Public Engagement Specialist

Your Opportunity

Stantec’s Sacramento C Street office is seeking a Public Policy and Engagement Specialist to join our team working on integrated water management projects in the Western United States. This is a role for a talented and entrepreneurial individual with experience focused on facilitating multi-party collaborative processes, outreach and engagement, program and contract management, and water resources planning and management. The selected candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of public policy, planning, and engagement professionals, each committed to delivering sound and strategic consulting services to a range of local, regional, state, and federal clients. 

Your Key Responsibilities

This position is an external client-facing position with our Public Affairs team. Your key responsibilities include:

• Coordinate and collaborate with community members, clients, project managers, project engineers and staff, regulatory agencies, and subcontractors to create effective public policy.
• Prepare initial assessments and communications plans, facilitate meetings, serve as a trusted advisor and drive collaborative solutions. 
• Lead preparation and facilitation of in-person and virtual public and agency meetings focused on complex water resource topics. Includes collaboration with internal and client teams on preparation of client exhibits, public presentations, and plan documents for online and hard copy publication.
• Present and communicate technical and policy analyses to diverse audiences, adapting messaging in real time to meet audience needs and ensure understanding.
• Leverage experience with local, regional, state and/or federal agency staff and elected officials about topics including water resources, environmental justice, watersheds, water-related infrastructure, applicable laws/policies/regulations.
• Participate in multi-disciplinary teams of technical experts to develop outreach and education materials tailored to the specific information needs of various audiences and communities to be engaged on complex water and environment topics.
• Prepare and implement educational components through proactive steps to deliver information matched to the needs, learning styles and most used language of the target audience.
• Manage projects from planning through delivery, overseeing scope, budget, schedules, and client communications to ensure successful outcomes
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• Strong familiarity with California water challenges associated with water supply, water management and environmental stewardship.
• Experience with facilitating multi-party collaborative processes.
• Strong interpersonal abilities for working in diverse team environments with staff, clients, and interested parties.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Self-starter capable of efficiently and proactively working independently as well as with a geographically dispersed team on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to translate technical material into language that is clear and digestible for a range of diverse audiences.
• Excellent skills in inclusive community engagement using a variety of tools and techniques suited to a variety of communities and audiences.
• Strong commitment to team success by supporting team members, sharing responsibilities, and contributing to achieve collective goals.
• Working knowledge of and interest in state and federal government organizational structure, budgeting/reporting, and types of services they provide.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Pro and other business systems required.
• Willing to travel as needed. Travel may be up to 25%. 
• Must have a good driving record and valid driver’s license.

Education and Experience

• A minimum of six years of experience supporting communities, agencies, and policy makers with engagement, education, and decision-making related to water, natural resources, utilities, or similar.
• Master’s or bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in journalism, public relations, environmental studies, communications, political science, English, or a closely related field. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with a demonstrated ability to adapt to different audiences. 
• Experience leading and managing inter-disciplinary teams and facilitating large, complex processes.
• Strong interpersonal and entrepreneurial abilities and a proven track record for working independently was well as part of a diverse team of staff, clients, and interested parties.

Typical office environment working with computers and sitting at a desk for long periods of time. Field work may include exposure to the elements including inclement weather.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.