Community Engagement Coordinator

Position Summary

This position is PTM's main point of contact in the community and the person who delivers tsunami education out in the field. The Community Engagement Coordinator is the face of the museum in the community, building the relationships and everyday presence that make PTM a trusted institution across the island and state: known to the schools, organizations, government agencies, and businesses it serves, welcomed into local coalitions, and seen as the place people go for tsunami education. A central part of the role is visiting and presenting at schools around Hawaiʻi Island, with priority given to those in the tsunami inundation zone.

This position is the evolution of PTM's former Outreach Coordinator position, tailored to combine community relationship-building with hands-on program delivery. It's ideal for someone who takes the initiative, is happy to go out and create connections rather than wait for them to come in, and is equally comfortable meeting a new contact over coffee and delivering a tsunami-preparedness presentation in a classroom.

YOUR FIRST YEAR: BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

In your first year, you'll focus on delivering PTM's programs, strengthening PTM's public events efforts, and getting tsunami education into the schools and communities that need it most. Working with the Education & Training Program Manager, this includes:

• Learning and delivering PTM's tsunami education presentations: Understand PTM content and deliver presentations to schools, classrooms, and community events across Hawaiʻi Island, with potential trips to neighbor islands.
• Supporting PTM's public events and building out First Saturday at the Museum: Help plan and run tsunami commemoration dates, Tsunami Awareness Month, and other events. Enhance our monthly free First Saturday event from its current structure into a fuller program with guests, promotion, and exciting reasons for people to show up.
• Becoming a known presence in the community: Bring PTM's programming to schools and communities in the tsunami inundation zone, and build relationships on the ground so that PTM is invited to community events and into local coalitions.
• Retooling and executing PTM's social media strategy: Build and manage PTM's online presence.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Community Relationships & Presence

Serve as a lead PTM representative in the community and the public face to the teachers, organizers, and businesses that host and book our programs. Build an everyday presence that reinforces PTM's standing as a trusted institution and partner by identifying, participating in, and attending community events. Bring relationships that reach above the working level to the Program Manager.

Program Delivery & Presentations

Work alongside other PTM-trained instructors to deliver tsunami education and preparedness programs in the field and on-site, as needed. Present at schools around the state, prioritizing Hawaiʻi Island and those in the tsunami inundation zone, and deliver talks and activities for community groups and businesses as part of the Kamaʻāina Initiative. Help plan and run PTM's public events, including the monthly free First Saturday at the Museum, tsunami commemoration dates, and Tsunami Awareness Month, along with other events as they arise.

Digital Presence

Build and manage PTM's online presence by developing and executing PTM's social media strategy, engaging with the community online, and sharing the story of PTM's work across digital channels.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 3–5 years of experience in community engagement, outreach, education, or a related field
• Excellent public speaking and presentation abilities, ideally with adults and K–12 students
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build lasting working relationships
• Comfort developing and managing social media content and strategies
• Event coordination experience, including planning and promoting public events
• Self-directed with experience handling multiple priorities
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel throughout Hawaiʻi Island, with occasional neighbor-island travel
• Availability to work some evenings and weekends

Preferred

• Background in the museum, nonprofit, or education field
• Experience teaching, training, or facilitating, especially with K–12 audiences
• Knowledge of Hawaiian culture, history, and community dynamics
• Familiarity with emergency management, disaster preparedness, science, or safety education
• Existing relationships with Hawaiʻi Island schools, government agencies, or community organizations

WHAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL HERE

• Initiative: Going out and creating connections without the need for step-by-step direction
• Consistency and authenticity: Comfortable showing up in a space, introducing yourself, building trust, and becoming a welcomed and familiar presence
• Confident presenter: At ease delivering tsunami education to audiences of all ages, including K–12 students
• Cultural sensitivity and respect: Especially regarding Hawaiian culture and community dynamics
• Mission alignment: Excitement about tsunami awareness, community engagement, and building a safer, more resilient Hawaiʻi through preparedness

WHY WORK AT PTM

PTM is in a phase of revitalization and growth. With new state funding, we're expanding our capacity and scaling our programs statewide. As part of our team, you'll work directly with museum leadership, have genuine input on direction, and see the impact of your work in our community.

This role offers an opportunity to work alongside survivors, educators, emergency managers, and community leaders, and to build the relationships that carry tsunami safety across Hawaiʻi.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and cover letter to museum@tsunami.org.

In your cover letter, we'd love to hear your answers to the following. A few sentences on each is plenty.

• Tell us about something you started or built that no one asked you to, at work or in your community. It doesn't have to be big, but tell us one where you had to bring other people along. What made you start it, what did you do to keep it going, and where did it end up?
• Tell us about a relationship or community connection you built slowly, over time, rather than in a single meeting. What was hard about it, and what made it finally click?
• The Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust describes its Aloha framework through the values of Akahai (tenderness), Lōkahi (harmony), ʻOluʻolu (agreeableness), Haʻahaʻa (humility), and Ahonui (patience). Pick one and either tell us about a time it was hard to hold on to, or how you demonstrate it in your everyday life.

Timeline

Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Pacific Tsunami Museum is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourages applications from people of all backgrounds, especially those with ties to tsunami-affected communities.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $50,000