Amara is committed to positive long-term outcomes for children and families. We drive systemic change, promote healing, and advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity by offering programs and services to families engaged with foster care and to adoptees and families, post-adoption.

At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted, and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

The Community Engagement Associate is an exciting, external-facing role that supports outreach efforts for fundraising, programs, and broader community development to help advance Amara’s mission. This position is responsible for facilitating and coordinating a robust community engagement strategy for Amara, with a focus on relationship-building with community partners, service providers, volunteers, and funders. This position will spend a significant time supporting Amara’s partnership work in Pierce County, will help design and implement outreach strategies for new Amara programs, and will support donor and community engagement efforts broadly.

If you are energized by the Amara mission and ready to contribute your expertise in helping us reinvigorate another 100 years on creating and following through on ambitious plans in service to improving children’s well-being, we would love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Community Engagement Associate is a member of Amara’s Development and Communications team and works closely with all staff across the organization. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Community Engagement:

• Design and implement community engagement strategies to deepen Amara’s relationships in specific regions and with specific populations (program participants, people involved in child welfare, donors, elected officials, partner organizations, etc.).
• Represent Amara at community meetings and events and ensure other Amara staff members are connected to community events as related to their positions.
• Support volunteer engagement strategies and tactics across the organization.
• Staff the front office at Amara’s Seattle Office weekly to support operations and engage with the King County community.
• Actively participate in Amara’s efforts to advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity, unlearn biases, and engage in the organization’s broader work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Partnership Development:

• Support community engagement and partnership development in master planning and land development efforts.
• Develop relationships with partner organizations for resource sharing, information sharing, and  narrative change across Washington.
• Lead Amara’s community engagement events/conversations and support development and execution of programmatic and fundraising events.
• Support fundraising and communications activities, including supporting donor relationships development, marketing, events, and campaigns.

Programmatic Engagement:

• Collaborate with Amara teams to support various trauma-informed outreach efforts across WA including developing and deploying a kinship caregiver stakeholder engagement plan.
• Assist with promoting Amara’s kinship programming locally, state-wide, and nationally.
• Coordinate and support a region scan of local resources, assess the need for a central resource network for kinship families, and develop a plan to meet that need.
• Engage people with lived and professional experience with child welfare in community conversations and efforts to bring more support and resources to youth and families impacted by the child welfare system.

•  Minimum two years in community fundraising, volunteer management, social impact design, corporate community relations, project management, community organizing or other related areas; four+ years’ experience preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively through various mediums with people from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender backgrounds.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to develop, conduct, and facilitate presentations and community meetings.
• Takes initiative and demonstrates flexibility.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Strong relationship management skills with both internal stakeholders and external community members/partners/organizations.
• Advanced organizational skills and highly detail oriented.
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate with diverse groups and projects effectively.
• Technology skills including expertise with Microsoft Office and database management.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends with occasional travel throughout the state.
• Ability to transport self to and from the office on in-office days and to meetings/events in the King and Pierce County communities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, equity, and anti-racism:
  • Experience working in a variety of racially and ethnically, and socio-economically diverse environments and show a strong understanding of intersectionality.
  • Demonstrated commitment to understanding and dismantling structural racial inequity.
  • Desire to further personal understanding of racial and social justice work.
• Group facilitation experience.
• Knowledge of the Pierce County community landscape.
• Knowledge of or experience with the child welfare system.
• Familiarity with asset-based and/or social impact design approaches to community development, volunteerism, and individual and corporate philanthropy.

Criminal Background Check 

Because this position has access to confidential client, employee, or financial information OR direct interaction with children any final candidate hired into this position must successfully pass a criminal background check performed by the State of Washington. Any job offer is contingent on successfully passing this background check.  A list of disqualifying convictions for this position is available at: https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/bccu/documents/Secretary%E2%80%99sCrimesListforALLPrograms.pdf

Vaccination Requirement:

Amara requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This requirement is designed to prioritize the safety of the children and families we serve. Exemptions may be sought only for documented medical or religious accommodations.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time position (40+ hours per week) with an annual salary of $50,000-$55,000, depending on experience. Generous personal leave and benefits package, including paid time off, paid sabbatical; health, vision, and dental insurance; 401k with a company match; and life and disability insurance. The successful candidate will have flexibility to work-from-home and will have desk space in our Pierce County office. 

To Apply

To express your interest in this position, please send your resume and a one-page cover letter indicating why this position is the right opportunity for you. Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed until position is filled.

Amara is an Equal Opportunity Employer