About Appalachian Voices
Appalachian Voices is a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to achieve an Appalachia with healthy, intact ecosystems and advance a just transition to a generative and equitable clean energy economy. We currently have over 40 staff members across the Appalachian region, with offices located in Boone, North Carolina; Charlottesville and Norton, Virginia, and Knoxville, Tennessee. We also have remote team members across Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington D.C and Maryland.
Commitment to Equity
Appalachian Voices is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion both in our work and in our organizational structure. We seek applicants who share and exhibit these principles. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other factor that is not related to the position.
We understand people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We encourage candidates to review the position details and responsibilities listed. If you have the transferable skills necessary to fulfill many of the requirements of this role, we encourage you to apply. We may tailor the role to a talented or passionate candidate.
Position Details
Appalachian Voices is seeking a Community Outreach Coordinator to join our fast-paced, dynamic team. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) for an initial four-year period, with the possibility of extension depending on funding availability. We will also consider candidates interested in a part-time position. This is a remote position based in or near West Virginia or Southwest Virginia, with frequent travel within West Virginia, and some travel outside of the Appalachian region.
This position will support Appalachian Voices participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region III Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC) and the Mid Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund (MAEJF) program, which provides resources for urban and rural tree planting and related activity in EPA Region III to advance our goals related to community and environmental revitalization efforts in Central Appalachia. Additionally, this position will support community development and environmental protection efforts in West Virginia and Southwest Virginia.
This position will work under the supervision of the Director of Government Affairs and Strategy, and in coordination with a team of field-coordinators, project-coordinators and community leaders working across Central Appalachia to build relationships with community groups, local governments, and schools to respond to environmental hazards, and to expand access to environmental restoration, clean energy projects, and economic development opportunities in the region. Foundational to success is a strong appreciation and understanding of community organizing in rural settings, economic and environmental justice issues, and an understanding of community and economic development within a just transition framework. An individual with optimism for the future of Appalachia, as well as grant writing, event planning, and project management experience, or the aptitude to learn quickly, will do well in this role.
With massive federal funding being invested in clean energy and economic transition in fossil-fuel-impacted communities, this is an exciting time to join the Appalachian Voices team. Community Outreach Coordinator will work with a diverse network of regional partners to help rural, disadvantaged communities access technical assistance and financial resources, and to help those communities maximize the benefits of new projects. In the face of climate change and hard-won environmental victories, the Community Outreach Coordinator joins a team and a movement building alternative systems where ecological integrity, social justice, and democracy drive our goal to build a new economy.
Primary Roles & Responsibilities
- Represent Appalachian Voices in regional TCTAC and MAEJF meetings and events, collaborating with universities, government officials, and other nonprofits to develop resources and plan events.
- Identify environmental justice community organizations and stakeholders that can benefit from technical assistance.
- Conduct outreach and engagement with disadvantaged community leaders and assist community leaders with the TCTAC intake process.
- In coordination with TCTAC and MAEJF partners, design and implement workshops, trainings, webinars, toolkits, handouts, factsheets, and websites to help environmental justice communities build capacity to address their community needs.
- Participate in team activities, train-the-trainer sessions, peer-to-peer learning sessions, and community organizing trainings to build Appalachian Voices capacity.
- Plan and host events in West Virginia and support events in Southwest Virginia to help environmental justice communities build capacity to identify, assess, and address their environmental and economic issues.
- Track and understand federal and state funding and technical assistance opportunities that can support community and environmental revitalization efforts.
- Connect community members and stakeholders' engagement in processes to improve projects that impact their communities, such as community benefit development processes or government public input opportunities.
- Support on-site community pollution monitoring activities.
Skills & Qualifications
- Demonstrate strong skills in community engagement and an understanding of community organizing;
- Understand, or be willing to quickly learn, state and federal policies and programs, including environmental and public health regulations, that impact Central Appalachia, particularly at the intersection of environmental justice, renewable energy, and economic development;
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
- Knowledge of or willingness to learn a variety of platforms (G-Suite, Microsoft Office, Asana, Canva, Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads);
- Ability to communicate with a variety of people, including but not limited to, community members, local government officials, university leaders, federal government officials, businesses;
- Knowledge of and ability to use a wide variety of community outreach tools such as tabling, door knocking, traditional and social media.
- Utilize well-honed and flexible project management skills, with the ability to steward multiple projects simultaneously; and
- Ability to work with multiple coalitions with diverse memberships while being self-motivated and creative.
Compensation & Benefits:
This is a full-time, non-exempt, term-limited position, that is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit. Specific terms, conditions, and benefits of employment are subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The term of the position is four years with the possibility of extension with additional funding.
Appalachian Voices offers competitive compensation and benefits that include employer-paid health care, vision, and dental policies with options to include family members at a reduced cost; short- and long-term disability plans; generous paid vacation and parental leave; flexible working hours; and an employer-matched retirement plan.
Salary is commensurate with experience, with an expected salary range between $50,000-$60,000. We are open to a wide range of experience for this position, however, and are open to feedback from the market. Therefore, salary could exceed this range for candidates with commensurate background. Appalachian Voices is committed to equity in pay practices.
To Apply:
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until this position is filled. For early consideration, candidates shall apply by January 31st, 2025. Using this link, please submit a resume and a brief cover letter that addresses (1) your connection to Appalachia, (2) why you want to work with environmental justice communities, and (3) how you work with people with different cultural backgrounds.
Appalachian Voices participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
