Community Engagement Specialist

Community Engagement Specialist

The Community Engagement Specialist is responsible for coordinating community engagement and outreach activities for the ConnectWell: Behavioral Health and Community Partnership Network within their assigned county. This position builds and maintains relationships with community partners, supports the Community Partnership Network, facilitates community outreach and listening efforts, and assists with implementation of the Connection Prescription Network.

The Community Engagement Specialist serves as a key connection between The Well, community organizations, behavioral health providers, healthcare partners, schools, public safety agencies, individuals with lived experience, and other local stakeholders. The role helps strengthen collaboration, identify community needs and resources, reduce barriers to behavioral health and recovery supports, and build sustainable community infrastructure.

ConnectWell is an initiative focused on strengthening behavioral health and community safety across Madison and Platte Counties. The project brings community partners together to improve coordination, strengthen referral pathways, expand access to resources, and build capacity across the region. Together, these efforts are intended to create a stronger, more connected system of support for the communities we serve.

Core Values:

• Show Up with Generosity: You build authentic relationships through gratitude, partnership, and consistent communication.
• Check the Ego: You collaborate closely with program and finance staff, valuing teamwork and accuracy over individual credit.
• Embrace Diversity: You celebrate and honor the cultures, identities, and lived experiences of those we serve and ensure donor messaging reflects this shared value.
• Grounded in Hope: You believe in the transformative power of community investment and bring optimism, professionalism, and persistence to your work.

Qualifications:

1. Education & Experience

• Community engagement, behavioral health, outreach, coalition-building, or related experience preferred.
• Experience working with community organizations, healthcare providers, schools, public safety agencies, nonprofit organizations, or other cross-sector partners preferred.
• Experience working in rural communities and/or with diverse populations is preferred.

2. Community Engagement & Relationship-Building Skills

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community partners and stakeholders.
• Comfortable conducting outreach and representing The Well in community settings.
• Ability to recruit and engage organizations in collaborative community initiatives.
• Skilled in facilitating meetings, community conversations, listening sessions, and partnership activities.
• Ability to engage individuals with diverse professional backgrounds, perspectives, cultures, and lived experiences.
• Ability to identify community strengths, needs, barriers, and opportunities through active listening and relationship-building.

3. Project Coordination & Technical Skills

• Strong organizational and project coordination skills.
• Ability to manage multiple partnerships, activities, deadlines, and follow-up responsibilities simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and willingness to learn project-specific technology, resource, referral, and data systems.
• Ability to maintain accurate community resources and partnership information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to assist with surveys, community assessments, outreach data collection, documentation, and grant-related reporting.

• Ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling participant, partner, or project information.

4. Professional Attributes

• Self-motivated, dependable, organized, and responsive.
• Comfortable working independently while remaining highly collaborative.
• Adaptable and able to respond to changing community needs and project priorities.
• Strong problem-solving and follow-through skills.
• Approachable and comfortable initiating relationships with new individuals and organizations.
• Able to work effectively across organizations without direct authority over community partners.
• Passionate about behavioral health, community development, access to resources, and strengthening rural communities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Community Partnership Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with community organizations, behavioral health providers, healthcare organizations, schools, public health agencies, law enforcement, EMS, faith organizations, and other community stakeholders.
• Recruit organizations and community representatives to participate in the Community Partnership Network.
• Support ongoing engagement and retention of Community Partnership Network members.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration and coordination among community partners.
• Connect organizations and stakeholders with appropriate ConnectWell activities, resources, training, and partnership opportunities.
• Represent The Well and ConnectWell professionally within the assigned community.

2. Community Outreach & Engagement

• Coordinate community outreach and engagement activities within the assigned county.
• Conduct and support community listening sessions to gather input regarding behavioral health needs, community strengths, service gaps, barriers, and project priorities.
• Develop relationships with populations and organizations that may traditionally experience barriers to behavioral health and recovery resources.
• Support the development, implementation, distribution, and ongoing improvement of bilingual and accessible community outreach materials.
• Participate in community meetings, events, presentations, and outreach opportunities.
• Conduct community engagement/listening sessions at least quarterly during applicable project years.

3. Connection Prescription Network

• Support implementation and ongoing operation of the Connection Prescription Network within the assigned county.
• Recruit and engage community organizations that can participate in the Connection Prescription Network.
• Help connect participating partners with standardized referral processes, community resources, and project tools.
• Support efforts to identify barriers that prevent individuals from accessing recommended behavioral health, recovery, and community resources.
• Assist with follow-up processes used to understand whether individuals successfully accessed recommended resources and whether identified barriers were reduced.
• Collaborate with the Project Director and other ConnectWell team members to improve coordination and referral pathways between participating organizations.

4. Community Resources & Referral Infrastructure

• Maintain current information about community resources, services, eligibility requirements, referral processes, wait times, languages offered, and hours of availability.

• Assist community partners in identifying appropriate behavioral health, prevention, crisis, treatment, recovery, housing, employment, transportation, and other community resources.
• Collaborate with the Community Systems & Data Manager and other project staff to support accurate information within the shared community resource platform.
• Identify gaps, outdated information, or barriers within existing referral and resource systems and communicate findings to the project team.
• Encourage community organizations to participate in ConnectWell networks and collaborative initiatives.

5. Community Assessment, Data Collection & Reporting

• Assist with implementation of community needs and resource assessments, surveys, listening sessions, inventories, and other project data-collection activities.
• Recruit and engage community stakeholders to participate in assessment and evaluation activities.
• Gather community feedback related to behavioral health priorities, service gaps, access barriers, community strengths, collaboration, and training needs.
• Maintain accurate documentation of outreach activities, participating organizations, community contacts, and engagement efforts.
• Assist with compiling information needed for project reports and performance monitoring.
• Collaborate with project leadership, the Community Systems & Data Manager, and project evaluators to support consistent data collection and continuous quality improvement.

6. Collaboration & Professional Development

• Collaborate closely with the Project Director and other ConnectWell staff to coordinate project implementation.
• Participate in Community Partnership Network meetings, ConnectWell planning activities, trainings, and project meetings.
• Participate in Learning Collaborative activities and other professional development opportunities relevant to community engagement and behavioral health.
• Share community feedback, emerging needs, partnership opportunities, and implementation barriers with the project team.
• Support continuous improvement and sustainability efforts by helping identify successful partnerships, community resources, and strategies that can continue beyond the grant period.
• Support other ConnectWell and organizational initiatives as assigned and consistent with the scope of the position.

Work Environment & Requirements:

• Frequent travel throughout the employee's assigned county and periodic travel throughout the ConnectWell service area of Madison and Platte Counties. The original grant position description specifically requires frequent travel throughout the assigned county.
• Regular attendance at community meetings, outreach events, listening sessions, and partner meetings.
• Some evening or nontraditional hours may be necessary depending on community meetings or events.
• Regular sitting, standing, walking, and computer use.
• Ability to transport