Community Development Specialist
This position will coordinate transportation related programs and information between MnDOT and local communities. You will participate in numerous committees, be responsible for community outreach and engagement, help communities access funding resources through planning and grant writing. This position has a cohort of other planners at regional development commissions (RDCs) doing similar work across Minnesota.
In addition, there will be responsibilities to do additional community engagement and planning to support and grow the local foods system in the region. Work includes researching and organizing local food assets, sharing ideas and opportunities for funding, supporting local projects through coordination with various public and private sector stakeholders. This position has a cohort of other planners at RDCs doing similar work across Minnesota.
This position is expected to develop new and additional contracts to financially support the position and the agency.
Description of Transportation Responsibilities: https://umvrdc.org/program/transportation/
Approximately 50% of your time will be working with local communities to encourage engagement with funding available for roads, bridges, transit, trails. This position may be increasing to more than 50% over the next few years.
The UMVRDC has an annual contract with MnDOT to coordinate information and resources between MnDOT and local governments in our five-county region. All RDCs across MN have an employee that implements this contract. This person will work closely with MnDOT District staff, contacts from the central office of MnDOT, and a network of other RDCs to identify local and regional issues and provide support for MnDOT processes for funding transportation projects in MN.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Participates in the MnDOT District 4 and 8 Area Transportation Partnership that allocates federal funding for transportation projects.
- Convenes and facilitates meetings of the UMVRDC’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and hosts an annual public transportation open house to showcase proposed transportation projects in the region.
- Regularly connect with local county and city engineers to share and gather information on local road, bridge and trail projects and identify opportunities to utilize various MnDOT programs to add additional community components to support active transportation.
- Represent the UMVRDC and provide a rural regional perspective on various MnDOT led regional and statewide planning initiatives. This will include serving on grant program application review committees.
- Conduct outreach to local governments to promote MnDOT funded programs transportation related topics like Safe Routes for School, Active Transportation, and a variety of new programs to address carbon reduction and climate mitigation.
- Advocate to local governments for technical assistance contracts with the UMVRDC for planning and grant writing services for the above programs through various means of community outreach (web, email, mail, personal visits, newsletters, press releases).
- Develop research and surveys to understand transportation needs and opportunities in the region.
- Shares transportation information from state and federal agencies with local units of government.
- Utilize strong computer-based skills to write and develop technical professional plans, memos, emails, press releases, website posts, data reports, and other documents.
- Attending quarterly Minnesota RDC transportation planner meetings to share ideas and learn together about transportation related topics.
- Serve as a transportation expert for RDC staff who are engaged in other community development work.
Description of Local Food Responsibilities: https://umvrdc.org/local-foods/
Approximately 25% of your time will include developing and implementing a regional action plan for local food systems development. This 5-year long project will engage multiple staff in the agency to network and encourage more local growers, processors, aggregators, and outlets for locally grown food.
We provide technical assistance to support and grow local food systems in our 5 counties for the North Central Regional Food Business Center under a USDA funded 3-year planning grant.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Attend local meetings with other organizations that are working on local food development to share ideas, resources, and develop relationships with other providers.
- Continue to build a resource list of stakeholders. Organizations that support local food interests, local food growers, outlets for local food (retails locations like grocery stores, restaurants, and institutions like schools and healthcare systems), local food processors like butchers and flour mills; farmers markets; and local food aggregators that serve as a collection and distribution hub for local food.
- Organize meetings with local food stakeholders as needed.
- Coordinate a monthly online meeting for local food stakeholders.
- Research local foods grants and look for opportunities for both the RDC to continue work with local food and for stakeholders.
- Share resources and research with stakeholders through email, phone calls, meetings, social media posts, press releases, and more.
- Write grants to support the RDCS work and the work of others.
- Promote and provide grant writing assistance to stakeholders for the Business Builder Subaward
- Submit quarterly reports, data collection requests and invoices.
- Attend annual statewide summit and monthly calls.
- Review, maintain, update and implement the Action Plan. This item requires research and decision making of what should be worked on first and what is best done by the UMVRDC. Work with Kristi to determine these tasks. Examples include:
- Develop relationships with third party funding resources.
- Develop relationships with partners, stakeholders and partners.
- Coordinate across agencies
- Update data sources
- Update databases
- Conduct a survey for stakeholders
Other Community Development Responsibilities
The remaining 25% of your time will be working with our staff team on an ever-changing variety of other community projects. Our team members have the responsibility for seeking out other community contracts and working on a variety of other community projects that may include developing comprehensive plans and developing community engagement strategies or surveys. It could include working with communities to educate and develop strategies for climate and energy resilience. Based on the knowledge gained through your transportation role, you will be expected to encourage local schools, counties, and cities to consider trail and sidewalk networks and safe route to school strategies. This should result in a demand for RDC services that will financially support your position to write the plans, conduct public outreach or write grant applications for the implementation of strategies in these plans.
