Community Engagement Fellow — Shape NYC Block Safety

RFCUNY; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RFCUNY Benefits

Job summary

RFCUNY is seeking five Community Engagement Fellows to serve as neighborhood-based staff for New York City's block-level community safety initiative. This full-time, paid fellowship combines field-based program implementation with a structured curriculum in civic leadership and communications.

Fellows will work 80% in communities and 20% in fellowship activities, engaging residents, coordinating CPTED walkthroughs, and partnering with City agencies to implement action plans across blocks in NYC.

Qualifications

• At least seven years of experience in community organizing, engagement, outreach, or a related field, OR a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field plus five years of relevant work experience.
• Minimum high school diploma or equivalency required. Bachelor or Advanced degree preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with diverse community members, community-based organizations, government, and nonprofit partners.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience leading community meetings, working groups, or resident engagement processes and driving toward clear, actionable outcomes.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, meet tight deadlines, and maintain organized documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with residents, community partners, and government agencies.
• Commitment to equity-centered and community-led participatory approaches to public safety and neighborhood wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Build and sustain trusted, long-term relationships with residents, community leaders, natural supporters, local businesses, and other stakeholders on assigned blocks.
• Conduct initial resident engagement on each assigned block, introducing the program model, identifying community strengths and challenges, and cultivating relationships.
• Facilitate biweekly block huddles with residents and community leaders, managing scheduling, note-taking, action item tracking, and follow-up to promote accountability.
• Attend and represent the City’s programming at community events, precinct council meetings, community board and block association meetings, and other relevant convenings.
• Facilitate ongoing community outreach and resident engagement to raise awareness of program activities and support collective problem identification and problem solving.
• Assist in developing and maintaining community engagement protocols for each block with clear strategies and outcomes.
• Coordinate CPTED safety walkthroughs on assigned blocks in partnership with residents, City agency staff, and technical experts.
• Support residents in identifying, designing, and implementing block-level action plans.
• Monitor and track implementation progress across program components on assigned blocks.

Skills

Community organizing

Stakeholder engagement

Facilitation

Project management

Communication

Spanish

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

RFCUNY is seeking five Community Engagement Fellows to serve as neighborhood-based staff for New York City's block-level community safety initiative. This full-time, paid fellowship combines field-based program implementation with a structured curriculum in civic leadership and communications.

Fellows will work 80% in communities and 20% in fellowship activities, engaging residents, coordinating CPTED walkthroughs, and partnering with City agencies to implement action plans across blocks in NYC.