Community Outreach Coordinator

Maine Tasting Center; Waterville (ME); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Kennebec River Restoration Trust is seeking a Community Outreach Coordinator to support public outreach, gather stakeholder feedback, and organize community events across central Maine.

Based in the Waterville–Skowhegan region, the role involves coordinating meetings, collaborating with staff, and developing communications to keep communities informed about river restoration and redevelopment initiatives.

Qualifications

• At least 1–3 years in community outreach, nonprofit, communications, volunteer coordination, or public engagement.
• Strong interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with diverse communities and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support community outreach related to river restoration and engagement initiatives.
• Build relationships with residents, organizations, officials, and stakeholders.
• Attend community meetings and represent the organization at events.
• Gather, document, and report community feedback and ideas.

Skills

Community outreach

Public engagement

Communication skills

Volunteer coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Job description

Who We Are

The Kennebec River Restoration Trust is a nonprofit organization established to take ownership of four dams on the lower Kennebec River in Maine – Lockwood, Hydro-Kennebec, Shawmut, and Weston – and manage a multi-year river restoration and redevelopment process in close collaboration with local communities. The Board and staff of the Trust are committed to building enduring solutions that restore the ecological health of the Kennebec River and strengthen the region's economic vitality.

Summary of the Role

The Community Outreach Coordinator supports the Trust's efforts to build strong relationships with communities throughout the Kennebec River region. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about community engagement and environmental conservation, and who enjoys connecting with people from diverse backgrounds to help ensure community voices are meaningfully incorporated into project planning and execution. Working closely with the Community Outreach Manager and CEO, the Community Outreach Coordinator will support public outreach efforts, gather feedback from local stakeholders, help organize community events, identify opportunities for community partnership and collaboration, and assist with communications and relationship-building activities. The position offers an excellent opportunity to gain experience in community outreach and engagement, nonprofit operations, environmental restoration, and public communications. The position is based in the central Maine region and will spend most of the time in riverside communities between Waterville and Skowhegan.

Key Responsibilities

Community Engagement & Relationship Building

• Support community outreach efforts related to river restoration, redevelopment opportunities, and community engagement initiatives.
• Build positive relationships with residents, business owners, community organizations, municipal officials, and other local stakeholders.
• Attend community meetings, public events, and outreach activities as a representative of the organization.
• Help gather and document community feedback, concerns, and ideas.
• Assist with organizing public meetings, workshops, volunteer events, and stakeholder gatherings.
• Maintain contact lists and stakeholder records to support ongoing outreach efforts.
• Help coordinate Advisory Council and Working Group meetings and community engagement activities.

Communications & Outreach Support

• Assist in developing outreach materials, presentations, newsletters, and public updates.
• Support social media, website updates, and other digital communications efforts.
• Help communicate project information in a clear, accessible, and engaging manner.
• Capture community stories, feedback, and success stories to support organizational communications.
• Coordinate event logistics and outreach activities.

Organizational Collaboration

• Work closely with Trust staff and partner organizations to support outreach goals.
• Participate in team meetings and contribute ideas for community engagement strategies.
• Prepare summaries of outreach activities and community feedback.
• Support special projects and other organizational initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• At least 1–3 years of experience in community outreach, nonprofit organizations, communications, volunteer coordination, public engagement, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for working with people and communities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable speaking with community members, local organizations, and public stakeholders.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a small team.
• Interest in environmental conservation, community development, public policy, or related issues.
• Experience with social media, event planning, or volunteer coordination is a plus.
• Familiarity with Maine communities or the Kennebec River region is helpful but not required.
• Willingness to travel within the region and attend occasional evening and weekend events.

Physical Requirements of the Job

The job requires travel within the region, the ability to attend occasional evening and weekend events, working at a computer station for substantial lengths of time, performing office duties as needed, and the ability to lift objects up to 30 pounds. The Trust will provide reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities where appropriate. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Workplace Environment

The Trust strives to provide a supportive work environment through fair and competitive compensation and benefits, up-to-date equipment and IT support, adequate supervision, and ongoing professional development. The work environment is friendly, fun, cooperative, and very fast-paced. Staff members need to be able to work independently and adapt to changing priorities. This work is supported by staff policy, training, and mentoring, and through fostering an organization that prioritizes fairness and respect.

Kennebec River Restoration Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our commitment to equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.