Candidates that are passionate about their work, who are curious to find options and solutions for locally identified issues, and who relish in the idea of working on a diverse portfolio of work are ideal for this position. Employees who demonstrate strong initiative and character will have opportunities for growth!
Join an office culture that has great flexibility to achieve your ideal work/life balance. Join the office wellness committee to plan monthly office health challenges. Want to work from home part time? Use our office technology to stay connected. Desire to share what you learn or are working on? Help plan the next lunch and learn for employees. Join the fun committee to propose the next employee team building event. Be a part of a team who is pioneering rural practices and tactics inside our office and in the communities, we work with.
Want to learn more about our agency? Check out our agency hiring video and the UMVRDC website or review our most recent annual report. Want to know more about our area of the state? Check out our Western Minnesota Prairie Waters websites. You can also check out our social media channels by searching for UMVRDC, Prairie Waters, or Get Rural MN on Facebook.
- Preferred education includes a degree in planning, urban studies, recreation planning, public administration, project management, geography, environmental studies, economics, political science or a related field.
- Two to five years of related experience preferred.
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification preferred.
- Occasional night meetings and regular travel is required.
- Valid Class D Driver’s License required.
- Fluency in English language sufficient to communicate effectively with internal/external stakeholders and public both verbally and in writing.
- Knowledge and applications in the use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
- Knowledge in the use of GIS technology for planning, research and analysis preferred.
- This position requires the individual work 40+ hours per week.
- All finalists considered will be subject to a criminal background check.
Salary starting at $63,000+ depending on experience. $1,000 signing incentive!
GREAT BENEFIT PACKAGE! Benefits include employer paid health insurance and family coverage cost sharing, dental, significant health savings account employer contributions, pre-tax flexible spending account, matching contribution toward tax deferred retirement savings programs, life insurance, PERA, paid holidays, 529 plan savings incentive, generous paid vacation, sick, parental leave and more.
Work responsibilities:
- Establish and implement annual goals, strategies for the agency and community development program.
- Research, write, and implement grants.
- Create project proposals and contracts.
- Regularly report program progress to individual local units of government, regional development commission board, and other local committees as determined.
- Work with city, county, tribal, school district, township, state and federal agency staff in developing and implementing projects.
- Work on projects in both an individual and team environment.
- Coordinate and facilitate public meetings or leading public engagement processes.
- Utilize GIS technology for planning, research and analysis.
- Demonstrate strong oral and written communications skills, including those related to collaboration, influencing, relationship building and strategic integrative thinking
- Promote the utilization of services at the UMVRDC through various means of community outreach (web, email, mail, personal visits, newsletters, press releases).
- Utilize strong computer-based skills (MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Access, social media) to write and develop technical professional plans, reports, and documents.
- Researching, compiling and analyzing data.
- Develop and implement community surveys.
- Primary responsibilities will include project development and management in the following topic areas:
- 50% of your time will be working with local communities to encourage engagement with funding available for roads, bridges, transit, trails. In this role you will work with MnDOT and a network of other “transportation planners” from around the state and advise on regional and state plans and policy and promote and review applicants for MnDOT funded programs transportation related topics like Safe Routes for School, Active Transportation and Livable Community Design, and a variety of new programs to address carbon reduction and climate mitigation. You will lead and serve on a variety of local, regional and statewide committees related to transportation related topics.
- 50% of your time will be working with our staff team on an ever-changing variety of other community projects. Our team members have the responsibility for seeking out other community contracts and working on a variety of other community projects that may include developing comprehensive plans and developing community engagement strategies or surveys. It could include work with communities to educate and develop strategies for climate and energy resilience. Based on the knowledge gained through your transportation role, you will encourage local schools, counties and cities to develop trail and sidewalk networks and safe route to school strategies and may be asked to write these plans, conduct public outreach or write grant applications for the implementation of strategies in these plans. An upcoming project for our office also includes developing a regional action plan for local food systems development. This 5-year long project will engage multiple staff in the agency to network and encourage more local growers, processors, aggregators, and outlets for locally grown food.
Other examples of topics the employee may work on include:
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- Community Strategic Plans
- Zoning Updates
- Hazard Mitigation Plans
- Community Infrastructure Grant Writing
- Capital Improvement Plans
- Broadband Grant Writing
- Housing Planning
- Recreation Development Plans
The following additional resources are available for this position on our website at www.umvrdc.org :
The UMVRDC utilizes a three-part candidate screening process:
- Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter showcasing three things their education and/or experience can contribute to this position. This information should be sent to:
UMVRDC Executive Director
323 West Schlieman Ave., Appleton MN 56208
dawn.hegland@umvrdc.org
2. Select candidates will be asked to complete a full application and provide responses to a list of areas of expertise related to this position.
3. Select candidates are interviewed.
This position will remain open until filled. The UMVRDC is an equal-opportunity employer.
