular e-newsletter for community engagement - 7.5%
• Co-coordinate all SHN-hosted fundraising events - 7.5%
• Produce schedules for regular volunteer activities - 5%
• Manage a budget for community engagement activities and support - 5%
• Disseminate information for upcoming actions and events to volunteers - 5%
• Work with domestic violence shelters to add pet space - 2.5%
• Organize efforts to support pet services at domestic violence agencies - 2.5%

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in community engagement, program management, and volunteer management (ideally 1-5 years) .
• Experience in volunteering locally and/or internationally.
• Working knowledge of databases and MS Office (especially Excel), as well as Google’s GSuite.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse people.
• Excellent organizational and team coordination abilities.
• A prompt and responsive work style.
• A pleasant, outgoing personality.
• Access to own transportation or willingness/ability to arrange transportation as needed.
• A degree in business administration, human resources, social studies or relevant field is preferred.

Preferred Education and Experience:

Degree in business administration, human resources, social studies or relevant field preferred. Experience in domestic violence service or animal welfare preferred.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

1. Knowledge of applicable city policies, laws and regulations affecting departmental activities.
2. Must possess a valid state driver’s license or have the ability to obtain one prior to employment.

Competencies:

1. Ethical Conduct - Must be honest, trustworthy, and have integrity. Must respect the dignity of persons, and cultural or religious differences. Must have respect for the emotional environment in which they will work. Must take personal responsibility and accountability for their actions.
2. Confidentiality - Must be able to safeguard the locations of shelters, the identities of program participants, and other sensitive information.
3. Recruitment - Identify, attract, interview, select, hire, and onboard volunteers and community partners.
4. Training and Development - Create and implement programs to improve the effectiveness of SHN’s community engagement.
5. Strategic Thinking - Have the ability to anticipate, interpret, decide, align and learn.
6. Decision-Making - Must be able to make decisions and take responsibility for them in a timely manner. Must also demonstrate the ability to make appropriate decisions that are based on policies and organizational directives.
7. Oral and Written Communication Proficiency - Must demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately, orally and in writing.
8. Detail-Oriented - Must be able to thoroughly accomplish tasks and monitor and check their work. Must be able to plan and organize their time and resources efficiently and effectively.
9. Leadership - Willing and able to grow and adapt, be action-oriented, build trust and accountability within the organization and with community partners, and remain objective.
10. Financial Management - Monitor use of funds, maintain compliance and ensure spending is done within ethical and regulatory guidelines. Ability to create and maintain a budget.
11. Intuitive - Understands how people and the world work. Can utilize knowledge and experience in situations where they won’t necessarily have complete facts and data.
12. Project Management - Must possess the ability to negotiate, manage scheduling, control risk, coach volunteers, manage tasks, communicate effectively, and delegate tasks.
13. Problem Solving/Analysis - Has the ability to collect and analyze information, solve problems, and make decisions.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Community Engagement Director will oversee other volunteers and assist them in their duties; specifically the Social Media Coordinator and Link Training Facilitators. The Community Engagement Director will co-coordinate every event that SHN hosts for fundraising, friendraising, etc., including the Annual Supply Drive; in this capacity, the Community Engagement Director will direct all volunteers working in support of the given event.

Support: The Community Outreach Director will be provided training on the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, as well as The Safe Haven Network’s history and activities. Executive Director will be available for questions and assistance. Entire SHN staff and board will be available (as possible) to support community outreach activities, particularly the annual Supply Drive.

Work Environment

The majority of the work that is required for this position will be done remotely.

Physical Demands

The Community Engagement Director will have to engage in incidentals, such as helping at SHN events, assisting with the annual Supply Drive, fundraising events, etc.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:

The Community Engagement Director is asked to commit to one year of service. We also ask that the Community Engagement Director train a successor before resigning. The Community Engagement Director will work remotely on their own time. We expect a commitment of 5-10 hours per week, depending on the upcoming activities. The Community Engagement Director will attend the monthly staff volunteer meeting and present a Community Engagement report at same; and will meet with the Executive Director weekly.

Travel:

The Community Engagement Director must be located in Chicago or the Chicago area. They must be able to attend meetings in Chicago at least once a month. Travel is primarily local and will occur usually during the business day. In the future, some out-of-the-area and overnight travel may be expected.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance:

This position does not offer sponsorship.

AAP/EEO Statement:

Safe Haven Network provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

To apply, please send a resume, brief statement of interest, and results of Big 5 Personality Test (https://bigfive-test.com/) to safe@thesafehavennetwork.org with "Community Engagement Director Application" in the subject line.