Community Navigator Manager

Work Location: Within the United States. This is a remote work opportunity; however, office space is available every day in Denver, Colorado if the incumbent is in Colorado.

Organization Summary:
Coalitions and Collaboratives (COCO) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance healthy and resilient communities through collaborative conservation and restoration, with a vision of a future where ecosystems are resilient, and communities thrive together. COCO supports community-based organizations committed to climate resiliency by bringing expertise, resources, and funding.

Community Navigator Initiative: The Community Navigator Initiative is an initiative of the USDA Forest Service intended to support frontline communities in advancing climate resiliency goals via federal funding. The Community Navigator Initiative supports Tribal governments, Indigenous communities, low-income rural communities, communities at high risk of climate impacts, and communities at risk of wildfire to overcome barriers in accessing funding and to build community capacity.

Position Summary:

The Community Navigator Manager (Manager) will support the development and delivery of Coalitions and Collaboratives’ Community Navigator Initiative in partnership with local, regional and national partners. The Manager will be part of a collaborative team that engages environmental justice and frontline communities – including Tribal governments, communities of color, low-income rural communities, and other communities at extreme risk to the impacts of climate change and at high risk to wildfire. These efforts are designed to strengthen community climate resilience and improve relationships and resource delivery between community-based organizations, the USDA Forest Service, and other federal, state, local agencies and entities.

The partnership-driven focus areas for the Community Navigator Initiative (CNI) include:

• Building organizational capacity in frontline communities through technical assistance in program and partnership development
• Navigating federal funding and grant management for frontline communities
• Supporting multi-benefit workforce development initiatives that foster social and climate justice
• Guiding project implementation with Subject Matter Expertise, particularly in the areas of collaborative conservation, wildfire mitigation, and post-fire recovery

The Manager will collaborate with the COCO Community Navigator Director, COCO CEO & COO and team to design, plan, implement, and evaluate this initiative. The Manager ensures the program is delivered on time, within budget, and according to quality standards. This position demands a dedicated professional who can manage a high volume of complex programming and effectively engage with diverse communities, drive strategic initiatives, and facilitate partnerships to address the challenges posed by climate change and wildfire risks.

The responsibilities of the Manager include, but are not limited to the following:

Personnel and Administration Support

• Engage in all aspects of personnel support including interviewing, hiring, and providing supervision to Community Navigator staff when CNI Director is absent.
  • Function as supervisor to Community Navigator Fellows
  • Provide coordination support to Community Navigator Advisory Council
  • Provide an additional touchpoint to Contract Navigator cohort and provide supervision when CNI Director is unavailable
  • Provide an additional touchpoint to CNI Partnership leads and provide communication when CNI Director is unavailable
• Community Navigator Fellow Recruitment and Supervision
  • Supports Fellow hiring, onboarding and work plan development & management
  • Develop fellowship training courses and other technical support
• Ensures administrative tasks – such as timesheets, reimbursement requests, invoicing, etc., are completed accurately and in a timely manner for self and supervisees

Strategic Partnerships

• Engage effectively with Community Navigator Initiative implementation partners – The Watershed Center, Hispanic Access Foundation, FACNet, First Nations Development Institute, Federation for Southern Cooperatives, and American Indian & Alaska Native Tourism Association – to ensure successful routing of clients, and impactful delivery of collaborative programming
• Supports the development of new and existing partnerships with frontline community-serving entities working towards increasing climate resilience
• Works to maintain partnership with USDA Forest Service
• Facilitates partnership meetings and is receptive and responsive to the needs of partners and team members

Program Delivery

• Manages complexity of program initiatives through effective time management and prioritization of tasks
• Provides Federal grant support to frontline communities
• Develops trainings and identifies training gaps for CNI community-based organizations pertaining to federal grant support and relevant subject matter expertise
• Administers the Community Navigator Initiative Community Catalyst Fund by tracking applications, developing rubrics, organizing review committee groups and facilitating review session
• Coordinates programs and projects directly with CNI Implementation partners
• Provides programmatic guidance pertaining to workforce development support

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

• Tracks outputs and outcomes in data management systems ensuring database(s) are current and program progress is well documented
• Support the development and delivery of monitoring and evaluation instruments with both qualitative and quantitative analysis to ensure continued effectiveness of the Community Navigator Initiative at both COCO and USDA Forest Service scales
• Works with research partners to ensure data tracking serves complex and dynamic, systems change analysis
• Contribute to USFS quarterly and annual reporting; contribute to COCO annual reporting, contribute to any additional reporting needs

Communications & Outreach

• Gather and share impact stories through inclusive and strengths-based messaging
• Oversees external communications for COCO CNI team to ensure inclusive messaging and alignment with both COCO and USFS Community Navigator vision
• Create outreach content including regular social media outreach, monthly newsletter, and regular blog posts
• Maintains CNI online resource page
• Deliver presentations on CNI activities and offerings in virtual and in-person settings

Innovation

• Actively provides ideas, concepts and strategies to advance and grow the Community Navigator Initiative
• Understands and contributes to long term systems change work while also tending to immediate needs and barriers

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or additional 4 years relevant experience
• 4-6 years of experience building partnerships at local and national scales
• 4+ years of experience in natural resources, social science, or other related fields
• Experience working with frontline communities, engaging in systems change work
• Experience managing complex, multifaceted programming
• Demonstrated commitment to social and environmental justice
• Extensive experience in collaborating with Tribal communities, communities of color, and/or low-income rural communities.
• High level of emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills,
• Excellent verbal/written communications, including knowledge of inclusive messaging
• Must be able to pass a driving background check

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree Preferred
• Multilingual in Spanish or other relevant languages (Indigenous language(s)
• Experience with mixed methods data analysis and/or spatial data analysis
• Experience operating federally funded initiatives
• Experience working in wildfire efforts and/or forest health
• 1 year of experience hiring and supervising staff

WORK & TRAVEL

• Work is performed in a hybrid, in-person, and remote office setting.
• Occasional evening and weekend work hours may be required
• Travel to 25%. Attending in-person events and US travel is a requirement of this role

At Coalitions and Collaboratives, we offer meaningful and impactful work and the following benefits:

• 12 Paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• Company match to simple IRA
• Health Insurance
• Flexible work schedule and remote work options
• Career advancement & professional development opportunities

EEO Statement

COCO is an equal opportunity employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. We are committed to adhering to our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Policy. To learn more, please visit:

https://co-co.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DEIJ-Statement.pdf