Community Engagement Manager

Job Description

Classification and Time Full-time, Exempt

Annual Salary $72,000-$78,000, depending on experience 

Hours 40 hours per week including some Saturdays

Benefits Health, dental and vision insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, paid holidays, sick, and vacation time

Reports to Program Director

Posted Date January 2025

About Friends of the Urban Forest 

Since 1981, Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), a premier San Francisco environmental nonprofit, has brought together communities throughout the city to plant more than 60,000 trees -- half of San Francisco’s street tree canopy. FUF has a long history of integrating urban greening with civic engagement as a way to increase community health and resilience, combat the effects of the climate crisis, and promote environmental equity and social justice. FUF recognizes and celebrates San Francisco’s many communities and cultures and the diverse ways in which they connect with nature and each other. 

Position Summary

Friends of the Urban Forest aims to plant over 1,700 trees and 10,000 square feet of sidewalk gardens annually in San Francisco using a community planting model involving neighborhood residents, community organizations, drop-in and trained volunteers, and FUF staff. The Community Engagement Manager serves as a liaison between FUF and communities we work with, with the goal of increasing demand for new trees and gardens while building community connections in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. This position also creates and manages opportunities for community members to engage in our work through volunteering to help plant and maintain San Francisco’s trees and gardens, and is responsible for the recruitment, training, and supervision of FUF volunteers.  The position currently operates in a hybrid model with approximately 40% time working on tasks that may be performed remotely, and 60% time in-person work in communities throughout San Francisco and/or in the office, which is located in the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Details and Responsibilities

Program Outreach and Community Organizing

• Increases awareness among SF residents about FUF’s urban forestry work, upcoming planting events, StreetTreeSF, and the benefits of urban greening
• Recruits potential tree and garden recipients via door-to-door canvassing campaigns, mailings, hosting virtual or in-person community meetings, and social media posting
• Manages outreach campaigns for neighborhood plantings including resident communication, participant and organizational partner recruitment, and updating and maintaining Salesforce database
• Regularly liaises with and occasionally co-manages special projects in partnership with place-based community groups and other organizational partners
• Researches opportunities, schedules, develops messaging for, and staffs tabling events at community events such as street fairs
• Represents FUF at neighborhood association and other community meetings
• Produces and distributes promotional and educational materials such as fliers, postcards, and social media

Volunteer Management

• Recruits, trains, and supervises first-time or occasional volunteers for tree planting, sidewalk gardens, tree care, and other FUF events
• Recruits, trains, and supervises skilled volunteers such as specialized Planting Leaders and Neighborhood Organizers who advocate for trees in their community
• Manages workdays and community events that include pre-event preparation, acquiring city permits, ensuring a safe work environment, conflict resolution, training and supervising volunteers and staff, and event cleanup
• Plans, coordinates, schedules, and supervises FUF staff and interns to deliver volunteer appreciation events
• Maintains relationships with volunteers and tracks data in Salesforce database
• Safely drives company vehicles to transport equipment, materials, FUF staff and volunteers to and from field work sites

Staff management

• Hire, train, coach, and supervise Community Engagement Coordinator.
• Provide inclusive, culturally relevant, and growth-oriented mentorship.
• Maintain a safe, secure, and healthy work environment by following and enforcing standards and procedures and complying with legal regulations.

What Makes a Good Fit

• Maintenance of a growth-mindset attitude and strong ethical practice
• A passion for urban sustainability and commitment to inclusive community engagement
• Ability to think proactively, anticipate problems, analyze situations, develop and implement effective solutions and take initiative. 
• Excellent judgment, especially when dealing with sensitive situations or information, including legal and personnel matters.
• Excellent relationship building skills and experience working effectively with community groups and members, especially with people from mixed backgrounds or knowledge bases. Comfortable in implementing and advocating for standard equity and inclusion practices.
• High degree of emotional intelligence

Requirements

While no one person may have all the qualities enumerated below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications:

• Experience in environmental justice organizing, community outreach, or education in San Francisco
• Experience supervising and mentoring staff
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Excellent writing, editing, verbal, presentation, and analytical skills
• Proficiency in a language other than English, especially Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, and / or Tagalog is beneficial but not required.
• Valid CA driver’s license with a clean driving record
• Provide a Department of Justice record check and fingerprinting per California Penal Code section 11105.3 to be able to work with minors in the Green Teens Program
• COVID-19 vaccination - Friends of the Urban Forest will consider all requests for reasonable accommodations based on applicants who have a (1) medical contraindication to the specific types of COVID-19 vaccines available, or (2) sincerely held religious belief or practice contrary to immunization.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outdoor weather and working conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Office workspace and cubicle assignments change from time to time and employees should not have any expectation that any assignment is permanent.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, and crawling. The employee must frequently lift and move items over 40 pounds, and may be asked to load tools and planting materials into and out of vehicles. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.  

How to Apply

Friends of the Urban Forest is dedicated to anti-racism, gender inclusivity, and inclusion. As an equal opportunity employer, FUF does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of any status or characteristic protected by applicable laws or ordinances.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply, and so are candidates dedicated to anti-racism, gender inclusivity, and inclusion.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records.

If you're interested and qualified, please email a cover letter and your resume to this application form: https://forms.gle/X3tGnBKsFn5Aq9og6.