Community Engagement Specialist

PHMC is proud to be a leader in public health. PHMC requires that all employees are fully vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine before the first day of employment. 

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), through its Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program (BT-PHP), located within the Division of Disease Control (DDC), is the lead administrative and planning agency for public health emergency preparedness and response in the City of Philadelphia. BT-PHP is responsible for establishing local public health preparedness priorities, developing and testing response plans, coordinating with local, state, and federal partners, and managing the public health response to real events.  

The Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist is responsible for supporting outreach and engagement efforts for the BT-PHP program. Activities include planning and delivering public health preparedness trainings to the public and service provider agencies. Additionally, the Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist will work to build collaborative and sustainable relationships with a diverse set of partners throughout the City. This position will involve field work, with in-person support at community events, health fairs, and potentially response activities. This position is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional work after hours and on weekends to support Program activities. This is a grant-funded position; continuation of the position is contingent upon sustained funding.

Specific Duties: 

• Initiate new partnership opportunities with community and faith-based organizations using a strategic, equitable approach.
• Organize and execute training and educational seminars, including engagement of potential attendees and event management.
• Maintain relationships with community-based organizations and service provider agencies through the provision of trainings and educational materials targeted to meet partner or community needs, as well as Public Health Preparedness Program goals.
• Deliver and support comprehensive preparedness training curricula for partner agencies and the public.
• Identify effective channels of communication for reaching targeted audiences, including identification of non-mainstream and non-digital methods to promote important preparedness and emergency response information to at-risk or socially isolated populations.
• Participate in Public Health Preparedness program activities including trainings, exercises, and real public health response activities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in public health or related field preferred.
• Previous non-profit or government experience a plus. Specific experiences desired include community-based outreach and engagement, health education, and/or partnership building activities in a public health or health services agency.
• Fluency in languages other than English preferred, but not required.
• Public speaking
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to present information effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Flexibility, professionalism and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously are highly valued attributes.
• A valid driver’s license is required.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements: 

• This is not remote work. The applicant will work from the Health Department offices or other locations as assigned. This job may require moderate physical effort including lifting materials and equipment of less than 50 pounds and involves viewing a CRT or VDT screen 50 to 75 percent of the time. The position requires responding to public health emergencies on short notice and some after-hours activities to achieve Program objectives.

Supervision: 

• This position reports to the Community Outreach and Engagement Manager.

Salary and Benefits: 

• Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. This position comes with a comprehensive benefits package consisting of medical and dental coverage, paid sick, vacation, and personal time, and a retirement plan.

How to Apply: 

• We are dedicated to building a staff that reflects the diversity of Philadelphia. Interested applicants should submit an electronic cover letter that expresses the individual’s interest and experience along with a resume to:

Alyssa Jacobsen, MA

Workforce Manager, Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program

Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control

1101 Market Street, 12th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Alyssa.Jacobsen@phila.gov