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.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Mission of the Office of Public Engagement (OPE) is to strategically engage the many diverse communities across Philadelphia to increase residents’ knowledge of key Kenney Administration initiatives, and to gather feedback and perceptions about how the government and these initiatives can best serve our communities.  OPE does this by collecting and tracking data, employing quality engagement methods, and ensuring culturally competent and inclusive practices.

The Office of Public Engagement enhances the City’s community outreach and engagement efforts. We work with residents to make City government accessible to all Philadelphians. We also help make sure everyone’s voice is heard when the City is drafting and implementing policies.

The Office of Public Engagement is housed within the Mayor’s Office.

The Hope Fellow (Coordinator) will be responsible for managing external community relationships with violence prevention leaders and community-based organizations for A Hope That Lights The Way, a 1-year grant-funded project.

More about the Hope project:

The Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement exists to provide a pathway to visibility and well-being for our most vulnerable and dispossessed residents, including youth and young adults, and Black men and boys, women and girls. A Hope That Lights The Way will produce a multi-media documentary that uses ethnographic research and narrative analysis to depict the need and ongoing work of forging and protecting hope for Black men and boys - and the communities that love them - in Philadelphia.

Narrative is a primary meaning-making tool for human beings. In Towards a Poetics of Fiction, Hardy writes, "For we dream in narrative, daydream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize, construct, gossip, learn, hate and love by narrative. In order to really live, we make up stories about ourselves and others, about the personal as well as the social past and future."

For too long, Black men and boys have been center stage regarding gun violence in Philadelphia and most of our efforts as City government have been reactive and short term.  The Hope project will disrupt this persistent narrative by amplifying, strengthening, and documenting the strategies of hope used by Black men and boys in our City.  By turning a light towards those who do the important work of helping people develop and maintain hope, this project seeks to record relevant data that will help the City make critical decisions about how to engage residents as we tread a path forward.

Further, narratives shape public policy and public actions. Narrative research suggests that by intentionally constructing narratives using methodologies such as the Narrative Policy Framework, we can ensure that the lived experiences of Black men and boys are fully understood, and that policy goals that promote the wellbeing of Black men and boys are met.

Essential Functions

The successful Hope Fellow (Coordinator) will:

• In collaboration with the Hope Fellow (Manager), support the design and implementation of the Hope That Lights the Way project vision, as outlined in the grant proposal
• Build on existing City relationships, grantees and others who have been identified as violence prevention leaders, as well as explore and develop new relationships with neighborhood and grassroots level change agents
• Organize and facilitate partnerships with groups and residents to engage them in focus groups and story-telling activities to capture project data and content
• Attend and support project events and meetings as needed

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required

Minimum of 1 year of experience with community organizing or nonprofit volunteer coordination is preferred.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to foster existing relationships and build new relationships with partners at multiple levels.
• Strong aptitude for effective communication, remotely and in person, with supervisors, teammates, stakeholders and others.
• Clear understanding of best practices in community engagement and volunteer recruitment/retention.
• Data driven approach to problem-solving.
• Excellent time management skills with capacity to work simultaneously on multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Comfortable working with data and digital systems.

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Applications without all documents will not be considered.

This is a nine-month contractual position that will end in July 2023.

Salary: $37,500 for nine months

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (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

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Please note that effective September 1, 2021 the City of Philadelphia is requiring all new employees to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. 

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