[Hiring] Community Development Special Projects Assistant @St. Olaf College

Role Description

The Community Development Department in the City of Northfield is committed to civic engagement and community relations to increase community understanding of our work and to eliminate barriers to participating in or understanding department initiatives.

The Community Development department is responsible for engaging with, educating, and supporting all community members about planned developments. The Community Development Special Projects Assistant student worker(s) will be specifically involved in reaching out to young people, particularly those at high schools and colleges in Northfield, along with a special focus on the growing Latine community.

The Department has a great opportunity for student workers to support ongoing outreach by working across teams to implement a community engagement program, focused on meaningful relationships with all those who live, work, play, or go to school in Northfield.

Student workers will also develop the following skills:

• Public speaking and professional written communications
• Working in both office and field environments
• Independent professional work and time management
• Working with diverse peers in small groups
• Spanish language proficiency, including translation and interpretation (Spanish/English)

Duties include:

• Learn and communicate knowledge about the City of Northfield’s plans and processes
• Create civic engagement and educational/informational content
• Conduct outreach with diverse populations
• Create education materials and engage with community members of all ages and abilities
• Other administrative tasks performed as necessary
• Event support as interest, skill level, and time allows

Qualifications

• Great interpersonal communication skills
• Interest/curiosity about government, advocacy, sustainability, community engagement, history, geography, urban planning, transportation, economics, or real estate
• Attention to accuracy and detail; ability to keep track of hours and manage time well
• Familiarity with visual communications tools
• Creativity, flexibility, adaptability
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Familiarity with social media platforms

Requirements

• Students must have a state or federal work award to be eligible for Community Based Work Study (CBWS) positions
• Assigned hours are not to exceed the students’ awarded hours: a maximum of 8 hours per week for first-year students and 10 hours per week for sophomores through seniors
• Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from their work site

Benefits

• Standard pay rate for CBWS: $13.50-15.50/hour
• Flexible hours agreed upon at the start of each academic term