Community Outreach Associate
The Community Outreach Associate will be responsible for supporting the Director of Community Outreach in the execution of the Community Outreach program for East Side Access, one of the MTA’s major capital projects to connect the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Main and Port Washington lines in Queens to a new LIRR terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. This new connection will increase the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan, and dramatically shorten travel time for Long Island and eastern Queens commuters traveling to the east side of Manhattan.
Job Responsibilities
- Establish a close working relationship with the Construction Managers, Program Executives and other members of the project.
- Stay abreast of construction activities in order to advise the community in advance of work starting and to be able to respond to inquiries by the public on current work as it impacts their community. This would also entail participating in job progress meetings and other similar meetings.
- Manage outbound and public facing print and digital communications including community updates, newsletter, special construction notices, blast notices and the website.
- Conduct site visits to various locations throughout NYC and be able to document and report issues or conditions.
- Draft newsletters and correspondence.
- Assist or manage spreadsheets and databases for tracking a variety of issues, events and other information.
- Schedule and coordinate meetings.
- Take and prepare minutes for review and distribution.
- Attend meetings along with or on behalf of the Director of Community Outreach or project executives in a lead or supportive role, both during and after normal business hours.
- Under guidance from the Director of Community Outreach the Community Outreach Associate will liaise with Community Boards and other community groups. This includes attendance at meetings where presentations are made as well as coordinating responses and developing programs to assist in communicating the project with government officials and the public.
- Develop relationships with local schools and other community groups in order to promote the project and to educate people on the reasons for and benefits of the project.
- Research and present findings on a variety of issues related to the project and surrounding communities.
- Gather information as necessary for presentations and respond either directly or provide information to support the project executives.
Qualifications
- BA in Communications (or related field) plus one to three years of professional level experience in community relations or public affairs. Experience or interest in construction and/or transportation a plus.
- Must be able to execute on minimal directions and work independently.
- Must be a self-starter and answer inquiries with limited supervision.
- Ability to work under tight deadlines and/or with limited resources.
- Must have excellent listening skills.
- Must be able to identify problems and potential problems in the community and develop solutions.
- Comfortable meeting with and possibly negotiating with government, business and community leaders.
- Contacts or familiarity with local community groups and public officials preferred.
- Effective oral and written communication skills are essential.
- Must have a high level of tact and tolerance to criticism and comments by outsiders.
- Must be comfortable with public speaking and presentations.
- Familiarity with NYC government, public agencies and real estate.
- High proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Office.
- Some experience with email marketing, HTML, website design/use.
Email cover letter and resume to ezaretsk@mtacc-esa.info.