Community Engagement Associate

 

PLA is seeking an outgoing and organized individual with strong communication skills to join our Development and Communications team as our full-time Community Engagement Associate. The Community Engagement Associate is responsible for cultivating awareness of PLA’s services through relationship building and maintaining an engaged presence in client-eligible communities. This includes coordinating all community outreach and engagement and representing PLA at outreach events, both in-person and virtually. The successful candidate will have a variety of responsibilities, engaging directly in community events, coordinating virtual discussions, and promoting community engagement activities on PLA’s communications platforms. Although the candidate will have dedicated time to each activity, they should be flexible and dynamic with strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities include:

  • Serve as PLA representative at community events, on coalitions, and at relevant stakeholder meetings.
  • Lead PLA’s core community engagement efforts, including coordinating outreach activities, legal education presentations, and know-your-rights workshops for community members, both in-person and virtually.
  • Identify and communicate emerging issues in low-income and underserved communities that can be addressed through civil legal representation and advocacy.
  • Cultivate and strengthen relationships with social service providers, legislators, and community-based organizations, including giving presentations about our services on how to identify legal issues that may be appropriate for referral to PLA.
  • Maintain knowledge of statistics, reports, trends, and current events regarding poverty, legal aid, underserved and at-risk populations including, without limitation, immigrants, limited English speakers, older adults, people with disabilities, survivors of violence, and veterans.
  • Remain informed of unit projects, priorities, and services to support units in developing and implementing community engagement activities. 
  • Serve as the main point-of-contact for requests for information on PLA involvement in community events; evaluate appropriate levels of engagement based on priorities and resources.
  • Utilize technology to compile, analyze, and share quantitative and qualitative data regarding PLA’s services and its impact.
  • Create outreach and educational materials in conjunction with units and theCommunications Associate, including fliers, presentations, newsletters, emails, and social media posts
  • Communicate regularly with Communications Associate to ensure social media, website, and newsletter content remains up-to-date as it relates to outreach and community engagement

 

Minimum Qualifications:
We seek an enthusiastic relationship builder with a demonstrated commitment to community service, a high sense of empathy, and an eagerness to work on a collaborative team. This person is a resourceful problem-solver with excellent written and oral communication skills. Academic background in legal studies, social services, or another relevant field is preferred but not required. Qualified candidates will have:

  • Strong organization skills and attention to detail
  • Proven ability to manage project timelines and work independently 
  • Demonstrated experience in relationship building, community engagement, and project coordination 
  • Effective communicator and storyteller with strong written and verbal communications skills 
  • Enthusiasm for creative thinking, problem-solving, and bringing new ideas to the table 
  • Understanding of and experience creating content for presentations and social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, including streaming on Facebook Live 
  • Commitment to working in solidarity with low-income Philadelphians and building equitable communities 
  • Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and/or Cambodian language skills are strongly preferred but not required 

Salary and Benefits:
Salary is dependent upon experience, starting at $40,000. PLA offers a generous benefits package in addition to salary:  health insurance premiums paid in full for employee and family, cash incentives for health insurance opt-out, vacation, personal, and sick leave, thirteen (13) paid holidays, 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution based on years of service, life insurance and short and long term disability benefits.   

Application Process:
Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) is an equal-opportunity employer. PLA values a diverse work environment and strongly encourages women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness, and people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems to apply. PLA invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice. 

Send a cover letter, resume, references, and 1-page writing sample, preferably in one PDF document, to bmacdougall@philalegal.org.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and the positions will remain open until filled. We encourage applicants to submit applications early.