RSJ Commissions Coordinator

Statement of Duties

Under the supervision of the RSJ Deputy Director, the Commissions Coordinator is a collaborative professional with strong project management, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and well-developed critical thinking abilities. The Commissions Coordinator provides administrative and technical support to the commissions the Department of Racial and Social Justice supports. These may include the following commissions: The City of Somerville’s Human Right’s Commission (HRC), Somerville Commission for Women Commission (SCW), and the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) on City policies and procedures and policies relating to their relative City Ordinances and State statutes. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties. 

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Serves as a resource for the City and residents regarding the Human Rights Commission, Somerville Women’s Commission, and the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities
• Serves as a liaison for the RSJ department regarding questions, concerns, complaints related to HRC, SCW, and SCPD Commissions; screens and responds to correspondence and inquiries
• Serves as a liaison between these volunteer bodies, City departments, City Council and the broader Somerville Community
• Serves in an advisory capacity for events and strategic planning
• Communicates and translates City policies, practices, and procedures clearly and efficiently while differentiating between authoritative directives and opportunities for collaboration
• Provides technical assistance to the City regarding HRC, SCW, and SCPD issues and activities
• Guides and assists the HRC, SCW, and SCPD plans and oversees the progress of the plan’s goals and objectives in collaboration with the respective leadership of the Commission
• Involves significant public contact as well as interaction with other related City officials and entities
• Research and assists with City programs to enhance HRC, SCW, and SCPD related awareness
• Helps to develop written and web-based materials to disseminate information regarding HRC, SCW, and SCPD; collects and maintains a current library of HRC, SCW, and SCPD materials; locates, assembles and analyzes information related to the commissions’ activities and interests
• Represents the commissions in meetings with groups and organizations for purposes of collecting information and describing the Commissions’ programs
• Performs a varied number of tasks requiring considerable exercise of judgment and initiative within the guidelines established by the City Ordinances
• Attends public meetings as necessary to represent the City’s interests. Required to work flexible hours, including night and weekend meetings and events
• Performs outreach in the community regarding available resources and to gather information about needs; provides necessary public information to the community on programs and services offered by various agencies and government bodies;
• Ensures that appropriate processes are in place to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints and inquiries from the public; recommends resolutions to complaints; maintains correspondence and documentation of the compliance procedure; and prepares complaint case summaries where necessary
• Arranges approved requests for accommodation, alternate formats, etc. with appropriate staff members
• Posts meeting minutes and agenda. Prepares reports for meetings
• Promotes dialogue, facilitates interaction and strengthens alliances with a wide variety of public and private leaders, officials; with local, State and Federal agencies; and with external constituencies that represent and support human rights, women’s rights and accessibility rights
• Responds to individual requests for information on activities and programs related to the HRC, SCW, and the SCPD
• Confers regularly with other City staff on general strategies and specific projects to accomplish the work of the Commissions’, these departments include but are not limited to the Executive Administration, the City Clerk’s Office, the Intergovernmental Affairs department, the Law Department, and Information Technology
• Develops, prepares and maintains orientation and training materials for Commissioners, including arranging and/or developing periodic training on specific topics identified to support the work of the Commissioners
• Facilitates opportunities for the Commissions to engage the media to raise awareness of the Commissions mission with the RSJ Public Information Officer
• Identifies grant funding opportunities and assists with applications to support Commission activities
• Facilitates budget planning and management of expenses where applicable for the Commissions
• Performs similar or related work as required, directed, or situation dictates
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in human services, humanities, law, political science, public administration, civil rights, women’s studies, gender studies, equity, sociology or a related field and three (3) years’ experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Special Requirements 

Strong demonstrated commitment to equity, community empowerment and capacity building.  

Knowledge, Abilities And Skill

Knowledge: Working knowledge of office procedures and practices; knowledge and understanding of city structure, operations, and Robert’s Rules of Order; understanding of Commonwealth’s government. Knowledge of current social, economic and political issues affecting women and people with disabilities; commissions procedures and practices; stakeholder and community engagement; volunteer recruitment and engagement.

Abilities: Ability to establish and maintain effective and harmonious working relationships with City officials and departments, and the general public; ability to communicate effectively in written and oral form; ability to establish and maintain complex record keeping systems; ability to operate a telephone and standard office equipment; ability to manage multiple tasks in an efficient manner; ability to adapt to fast paced, crisis driven environment.

Skill: Skill in operating computers and applicable word processing and statistical applications; excellent customer service skills; time management skills and organizational ability are very important; skilled in persuasion, policy building, patience and exceptional oral and written communications. Policy development and project management skills are required.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours to attend evening meetings.

Physical And Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual Skills

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision

Hours: Full-Time

Salary: $75,000.00 annualized, plus benefits

Union: Non-Union

FLSA: Exempt

Date Posted: December 19th, 2025

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees
  
  

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
  
  

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

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