Community Engagement Manager

Purpose is at the core of who we are and why we do what we do. Check out our job openings and apply!

• This is a full-time salaried position based out of our office in River West
• This is a Hybrid position with three days required in the office, Tuesday–Thursday
• During peak outreach season, April - August, some weekends and evenings flex hours required
• Our ideal candidate has outreach and/or community organizing experience with strong relationships within Chicagoland underserved communities (particularly low-income, Black and Brown, and immigrant/refugee populations)
• The ideal candidate is a go-getter, a self-starter, and a people person with a passion for serving the community. The ability to work across organizations, and communities with cultural fluency is also key.
• This role manages and supervises a small in-house outreach team and seasonal contractors
• Please provide two references. Include at least one person you’ve managed

You’re not just a Community Engagement Manager; you’re a relationship builder and strategic connector with a deep respect for people and place. You understand how trust is built in communities and how meaningful engagement moves from presence to participation to lasting impact. You know the most effective outreach starts with listening, cultural awareness, and showing up consistently with integrity.

You balance structure and heart. You’re operationally strong and detail-oriented, yet grounded in lived experience and human connection. You can translate big ideas into authentic, on-the-ground activations. You represent clients confidently in community spaces, you enjoy training and leading teams, and managing logistics. You’re as comfortable organizing schedules and reports as you are fostering real engagement and capturing moments that tell a deeper story.

You’re collaborative, proactive, and people-centered by nature. You work seamlessly across Chicago’s communities, organizational stakeholders, and internal creative teams to deliver culturally grounded outcomes. You build strong relationships within Chicagoland, particularly low-income, Black and Brown, and immigrant or refugee communities, and lead with care, accountability, and purpose. You’re a go-getter with a genuine passion for serving communities and creating impact where it matters most.

• Leads Vera Creative’s community engagement practice.
• Oversees outreach and engagement strategy and quality assurance, supporting data collection, content curation, and best practices.
• Manages and develops an in-house community engagement team, including coordinators and seasonal contractors.
• Develop relationships with community partners across Chicago to reach target audiences
• Research, create, and maintain a calendar of outreach events.
• Ensure consistency in brand image across all events and activations.
• Assist in curating marketing materials and collateral tailored for specific clients.
• Prepare materials for outreach events.
• Establish systems for recruiting, onboarding, scheduling and evaluating outreach teams representing Vera Creative’s clients at various community events in target communities.
• Develop and monitor pre- and post-outreach administration, including reports, content curation, team prep, and event logistics.
• Foster deep audience engagement through interactive and personalized brand activations.
• Manage relationships and collaborate with other departments, partners, clients and vendors to bring creative advertising concepts to life.
• Stay ahead of industry trends to ensure brand activations are trendsetting and culturally relevant.
• Assist with cultivating strategic partnerships to amplify brand activation initiatives.
• Utilize data-driven insights to refine and optimize brand activation campaigns for maximum impact.
• Assist with organizational duties as needed.

• 5+ years within non-profit organizations or outreach and activation activities.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and collaborating with community partners
• Outstanding written communication and presentation skills.
• Strong experience preparing reports.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with execution, especially in fast-moving environments
• Friendly, enthusiastic, and positive attitude.
  
  Alignment with purpose-driven work and a commitment to equity, community, and impact
• Must be able to work occasional evenings and weekends when needed.
• Owns a reliable car and possesses a valid driver's license.