Under the supervision of the VP of Strategy and Operations, the SC2C Community Engagement Manager (CEM) will implement a core strategy of Stamford Cradle to Career (SC2C) to authentically engage youth, parents, and community residents. This position will focus on engagement of parents with children in Stamford. In partnership with the Community Action Networks (CANS) of Stamford Cradle to Career, the CEM will design strategies to engage parents to co-develop solutions to the issues each network addresses. Strategies will be informed by StriveTogether’s Co-Development of Solutions framework.  

 

SC2C (www.stamfordcradletocareer.org) is a collective impact organization with the mission to collectively align community resources to ensure equity and excellence in education, for every child, from cradle to career. Our goal is that all students in Stamford, CT, have the access and support they need to graduate high school and be prepared for college and career. SC2C works closely with Stamford Public Schools and community organizations to coordinate efforts. SC2C is dedicated to eliminating racial inequality in education and creating opportunities for children and youth to succeed. All staff must possess an ability to work with multicultural communities. 

 

The CEM will be present in the community and at community events and will be responsible for developing authentic relationships with parents and families across Stamford, in particular reaching families that are not already connected with SC2C partner organizations. The CEM will also be responsible for outreach to community nonprofit partners, schools, and faith-based organizations to share information about SC2C and determine ways to engage families, and find natural places to integrate their participation in the work of the CANs. This will include creating regular opportunities for one-on-one and group engagement and management of relationships. The CEM supervises SC2C’s Parent Ambassadors, lead SC2C’s Parent Advisory, and manages SC2C’s direct communications with parents and community members through our What’sApp group, parent email list, Community Calendar, working closely with SC2C’s Communications Manager.  

 

Goals for this position include: 

1. Development of regular community events highlighting opportunities for families in Stamford. This requires working with parents to co-develop the content, format and timing. 

1. Recruit community volunteers, parents and students to engage with the work of the CANs on an ongoing basis and cultivate one parent to join as CAN tri-chair in each network. 

1. In collaboration with community partners, develop a feedback process for families who attend and participate in SC2C events.  

1. Continue the leadership and growth of the Parent Advisory. 

1. Develop an organizational partner onboarding process to orient collaborators to our role as a collective impact organization.  

 

2.  Essential Functions  

Coordination 

• Maintain communication and work collaboratively with members of CANs to develop and implement community engagement plans. 

• Attend and present at partner and community meetings and events. This will require some evening and weekend hours. 

• Make phone calls and build relationships across the community. 

• Keep a log and record your interactions with members of the community. 

• Prepare and present regular reports of progress to CANs and Executive Team.  

• Liaise with Stamford Public Schools’ Office of Community Engagement and the Here to Help program (run by Stamford Public Education Foundation) to identify opportunities and resources to share that may impact parents.  

• Conduct research related to the continuous improvement process and other components of SC2C initiative. 

• Create and maintain a database of engaged parents, youth, and community members.  

• Plan and facilitate regular meetings with Parent Ambassadors and Parent Advisory groups.  

• Support communication and policy work as it relates to parents and community residents. 

 

Projects, Events & Communications 

• In coordination with SC2C CANs, create and execute a plan for conducting surveys, focus groups, town halls, or other sessions to determine the best ways to engage parents, find opportunities for participation and leadership in SC2C mission, and identify areas of opportunity and need to focus resource.  

• Work closely with SC2C’s early childhood staff and partners to 1) share Sparkler, a mobile app for parents with children ages 0-5, with families and to plan events and outreach; and 2) conduct surveys and focus groups, particularly about the needs of families with young children. 

• Manage and support volunteer roles and responsibilities, including finding and providing opportunities for developing and learning for community partners and parents. This will include designing and providing a partner orientation to SC2C and our goals and mission.  

3. Required Experience and Education 

• Bachelor’s Degree or Associates Degree and equivalent work and life experience.  

• Demonstrated ability to communicate with multiple audiences in a culturally competent manner. 

• Candidates must understand the challenges and barriers faced by marginalized communities, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, class, ability, immigration status, gender, and their intersections, and have experience engaging with and working alongside communities of color. 

• Bilingual (English and Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Ukranian) strongly preferred AND an ability to work closely with translators for both oral and written translations. 

• Superior communication skills (oral and written). 

• Experience building relationships within your local community. 

• Experience discussing and leading conversations around community identified issues preferred. 

• Demonstrated experience in project facilitation and management. 

• Demonstrated ability to engage a diverse set of partners from all sectors of the community and build relationships. 

• Demonstrated ability to create processes and systems. 

• Demonstrated capacity to work well with others. 

• Evidence of organizational ability and ability to successfully complete assigned projects. 

• Excellent technology skills including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint); Google Suite (Forms, Drive); and familiarity and/or skills in graphic design are a plus. 

Statements in this Job Description are intended to describe the general nature of work being performed.  They are not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.