A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact. 

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What We Offer:

  Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 

  Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 

  Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.

  Opportunities in Tech - Don’t wait for the future, shape it.

  Benefits - We care about your well being.

Agency Description

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding.

CEO’s Guiding Principles

• We believe city government has the responsibility to provide opportunities to and promote the well-being of all citizens while representing their best interests.
• We believe the people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, and full lives.
• We believe people can offer meaningful insights into both their personal experiences and how the systems around them function.
• We believe poverty is a systemic issue and city government can lead in dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities.

CEO’s Values

• Dignity: How we treat the community we serve is reflective of how we treat each other.
• Inclusivity: People at all levels of CEO are invited to participate in every way.
• Persistence: When we get discouraged, we find ways to lift each other up and push forward.
• Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.
• Honesty: We create a safe space without judgment to have healthy and honest dialogue about systems, people and misconceptions.

CEO is seeking to fill the open position of Community Engagement Manager. The Community Engagement Manager   position is an integral part of the City’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, an agency within the Health and Human Services Cabinet of the Managing Director’s Office of the City of Philadelphia.  Its mission is to advance economic justice through racial equity, in order to increase mobility out of poverty and ensure that all Philadelphians can share in the benefits of economic growth. CEO also distributes federal Community Services Block Grant funding and other resources to support this work. Mitchell Little is the Executive Director of CEO and oversees the development and implementation of CEO’s economic inclusion and racial equity agenda.

One of the key placed-based initiatives taken on by CEO is the West Philadelphia Promise Zone. In 2014, the West Philadelphia Promise Zone received a 10-year federal designation aimed at creating jobs, improving education, reducing crime and empowering the community. Using a collective impact model, which organizes the expertise and resources of more than 100 partners, CEO serves as the lead agency using a committee structure to address 3 interrelated program areas:

• Housing
• Health and Wellness
• Economic Opportunity/Workforce

CEO’s partners represent public, nonprofit, private, academic, and community-based organizations and institutions. Together they have spearheaded several initiatives and invested financial and in-kind resources aimed at creating and sustaining a vibrant and thriving community. In addition, the “Promise Zone designation” helps local organizations enhance their competitiveness when applying for federal grants to support neighborhood revitalization projects and programs in the zone.

Essential Functions Promise Zone

The Community Engagement Manager will work under the supervision of the Director of Neighborhood Initiatives to advance the required work elements under the Promise Zone program as designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. The main areas of work and associated tasks are as outlined below:

Strategic Alignment

• Advance CEO’s place-based community engagement strategies by listening to, supporting, and including community groups and community members in Promise Zone activities.
• Communicate with key stakeholders to ensure strong engagement and representation from stakeholders to participate in subcommittees and contribute in other ways across the Promise Zone area.
• Assist with support or engagement with other City departments, community partners, and CEO initiatives in the Promise Zone (e.g., the BenePhilly Initiative and the Financial Empowerment Centers).

Program Management

• Serve as support for the Director of Neighborhood Initiatives in fulfilling all HUD and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) data reporting requirements.
• Support the ongoing progress of Promise Zone Committees and their work plans for three (3) Promise Zone program issue areas: Housing, Workforce and Economic Opportunity, and Health and Wellness.
• Ensure strong engagement and representation from stakeholders to participate in subcommittees and contribute in other ways across the Promise Zone area.
• Attend meetings of the Promise Neighborhood Education Committee and the Public Safety Committee to support cross coordination of committee projects and initiatives.  
• Develop pertinent reports on projects or initiatives.

Project Team Support

• Support AmeriCorps VISTAs in maintaining consistent community engagement via regular contact with leaders of community-based organizations and civic associations; overseeing the development and execution of Promise Zone community events, such as resource fairs.
• Support AmeriCorps VISTAs who manage the day-to-day work of the subcommittees, including the facilitation of communication between meetings; working with committee co-chairs in preparing agendas; developing action plans and identifying roles for partners.
• Support AmeriCorps VISTAs in attending community meetings and events, managing social media accounts, and producing a monthly newsletter to update residents on the activities of the Promise Zone.

The duties of this position and the preferred qualifications and experiences of the successful candidate being sought for this position are as follows:

Program and Strategy Related

• Work with the Director of Neighborhood Initiatives on recommended refinements to PZ Logic Model, Community Engagement priorities, activities, and outcomes to achieve program and the PZ Common Agenda as needed.
• Participate in meetings with committee co-chairs and VISTA staff to prepare for and help strategize all meeting goals, objectives and agendas.
• Facilitate/co-facilitate committee meetings in collaboration with committee co-chairs and VISTA staff as needed.
• Assist committee co-chairs and VISTA staff in identifying program priorities, sponsoring special projects, and planning community events.

Personnel and Volunteer Related

• Coordinate with the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service (OCEVS) in recruiting, hiring and integrating each VISTA cohort.
• Provide feedback on VISTA staff where appropriate.
• Assist committee co-chairs in recruiting members to serve on their respective committees.

Resource Development (Support) Related

• Help identify public and private resources for committees to tap to perform their work.
• Identify grant opportunities through and in coordination with CEO and local HUD office.

Program Evaluation Related (Internal)

• Coordinate with CEO in:
  • Establishing metrics/data measurements to help define, track, and inform solutions across all policy areas.
  • Convening stakeholders across all policy areas to support committee level and community level work and to facilitate cross sector/cross agency coordination and collaboration.
  • Assessing and reporting program performance to ensure progress, transparency, and accountability across all priority areas.
  • Assessing and reporting on cross-committee coordination and outcomes.
  • Assessing and reporting on CEO support of program priorities, projects and community events.
  • Assisting in crafting and tracking budgets and budget performance.
  • Reviewing and contributing to monthly newsletters and other methods for sharing information on funding opportunities and program activities

Other duties as assigned

Education and Experience

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent required
• Preferred professional experiences in:
• Public administration
• Urban planning
• Social and environmental sciences

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Successful work, and demonstrated capacities and skillsets in the areas of:
  • Qualitative and quantitative analysis
  • Information sharing
  • Collaboration and consensus building
  • Meeting facilitation
  • Organizational strategic planning
  • Community and economic development
  • Resource development
• High comfort level engaging a variety of audiences and colleagues, including but not limited:
  • Multi-ethnic and multi-racial groups and program constituencies
  • Multi-generational groups and program constituencies
  • Corporate and philanthropic entities
  • Government officials (elected and appointed)
  • Human service organizations
  • Community-based, service-oriented organizations
• High-level communication skills in:
  • Public speaking
  • Writing and editing
  • Telecommunications
  • Conventional and social media

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Support PZ AmeriCorps VISTAs
• Support Emerging Leaders

Please submit a cover letter, resume and reference list with your application. Applications without all documents will not be considered.

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• Employees are eligible for a 25% tuition discount program (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available 

Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx

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