Community Outreach Lead – New Orleans en CDM Smith

Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co-workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.

Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world-class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.

Job Description

This position is for a community engagement expert looking to use their passion to improve public health through infrastructure projects around the United State, starting in New Orleans. You will join CDM Smith’s growing, cross-discipline strategic communications team, leading community outreach and engagement for municipal drinking water projects.

Projects you may work on include leading vast community engagement teams comprised of different firms working towards a unified goal and approach, planning and facilitating internal and high-stakes public meetings, developing presentations for internal and external stakeholders, helping develop guidance and communication strategies for a variety of programs, and reviewing communications deliverables for consistency and accuracy.

Passionate about organizational efficiency, you think through processes to ensure the right people get the right information at the right time – and you think about how to best present data for efficient understanding. With a strong sense of plain language and the ability to tailor to any audience, you dig deep into material to ensure it communicates its key message. When someone thinks something cannot be done, your first instinct is to find a solution anyway. You are comfortable jumping from one technical topic to another and applying your expertise to different scenarios.

The core of your work will be directing large-scale communication and engagement efforts related to drinking water infrastructure improvements. Your tasks will generally include:

Leading large teams of communications experts; ensuring communications tasks are executed

Facilitating discussions within your respective programs and creating plans to promote better organizational coordination and management

Creating and implementing communication plans to ensure stakeholders receive information needed appropriately when being asked to make a decision

Writing and editing documents to specific reading levels while ensuring they meet brand and style guidance

Translating highly technical textual information into a visual story that the audience can relate to and make decisions about

Proving highly detailed quality control and readability reviews

Managing and mentoring junior staff working on project communications

Teaching technical staff communications best practices

Interacting with the public, especially disadvantaged communities, via virtual and on-the-ground community forums

Facilitating community engagement forums, like public meetings, hearings, and listening sessions

Working with social media and electronic methods of survey and data collection; analyzing that data efficiently

Creating forums to brainstorm and act on ideas to improve communication best practices, and/or creatively address specific client challenges

Contributing to proposals to win more work, including writing public-engagement related scope, building up a team, and estimating cost

Some weekend and evening hours will be required to attend project public engagement events.

PSF

Regular

Bachelor's degree.

7 years of related experience.

Domestic and/or international travel may be required. The frequency of travel is contingent on specific duties, responsibilities, and the essential functions of the position, which may vary depending on workload and project demands.

Equivalent additional directly related experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience leading community outreach and engagement for diverse communities

Internal and public meeting facilitation training and experience, experience with controversial situations a plus

Experience writing and producing content for varied audiences at low reading grade levels

Experience with graphic design

Ability to speak Spanish or Vietnamese, is a plus.

Skills and Abilities:
Strong organization skills; ability to manage a project team, scope, schedule, and budget

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to see the big picture, then connect disparate dots of activities to meet an end goal

Ability to build internal and external relationships

Ability to translate highly complex technical information into content the general public can understand

Ability to adapt to quickly changing technologies

Confident working in a virtual team atmosphere

Strong facilitation skills

We attract the best people in the industry, supporting their efforts to learn and grow. We strive to create a challenging and progressive work environment. We provide career opportunities that span a variety of disciplines and geographic locations, with projects that our employees plan, design, build and operate as diverse as the needs of our clients. CDM Smith is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, pregnancy related conditions, childbirth and related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression), national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Louisiana - New Orleans

10%

Fulltime-Regular

No - We will not support sponsorship, i.e. H-1B or TN Visas for this position

Strong knowledge of corporate governance practices, organization design principles, accounting principles, finance, supply chain management, and organization management.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to understand highly complex technical, professional and business materials.

CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries (hereafter collectively referred to as “CDM Smith”) reserves the right to require background checks including criminal, employment, education, licensure, etc. as well as credit and motor vehicle when applicable for certain positions. In addition, CDM Smith may conduct drug testing for designated positions. Background checks are conducted after an offer of employment has been made in the United States. The timing of when background checks will be conducted on candidates for positions outside the United States will vary based on country statutory law but in no case, will the background check precede an interview. CDM Smith will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant's criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate. In addition, during employment individuals may be required by CDM Smith or a CDM Smith client to successfully complete additional background checks, including motor vehicle record as well as drug testing.

CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries (hereafter collectively referred to as “CDM Smith”) reserves the right to require consumer reports or investigative consumer reports containing information about you in connection with your application for employment. The consumer report or investigative consumer report will provide information including but not limited to verification of employment, education and licensure, etc. as well as credit when applicable for certain positions. If this position is subject to a consumer report or investigative consumer report related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of the report. CDM Smith may also conduct drug testing for designated positions. In addition, during employment individuals may be required by CDM Smith or a CDM Smith client to successfully complete additional consumer reports or investigative consumer reports, as well as drug testing.

All bonuses at CDM Smith are discretionary and may or may not apply to this position.

The hiring department will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant's criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate.

Successful candidate will be required to work 100% in the office.

An appropriate and valid driver's license is required.