Communications Specialist III Community Engagement Planner

Applyingequity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County 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 todevelop 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 Metros 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 Metrostaff and leadership elected officials community members and the public.
• Apply project management skills to establish and document processes plans and timelines tomeet community engagement goals and overall project timelines.
• Track key learnings from community and metrics that support the teams 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

The most competitive candidates will have at least 3 years of demonstrated experience designingand implementing complex equitable feedback gathering opportunities that center public and community members 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 groups needs.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to establish documents and systems to track and manage engagement activities and completedeliverables 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 Countys top languages referred to as Tier 1 or Tier 2 languages in the Countys 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

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 supplementalquestions
• 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.

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 Location
This 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 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 98104

Employees 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 departments 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 Apply
If 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

Forbes named King County as one of Washington States best employers. Together with leadership and our employees were 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 teamdedicated to serving one of the nations 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) Employer
No 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.