CBWS City of Northfield Community Development Special Projects Assistant

Position is for the 2026-27 academic year; September 2026 start date.

IMPORTANT: STUDENTS MUST HAVE A STATE OR FEDERAL WORK AWARD TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR COMMUNITY BASED WORK STUDY (CBWS) POSITIONS. Student CBWS work eligibility is subject to change due to work award re-determinations over the summer. This means even students who were a chosen applicant for the position may be ineligible to work if they do not have a state/federal work award in Fall 2026. Students who are unsure if they currently have a state or federal work award - please contact before applying to find out what type of work award you have.

Job title: City of Northfield Community Development Special Projects Assistant

Classification: Student Worker (non-exempt)

Name and address of employer: St. Olaf College 1520 St. Olaf Ave. Northfield MN 55057

Rate of Pay: Standard pay rate for CBWS

Date Position is Active: Academic Year 2026-27

Department/Office: Community Based Work Study

Address of where duties are performed:
Northfield City Hall (801 Washington Street Northfield MN 55057) with possibility of remote work

Supervisor: Emery John City of Northfield

Alternate Supervisor: Erin Zimmerman Svoboda Center

Wage Range: $13.50-15.50/hour

Objective of the position:

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

• Learn and communicate knowledge about the City of Northfields 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; and
• 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.

Hours

Hours are flexible and can be agreed upon at the start of each academic term.

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.

Transportation to off-campus work site:

Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from their work site. This position can be completed either remotely or in-person; if in person the worksite is a 2-mile (20 min) walk from campus. Students can review their transportation options at theSt. Olaf transportation website.

This job description is for general information purposes. It is not intended to list all duties and responsibilities of the position. This job description is subject to change at any time by St. Olaf College with or without prior notice.