Community Engagement Coordinator

Prismhr Hire; Washington; Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington Builds is seeking a Community Engagement Coordinator to connect with Washington’s underserved communities, including LMI neighborhoods, tribal, and rural areas, and to shape clean energy financing products through direct community feedback.

The role requires organizing listening sessions, contractor outreach, and partnerships with local organizations, with statewide travel and a focus on accessibility and cultural appropriateness.

Qualifications

• Ability to build trust and communicate effectively with residents, small business owners, contractors, tribal and community organizations, and public partners.
• Cultural humility and the ability to work respectfully and effectively across diverse LMI, tribal, and rural communities.
• Strong organizing and facilitation skills, including planning and running accessible community meetings and listening sessions.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain clean energy financing concepts in plain, accessible language.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and facilitate community listening sessions in LMI, tribal, and rural communities, hosted in partnership with local organizations to ensure accessibility and cultural appropriateness.
• Gather and synthesize feedback on barriers to accessing clean energy upgrades, and translate that feedback into practical inputs for lending product design.
• Identify and engage local HVAC, solar, weatherization, and electrical contractors; educate them on financing opportunities and document needs to serve LMI, tribal, and rural customers.
• Build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations as long-term distribution partners and feedback loop providers.
• Represent Washington Builds respectfully in community settings, centering community voice in program development.
• Document and maintain records of engagement activities and provide summaries to leadership and program team.
• Track service activities and hours for WCCN reporting requirements, including quarterly and closeout reports.

Skills

Community outreach

Public speaking

Data synthesis

Travel willingness

Cultural humility

Relationship building

Job description

Full-Time; Non-Exempt; $70,000 annual base salary. This is a grant-funded, one-year term of service. This position is funded through the Washington Climate Corps Network (WCCN), a Serve Washington program supported by Washington's Climate Commitment Act. This position is contingent upon Climate Commitment Act grant funding.

SUMMARY OF ROLE

The Community Engagement Coordinator serves as Washington Builds' community connector, leading engagement across Washington's underserved communities, specifically low-to-moderate income (LMI) neighborhoods, tribal communities, and rural areas. This role ensures that the clean energy financing products Washington Builds is developing are informed by, accessible to, and trusted by the communities they are intended to serve.

Working in partnership with local organizations, the Coordinator carries out three core activities: facilitating community listening sessions, conducting contractor outreach to promote a statewide network of trade allies, and building relationships with community-based organizations that can serve as long-term distribution partners. Insights gathered through this work feed directly back into the design and refinement of Washington Builds' lending products.

The position gives the communities that stand to benefit most a direct voice in shaping the clean energy financing tools that will serve them. The Coordinator works closely with and reports to the Director of Programs.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to:

1. Plan, organize, and facilitate community listening sessions in LMI, tribal, and rural communities, hosted in partnership with local organizations to ensure accessibility and cultural appropriateness.
2. Gather and synthesize feedback on the real barriers contractors, residents, and small business owners face in accessing clean energy upgrades, and translate that feedback into practical input for the design of Washington Builds' lending products.
3. Identify and engage local HVAC, solar, weatherization, and electrical contractors; educate them on emerging clean energy financing opportunities; and document what they need to effectively serve LMI, tribal, and rural customers.
4. Build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations, including housing nonprofits, tribal organizations, community action agencies, and rural development groups, as long-term distribution partners and an ongoing feedback loop for program refinement.
5. Represent Washington Builds respectfully and effectively in community settings, centering community voice in program development.
6. Document and maintain organized records of engagement activities, contacts, and community insights, and provide clear summaries and recommendations to the Director of Programs and program team.
7. Track service activities and hours, and contribute the data and narratives needed to meet Washington Climate Corps Network (WCCN) program reporting requirements, including quarterly and closeout reports.
8. Take part in the training, professional development, and networking opportunities connected to the role.
9. Support continuous improvement of program design based on what is learned in the field.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Ability to build trust and communicate effectively with residents, small business owners, contractors, tribal and community organizations, and public partners.
2. Cultural humility and the ability to work respectfully and effectively across diverse LMI, tribal, and rural communities.
3. Strong organizing and facilitation skills, including planning and running accessible community meetings and listening sessions.
4. Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain clean energy financing concepts in plain, accessible language.
5. Ability to gather, organize, and summarize qualitative community feedback into useful, actionable insights.
6. Interest in or foundational understanding of clean energy, energy efficiency, or community development finance.
7. Self-motivated and adaptable, able to work independently and manage a schedule that includes frequent statewide travel.
8. Commitment to serving overburdened communities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This position is funded through the Washington Climate Corp Network (WCCN). WCCN sets the following eligibility criteria for the funded role; to be eligible, a candidate must meet at least one of the follow, as defined by WCCN:

• Be between 17 and 31 years old; or
• Be a U.S. military veteran (any age); or
• Be an individual with a physical or sensory disability; or
• Come from a vulnerable population in an overburdened community.

Priority is given to individuals from overburdened communities, including young adults, veterans, and those from other vulnerable populations. A candidate does not have to be from the community being served.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and comfort engaging people in community settings.
• Resides in Washington state.
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout Washington, including to rural and tribal communities.
• Valid driver's license.
• Ability to work independently and organize one's own schedule, priorities, and follow-up.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Lived experience in, or existing relationships within, LMI, tribal, or rural Washington communities.
2. Experience in community organizing, outreach, canvassing, or public facilitation.
3. Familiarity with clean energy, weatherization, solar, or home energy programs.
4. Proficiency in a language commonly spoken in Washington's underserved communities, in addition to English.
5. Familiarity with Washington State's clean energy, housing, community development, or related policy landscape.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS include but are not limited to:

1. Able to operate standard office and communication equipment such as a computer, telephone, and related electronic devices.
2. Able to communicate and accurately exchange information with residents, partners, contractors, and staff in person and electronically.
3. Able to acquire and review information from written, electronic, and visual sources.
4. Able to move about office, meeting, conference, and community event environments as necessary to perform job responsibilities.
5. Able to travel frequently to communities, partner locations, and events across Washington, representing a significant portion of the position.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

1. This position operates in a hybrid environment based in Washington, with frequent statewide travel and fieldwork in community settings.
2. The role regularly involves interaction with residents, small business owners, contractors, Tribal and community organizations, public partners, and Washington Builds staff.
3. Community engagement often occurs in the field and may include occasional evenings or weekends to accommodate community availability.