Communications Specialist III - Community Engagement Planner

Full Job Description

Metro Transit has an exciting Community Engagement Planner III opportunity on Metro’s Community Engagement Team coordinating the planning and implementation of community engagement efforts to solicit input from the public regarding Metro service and capital planning, programs, and policies.

The Partnership & Engagement group within Metro Transit's General Manager's Office facilitates community engagement, government relations, language equity and community-based organization partnerships for King County Metro.

This workgroup is part of the Strategic Communications and Engagement section that provides Metro trusted leadership, coordination, and expertise in engagement and communications with employees, stakeholders, partners, and the community to shape and implement equitable and sustainable regional mobility solutions.

This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Career Services, Communications Specialist III - Community Engagement Planner vacancy. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility list for future Career Service (CS), Special Duty Assignment (SDA) and Term Limited Temporary (TLT) positions that may occur in this classification and workgroup. The eligibility pool list is valid for up to 12 months from the time of posting for use at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Requirements

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees.

In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work. As a Community Engagement Planner III, you will:

• In collaboration with other engagement colleagues, support the design and implementation of multi-phase engagement strategies that allow the public to shape services, infrastructure, plans, and policies that affect them– including creating feedback gathering activities such as public meetings, surveys, advisory and working groups, focus groups, and partnership with community-based organizations
• Work closely with senior community engagement planners and project teams to identify opportunities and limitations on what aspects of the project can be influenced by community engagement and turn technical information into easy-to-understand messages for the public.
• Coordinate with strategic communications, creative, and marketing teams to develop plain language, in-language, and accessible communication products and strategies to reach external audiences.
• Build positive, lasting formal and informal relationships with stakeholders, including community-based organizations, and community leaders as partners in meaningfully engaging priority populations in Metro’s decision-making.
• Facilitate temporary and standing working groups, advisory boards, and formal commissions, including recruitment, agenda preparation, orientation, facilitation of decision-making, note taking, and assuring accessibility of meetings and materials.
• Support development of engagement plans, engagement summaries, overview presentations, and final engagement reports that summarize the engagement goals, approach, activities, and outcomes to share with the public, Metro staff and leadership, elected officials, community members and the public.
• Apply project management skills to establish and document processes, plans, and timelines to meet community engagement goals and overall project timelines.
• Track key learnings from community and metrics that support the team’s key performance indicators to report on community engagement outcomes.
• Act as liaison with specific communities to provide information and education about transportation projects, to articulate departmental perspectives on relevant issues, and to listen to concerns and help resolve problems
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

The most competitive candidates will have at least 3 years of demonstrated experience designing and implementing complex, equitable, feedback gathering opportunities that center public and community member’s voices to shape plans, projects, and outcomes.

Competitive candidates will also have

• Experience implementing inclusive, multi-phase community engagement initiatives that center the voices of traditionally underrepresented communities; tracking, documenting, analyzing feedback.
• Familiarity with the spectrum of public participation and experience identify how community input can meaningfully shape decisions to address community-identified needs and priorities.
• Effective group facilitation skills to set and manage a meeting agenda and guide groups to achieve meeting goals including active listening, awareness of group dynamics, creating an inclusive environment, time management, and adapting in real time to meet the group’s needs.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to establish documents and systems to track and manage engagement activities and complete deliverables on time.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to express ideas clearly and concisely, adapting the message for diverse audiences across various formats, explaining technical information in public friendly and accessible ways and inviting and welcoming participation.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work collaboratively and build effective relationships with both internal staff teams and leadership as well as diverse communities, stakeholders, elected leaders, and the public.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), collaboration tools like Teams, file sharing tools like SharePoint, survey creation tools, virtual meeting hosting through Teams and Zoom including creating break out rooms, screen sharing, setting up multilingual interpretation channels, etc.

Desirable Qualifications (Not Required)

• Education or experience in community engagement, public administration, social and climate justice, facilitation, political science, public relations, public affairs, urban planning, sociology, or a related field.
• Fluency in one of King County's top languages – referred to as Tier 1 or Tier 2 languages in the County's Executive Order on Translation (Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Ukrainian, Amharic, Punjabi)
• Knowledge of local community issues and/or relationships with community leaders and government agencies in the Puget Sound Region and knowledge of Puget Sound regional transportation issues and projects
• Public engagement training or certification (such as IAP2 certification) or involvement in public participation, facilitation, or dialogue and deliberation professional associations?

Additional Information

Required Application Materials

• A completed Job Application (go back at least 10years if you have 10 years of employment (more to include all relevant). Resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed job application.
• Resume
• Complete the supplemental questions
• A letter of interest (cover letter) that addresses why you are interested in this role and how your experience, skills and/or education have prepared you for this position.

NOTE: Applications that do not include the required materials maybe rejected as incomplete and will not advance in the process.

Selection Process
All the application materials will be screened for qualifications, competitiveness, completeness, attention to detail and written communications kills. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews. Final offers are contingent on successful completion of reference checks.

Who May Apply
This position is open to all King County employees and the public.

Work Schedule
This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay. The work schedule is normally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Variations may be required depending on the demands and needs of the work.

Union Representation/Job Code/Grade
Protecl7/252305/58

Work LocationThis is a hybrid position. The team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. Currently the team is required to work 1 day in office each week.

In office requirements are anticipated to increase to 2-3 days per week in 2026. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change.

The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S.

Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely.

The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

To ApplyIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact: Manal Tirhi, mtirhi@kingcounty.gov

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference?

Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce.

To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity.

Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards.

We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) EmployerNo person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.