Director of Community Engagement

Who We Are

The Northside Economic Opportunity Network's (NEON) mission is to build wealth for low-to-moderate-income entrepreneurs in North Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Our vision is to transform North Minneapolis and the surrounding area into a prosperous, visible, sustainable, and highly diverse multi-cultural community of entrepreneurs. We work with individuals at various stages of entrepreneurship - from 'information seekers' to existing business entities, providing a roadmap to start, grow and thrive as scalable businesses.

Why You'll Love Working Here

NEON promotes economic equity by identifying business ownership as a path toward income generation and long-term asset building. NEON will increase work to start, support, sustain, and expand the number of culturally diverse businesses owned and operated in North Minneapolis. We strive for the best customer service in the world, relentless pursuit of excellence, and respect for the individual. Working with our team provides an opportunity to utilize our collective power to improve and expand programs for the benefit of the north Minneapolis community where entrepreneurs can start, grow and thrive.

Wages & Benefits

$80,000 - $90,000 annual salary plus NEON's incredible benefits package: generous paid time off policy (18 days in years one and two increasing thereafter with years of service), plus 10 paid holidays per year, 2 floating holidays, and an additional week of paid time off for the week between Christmas and New Year's; medical, dental, and vision insurance plans with 100% employer paid premiums for both employees and their dependents/family; additional telehealth medical provider with 100% employer paid premiums for both employees and their dependents/family; fully employer-funded Health Savings Accounts for employees as individuals or family coverage; dental and vision insurance with 100% employer paid premiums for employees and their families; employer paid short- and long-term disability insurance; agency-paid life insurance and optional additional life insurance; retirement plan with employer matching on first 6%, plus an additional 2% contribution after one year of service with immediate vesting; paid parental leave. Eligibility for benefits begins the first of the month after date of hire.

A Typical Day in the Life...

A typical day as NEON's Director of Community Engagement provides an opportunity to engage the broader North Minneapolis community about NEON programs and orient potential clients and volunteers to NEON's program and service offerings. This is a hybrid role which reports to the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development, and will include the following:

Community Engagement

• Engaging the community by utilizing NEON's marketing and communication tools in partnership with the Director of Marketing and Communication.
• Participating in and attending high-and low-level community events and opportunities designed to develop effective outreach strategies for NEON (including in-person press, radio, television, etc.).
• Leading multi-level processes related to client and volunteer acquisition and orientation, directing individuals toward NEON in-take and hand-off processes to the Business Development team.
• Creating a community engagement survey of community members and businesses.
• Submitting monthly, quarterly, and annual reports per agency and funder guidelines.
• Working closely and collaboratively with the Director of Development, Director of Marketing and Communication, and NEON Spaces to create and implement an evaluation strategy for member acquisition.
• Curating NEON-sponsored events to increase member participation within NEON Spaces.
• Curating events in collaboration with other Community Partners to inform, promote, and recognize community businesses.
• Acting as a direct point of contact for sponsorship inquiries while engaging and informing the community of ongoing sponsorships throughout the year (NEON events, marketplaces, etc.) and
• Tracking departmental KPIs and entering data into Outcome Tracker as required.

Volunteer Management

• Leading volunteer recruitment and activation strategy (onboarding, training, directing).
• Acting as point of contact with corporate volunteer partners to complete 'matchmaking' tactics aligned with NEON's direct volunteer needs.

Who You Are

• You have a bachelor's degree in a business-related field and/or an equivalent combination of work, entrepreneurial, and educational experience.
• You have experience working in diverse environments with clients of varying economic backgrounds.
• You have experience in participant and volunteer engagement.
• You possess excellent interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain solid professional relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• You can demonstrate excellent organization, multi-tasking, proactive listening, and communication skills when interacting with members of the community, clients, and NEON staff.
• You have training, consulting, and presentation skills.
• You can work effectively independently, in a team environment, and collaborate with diverse groups.
• You are committed to quality customer service and excellence.
• You can demonstrate computer proficiency along with excellent written and verbal skills.
• You are dependable, punctual, and have a positive attitude.
• You can demonstrate an understanding of and experience in developing measurable results.
• You can be creative and flexible in responding to changing priorities and emerging needs.
• You possess excellent customer service, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.
• You can manage your time effectively, handle multiple priorities, and be self-motivated.
• You have demonstrated experience working in or with the BIPOC community.
• You have a valid driver's license, access to reliable transportation, and the ability to meet NEON's driving record requirements. Please note that if the license was not issued in the state of Minnesota, you have 60 days after becoming a Minnesota resident in which to apply for your Minnesota driver's license or permit (not applicable for new hires living out of state).

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of NEON. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements. Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, disability, marital status, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or a protected veteran's status.