Community Engagement Specialist (NY)
Start Date: April 2022
Employment Type: This is a full-time
Location: Bronx, NY (hybrid)
Reports to: Recruitment and Community Engagement Manager

TKH General Overview
The Knowledge House’s mission is to empower and sustain a talent pipeline of technologists, entrepreneurs, and digital leaders, who will uplift their communities out of poverty.

The Knowledge House (TKH) approach is to (1) close gaps in the education-to-employment pipeline in underserved Bronx neighborhoods by teaching young adults aged 16-24 skills to launch careers or ventures in technology, and (2) support links between local youth, tech innovation, and business development that bring positive community impact. Headquartered in the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district, TKH has served more than 1,900 students. Current core programs include our Innovation Fellowship, focused on software engineering, cybersecurity, and design for adult job trainees, and our Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship for high school students learning computational thinking and web design.

Benefits of working at The Knowledge House:

• Apply your community outreach/development expertise to address the knowledge and skills gap seen in low income and underrepresented communities nationwide (we are rapidly expanding in NYC, Newark, Atlanta, and LA)

• Be part of a fast-moving and tech-enabled organization that’s building the next generation of tech entrepreneurs, technologists, and innovators.
• Join a startup where every team member is expected to contribute to strategy, create solutions and improve organizational culture.
• Flexible schedule hours; and ability to work from home for part of the work week

Role Overview::**
The Community Engagement Specialist for NY is responsible for raising awareness about TKH programs to the general public in NY. The Specialist attends community and corporate events, school fairs, and networking opportunities to engage local community members and gather interest and support for TKH programs and students. The Specialist coordinates info session webinars, career exploration and digital literacy programming to prospective students and volunteer engagement events. They support the outreach and recruitment process for TKH’s core programs, the Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship and the Innovation Fellowship, by reviewing, interviewing, and vetting applicants. They also support volunteer recruitment and securing wrap-around service partners to support student development and persistence. The Specialist is responsible for partner cultivation that secures applicant referrals and wrap-around services. These include, but are not limited to:

Key Areas of Responsibility
Community Outreach and Engagement (50%)

• Throughout the year, attend community events, career fairs, and student network convenings to raise awareness of TKH programs
• Attend local tech events and stay up to date on current events and trends to engage in the local tech ecosystem and recruit volunteers and supporters
• Coordinate and deliver career exploration and digital literacy programming to general public that increases applications to TKH
• Assist with planning and promoting TKH events and workshops to students, alumni and the local community, especially in person
• Implement a partner outreach strategy to share TKH’s application with as many jobseekers as possible and identify long-term partners in NY
• Support students’ development by sharing their stories with the local community and organizing student engagement events.
• Conduct research and outreach to secure local referral and supportive service partners who can provide support services as needed

Recruitment, Screening, Selection (25%)

• Coordinate recruitment efforts for assigned programs, including info sessions, application screening, applicant assessments, interviews, and enrollment
• Work with the Recruitment Manager to collect, review and score hundreds of applications for annual fellowships, coordinating admissions activities for staff and volunteers to support
• Partner with instructors and alumni to answer applicant questions
• Work with Career Success Manager to leverage alumni referrals
• Work with Communications Manager to produce promo and social media assets for admissions and secure media appearances to promote the program

Corporate Engagement (15%)

• Develop a strong understanding of the program offerings in order to educate potential volunteers and partners.
• Represent TKH at networking events, meetups, trainings, and community engagement opportunities to gain volunteers and supporters
• Support the execution of TKH tech-related community events including meetings with stakeholders, volunteer events, and events for the public like tech summits, demo days, and hackathons
• Coordinate recruitment efforts to secure volunteers, tutors, and mentors from the industry that support students locally
• Actively identify and create opportunities to connect TKH students with industry professionals in person and virtually

Administrative Support (10%)

• Update a database of community and service partner outreach
• Track applicant activity and evaluations
• Support the Program Manager in updating the program calendar, planning events, and promoting the organization
• Coordinate with the development team to prepare proposals, presentations, and reports as needed

Qualifications:
Experience:

• 2 years of work experience ideally in a non-profit, education, or youth development environment* is required*
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with internal and external stakeholders is required

Skills & Approach to Work:

• Passion for education and social impact preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office/Google Suite and Asana preferred**
• Ability to independently produce high quality work, delegate, problem-solve, and ask for help when needed.
• A passion and love for our students and their genius. A tenacious desire to smash all barriers in the way of our students accessing rewarding, high-paying careers in technology.

• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to balance multiple priorities and deadlines in a constantly changing and fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and persuasive communication skills, including public speaking abilities.
• Ability to travel occasionally and participate in frequent evening and weekend activities for work-related purposes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

The full-time salary range for this role will be between $52k-$55K. Benefits for full-time staff include health, dental, and vision insurance, a 2% 401k match, a monthly tech stipend, a weekly no meeting day and unlimited paid time off.

To ensure employee and student safety, as of January 1, 2022, all TKH employees are mandated to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

It is the policy of The Knowledge House, Inc. to promote and provide equal employment opportunity without discrimination based on age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic predisposition, or carrier status.

Job Type: Full-time