Community Engagement Specialist: HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia

MISSION

HIAS Pennsylvania supports low-income immigrants of all backgrounds as they build new lives in our community. Through immigration legal services and an array of social services, we work to address their needs, defend their rights and advocate for their equitable inclusion in American society.

General Position Description:

The Community Engagement Specialist manages HIAS PA’s volunteer program and in kind program, coordinates engagement with current and prospective community partners, and oversees several community engagement events.

Responsibilities

Overseeing the Volunteer Program:

● Serve as a first point of contact for all prospective volunteers, guiding them through an onboarding process and fielding all questions through this process;

● Conduct outreach to volunteers through participation in outside events and distribution of material within the community;.

● Oversee a rigorous and detailed training and orientation program for volunteers, ensuring that both physical and digital materials and resources are kept up to date, distributed and understood;

● Identify appropriate placements of volunteers within HIAS PA programming;

● Provide supervision and mentorship of volunteers to ensure that they are supported in their longer term volunteer assignments;

● Evaluate all aspects of the volunteer program, including gains made for clients and programs by participating volunteers;

● Manage several position-specific and in-service volunteer trainings, continuously evaluate the need for additional trainings, and develop and implement accordingly;

● Work closely with staff to identify volunteer placements for clients from within existing volunteer programs, as well as identifying with staff where there are gaps and developing new volunteer positions accordingly;

● Track volunteer information, including contact information and weekly or monthly hours spent volunteering with HIAS Pennsylvania;

● Manage volunteer database in order to communicate with volunteers; manage volunteer status, progress, and clearances; and prepare quarterly time reports regarding volunteer engagement.

Developing and Managing Community Partnerships

● Serve as a first point of contact with organizations and schools seeking to learn more about HIAS PA;

● Work closely with staff as appropriate to develop plans and strategies for partnership with community-based organizations, universities, congregations, and corporations that will expand our capacity and network of resources;

● Implement these plans and strategies including conducting outreach, fielding requests from prospective partners, scheduling meetings, responding to requests for information, and conducting info sessions and speaking engagements as appropriate;

● Maintain partnerships through serving as a point of contact for issues as they arise and ensuring appropriate follow-up;

● Manage relationships with supporting congregations through the Congregational Support Circle; ● Manage speaking engagement requests coming from the public and identify appropriate staff to conduct these speaking engagements.

Managing Community Events:

● Oversee a committee of HIAS PA staff to plan the agency’s annual Thankful Together event, taking place each November;

● Oversee a committee of representatives across agencies to plan the City’s annual World Refugee Day event, taking place each June;

● Support the Development Director, Advocacy team, and other staff to plan the Annual Meeting recognizing volunteers, Martin Luther King Jr Day of Advocacy, and other related events and programs.

Managing In-Kind Donations:

● Act as a single point of contact for in-kind donation requests and ensure timely responsiveness;

● Maintain upkeep of clear procedures to be shared with prospective donors looking to donate

material goods;

● Direct prospective donors to other partners in the event we cannot accept the donation;

● Manage relationships with existing in-kind partners, and with staff input, identify and develop additional partnerships as needed;

● Liaise with interested community partners in hosting drives to meet specific material needs;

● Manage the storage and organization of donations in the office, and maintain clear systems and procedures shared with staff regarding access and distribution of goods to clients;

● Where needed, identify volunteers to support in delivering donated goods to clients and manage existing systems to facilitate these processes.

Other Organizational Requirements:

● Represent the agency to other stakeholders, service providers, and the general public;

● Actively participate in supervision, weekly team meetings and other departments, agency, community and provider meetings, as needed and appropriate;

● Provide supervision of any interns working on the Community Engagement team;

● Other related duties as assigned by the Development Director.

Qualifications:

● Experience working with volunteers;

● Bachelors Degree in related field strongly preferred;

● Willingness to travel throughout the City and the suburbs and conduct recruitment, education, and training in community based locations (after the end of the pandemic);

● Willingness to work some evenings and weekends;

● Preference given to those candidates who have experience working with immigrant and refugee communities or economically and ethnically diverse populations;

● Excellent verbal and written communications skill in English required;

● Strong volunteer relations skills–ability to calmly respond to an upset volunteer or in-kind donor without taking it personally;

● Knowledge and experience working in small events management and coordination a plus;

● Ability to work with a multicultural clientele and ethnically diverse staff;

● Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications and Google Suite;

● Strong database and spreadsheet management skills, with accuracy in data entry;

● Ability to exercise sound judgment in decision making practices;

● Strong organizational and time management skills;

● Ability to identify challenges and provide recommendations for solutions.

This is an exempt position; salary is commensurate with experience. Employment package includes comprehensive health care insurance coverage, 403(b) employer contribution retirement account, and very generous paid holiday leave and vacation provisions. Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

HIAS PA is working remotely for the foreseeable future but under normal circumstances HIAS Pennsylvania is a fast-paced environment. There is considerable traffic in the office and the work environment has a moderate amount of noise. The office functions as a team and staff members are asked to work both independently and collaboratively.

HIAS Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, or veteran status. It is our policy to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Qualified applicants who represent minority and marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Compliance Statement: In the performance of their functions as detailed in the position description employees have an obligation to avoid ethical, legal, financial and other conflicts of interest to ensure that their actions and outside activities do not conflict with their primary employment responsibilities at the agency. Employees are also expected to understand and be in compliance with applicable laws and agency policies.

Benefits