Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description 

The Managing Director’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) is charged with driving change through our transportation and infrastructure systems. OTIS leads a portfolio of departments, including the Streets Department, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), and the Office of Multimodal Planning (OMP) to provide cost-effective quality services with a focus on the resident.  

This position would be within the Office of Multimodal Planning. OMP staff have a passion for Philadelphia and are dedicated to making a positive impact. OMP collaborates with a wide variety of organizations such as Amtrak, DVRPC, PATCO, PennDOT, and SEPTA as well as neighborhoods, Business Improvement Districts, and Registered Community Organizations Across the city. 

More information about the functions of OTI can be found at: www.phila.gov/otis. 

Job Description

Position Summary 

The City of Philadelphia seeks a highly motivated, flexible, creative, and independent coordinator with excellent communication, interpersonal, and project management skills to join OMP in the role of Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator. The Coordinator will be involved in the implementation of a range of complete streets projects and advancing the goals of the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan. Through their work and projects, the Outreach Coordinator will advance transportation equity and make Philadelphia a safer, more accessible city for all roadway users.   

This position will report to the Vision Zero Program Manager and will collaborate closely with the Vision Zero program team and Office of Multimodal Planning staff. The Outreach Coordinator will serve as the lead of OMP’s citywide engagement strategy and will lead and support the OMP Community Coordinators in developing strategic and tactical community engagement plans, and metrics of success, and coordinating engagement and outreach activities throughout the city related to advancing Vision Zero and multimodal planning. The Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator will develop and implement strategies to engage residents and build broad community support for Vision Zero, including but not limited to community roundtables in 2024/2025 and the City’s ongoing Vision Zero ambassador program.  

 

The Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator will promote traffic safety through all available communication and engagement channels, focusing on maximizing Philadelphians’ familiarity with traffic safety principles. The Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator will collaborate with colleagues on managing Vision Zero social media and a monthly e-newsletter to internal and external stakeholders. The candidate will also support the OTIS Communications Manager with developing and disseminating Vision Zero-related media content, including blog posts, press releases, and talking points.  

 

The Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator will also perform additional tasks as required related to meeting the deliverables of the Community Traffic Safety Project grant, including supporting the Vision Zero Task Force and Subcommittees, and representing Vision Zero at conferences and events.  

 

This is a grant-funded position, and consistent renewal of the grant is anticipated.  

Find additional information on Vision Zero at www.visionzerophl.com.  

 

Essential Functions 

Community Engagement and Outreach 

• Lead OMP community coordinators in a non-managerial capacity with engagement activities, strategic planning and evaluation metric development around community engagement 

• Lead the Vision Zero Ambassador program, including planning and evaluating the program and hiring and supporting Ambassadors to reach engagement goals.  

• Responsible for developing, planning, and implementation of citywide outreach and engagement strategies, including the Vision Zero community roundtable series 

• Maintain consistent communications with stakeholders via website and email newsletters. 

Promote Traffic Safety Messaging 

• Promote traffic safety messaging in accordance with NHTSA calendar, coordinating communications campaigns with local, state, and federal agencies through the monthly Vision Zero newsletter and other outlets. 

• Support creation of public-facing campaigns to advance Vision Zero goals and behavior change, including social media and print media. 

• Work with OTI Communications Manager to develop media content, including blog posts, web pages, press releases, and talking points to support Vision Zero. 

Program and Grant Management and Support 

• Support the Vision Zero Task Force and Subcommittees to advance the Vision Zero Action Plan. 

• Monitor and report on program and project goals through collected data and metrics to both internal partners and community members. 

• Support conversation with governmental officials and community groups to elicit support and promote public awareness of Vision Zero. 

• Support additional projects as assigned to assure that project timelines are clearly communicated to stakeholders and completed on time.  

Collaboration and Communication 

• Collaborate with peers at OTI and build relationships with staff across various City departments to better implement programs and projects.    

• Participate in meetings with inter-governmental partners, stakeholders and community groups related to transportation and traffic safety concerns.  

• Prepare and deliver communications materials such as presentations, memorandums, reports, data, and maps to a variety of audiences and in various forums.  

• Support City projects that advance the goals in the CONNECT Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, the Philadelphia Transit Plan, and the City’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan.  

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

Successful candidates will possess the following characteristics: 

• Action Oriented—comfortable with negotiating challenging situations and moving forward. 

• Planning—can accurately scope out projects to their full extent, set goals, and evaluate progress against them. 

• Behavioral Competency – seeks to understand why groups do what they do; picks up the sense of the group in terms of positions, intentions, and needs; discerns what groups and individuals value and how to motivate them. 

• Creativity—sees connections across areas of work and can create synergy across projects. 

• Strategic Agility—can anticipate future consequences and trends, position self and organization to be most effective; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. 

• Active Listening—can hear people out; understands the importance of listening to and understanding a wide range of opinions. 

• Organizing – can marshal resources to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently; arranges information in a useful manner. 

Successful candidates will know the following: 

• Community engagement best practices and developing meaningful partnerships with community champions and influencers.  

• Best practices in project management, setting and tracking performance toward project goals  

• Familiarity with social media campaign development and promotion of behavior change-oriented messaging  

• Techniques in effective writing, graphic design, social media, and related content development.  

• Program management and reporting on metrics, including grant reporting and developing metrics for community engagement 

• Interest in traffic safety or general transportation topics.  

• Understanding of equity and its relation to race, class, and identity. 

Successful candidates will have the following skills: 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.  

• Ability to manage multiple projects at once and appropriately prioritize efforts in a dynamic environment.  

• Ability to stay calm and communicate clearly in times of stress.  

• Ability to clearly describe creative vision, delegate, and lead others in a collaborative working style.  

• Can set and meet deadlines for one's work and the work of others.  

• Can independently initiate, plan, and coordinate multiple projects ranging from the simple and routine to the complex.  

• Ability to effectively communicate in a variety of settings both internal and public facing across a range of cultural contexts.  

• Ability to develop and enhance long-term partnerships  

• Public speaking and presentation ability or experience.  

• Experience with data analysis. 

Qualifications

Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include: 

• Five or more years of experience in community engagement, grassroots organizing, campaign management, advocacy, marketing, communications, or public relations 

• A Bachelor’s degree - may be substituted for up to three years of work experience. 

• Proficiency in Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Russian, Cambodian/Khmer, Portuguese, Arabic, or French is preferred, but not required 

 

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. If you do not exactly meet the qualifications outlined, please apply and describe in your cover letter how your own experiences equip you to excel in this position. 

Additional Information

TO APPLY: Please submit a resume and cover letter.

Salary range: $60K-$80K

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@phila.gov.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx