Community Activity Worker (20384015)

  Position & Duties 

• Per the City’s COVID19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the City requires all employees starting on or after February 11, 2022 to provide proof of vaccination as a condition of employment absent a documented medical and/or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination means that employees are required to be “up-to-date” with regards to the COVID-19 vaccine. Consistent with the Santa Clara County Public Health Order issued on December 28, 2021, "up-to-date" means that employees are required to be vaccinated with the entire recommended initial series of a COVID-19 vaccine (two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine). 

To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers.

The salary range for this classification is $21.77-$26.50 hourly, or $45,274.32 - $55,124.16 annually.  Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience. This position is covered under the Living Wage Policy and hourly rates will be adjusted to a minimum of $25.15 hourly for benefitted positions or $26.45 hourly for unbenefited positions.  The Living Wage rate consists of a base amount and an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay.

Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Services department (PRNS) is recruiting to fill multiple full time, and potentially some part-time Community Activity Worker positions in the Community Services Division to support the BeautifySJ and Project Hope programs.

  Community Services Division: Safe + Clean + Engaged Neighborhoods

Empower and support residents, schools, and local organizations to make the City more livable, safe, and clean.

   About BeautifySJ and Duties:

BeautifySJ is the home of the City of San Jose’s blight reduction and encampment management programs and services. BeautifySJ works to address and prevent blight including graffiti removal, coordinating neighborhood litter clean-up events and dumpster days and removing illegal dumping. Encampment management services include weekly trash services and abatement activities to ensure that locations and conditions of encampments are cooperative and complying.  

Community Activity Worker job duties for BeautifySJ are focused on providing direct support to address litter/trash related blight in neighborhoods, waterways, and/or encampments.  Duties include setting up, planning and attending resource fairs and neighborhood-based outreach events (e.g. “dumpster days”), developing working relationships with schools, volunteers, internal and external stakeholders and non-profit partners. Job duties also include assisting Community Coordinators with behavior change and encampment engagement strategies including but not limited to   conducting site assessments, removing trash and debris from identified active encampments, submitting outreach requests and working directly with the unhoused community.  You are encouraged to apply for work in this program if you want to work with communities to empower residents to take pride in our City.

 About Project Hope and Duties:

Project Hope is a neighborhood engagement and empowerment initiative focused on nine neighborhoods in San Jose.  Organized into operational teams, Project Hope staff are assigned to specific neighborhoods, where they assist residents to address the conditions and circumstances that exist due to systemic racism such as crime/violence, blight, lack of trust, marginalization, and inadequate services. Project Hope supports residents to create new neighborhood associations or reinvigorate existing ones, develop the organizational and capacity building skills to better utilize and reach key City, and other public/private resources to address ongoing quality-of-life issues.

Community Activity Workers in Project Hope build strong relationships with residents, partners and community. Assist  neighborhood associations/board members with planning for meetings and events. Inform residents of City services, assist neighborhood associations in building strong relationships with City of San José departments and other local government agencies.  Provide in-service trainings and workshops for community leaders to ensure self-sustainability of the neighborhood association.  Applicants should enjoy spending time in the communities directly engaging with residents (e.g. canvassing, door-to-door outreach & surveying), planning and attending community events, bringing people together for positive results, teaching residents how to engage with City and other public/private partners to address neighborhood/community issues.

 Job duties for Community Activity Workers in any of our programs include, but are not limited to:

•         Working some weekend and/or evening schedules per the program schedule
•         Develops and presents written materials and makes public presentations to inform people about programs and encourage participation.
•         Participates in planning and coordinating in-service training and development of program aids and materials.
•         Performs public contact and liaison work in explaining and interpreting program.
•         Prepares and monitors budget and timesheets.
•         Prepares monthly reports, and various other correspondence.
•         Coordinates with governmental agencies, local businesses, and City Departments.
•         Conducts and facilitates workshops for the neighborhood.
•         Surveys targeted neighborhoods needs via methods including telephone surveys or door-to-door canvassing.
•         Provides information to residents on accessing City services or other service providers.
•         Assists in planning & implementing special activities or programs, such as community service or empowerment projects, community meetings, community/graffiti clean-ups, tree-planting, tutoring, or sports activities. 
•         Renders first aid in case of injury; watches for the safety of participants and spectators.
•         Designs and produces flyers and announcements.
•         May be required to provide bilingual translation, both orally and in writing.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job-Specific Questions.

Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process.

Additional phases of the selection process may consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process.  Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit including spaces for each text response. You MUST answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration:

·        Please provide the following details of your work experience doing community related work, projects, or programs: 1) A brief description of your work experience 2) Name(s) of employer(s) 3) Dates/length of employment(s) 4) Average hours worked per week.

·        Please describe your customer service philosophy. Include examples of how you have put this philosophy into action in your prior/current work experience.

·        Please describe your experience with working in underserved communities or with the unhoused (homeless) population: 1) Briefly describe your experience 2) What types of resources or services where you able to provide or bring to them.

·        Select one option - I am applying for: 1) Community Activity Worker in the BeautifySJ Program; 2) Community Activity Worker in the Project Hope Program; or 3) Both

·        Please describe the reason for your selection in the previous question.

·        Please describe any bilingual skills you possess.

·        Select one option – I would be open to a part-time position:  1) yes; or 2). No, I want full-time work only.