Civic Engagement Specialist

Civic Engagement Specialist

Durango, CO

Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. (RMPM) is the parent company of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop. Over a million Coloradans turn to Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop to discover provocative and inspiring local, national, and international programming; find diverse viewpoints; score front row center seats to world-class performances; and experience lifelong learning opportunities every month.

The Civic Engagement Specialist-Durango plays a key role in advancing Rocky Mountain Public Media's mission to serve Colorado's communities through inclusive, community-driven engagement efforts across southwestern Colorado. Based at the Ballantine Media Center on the Fort Lewis College campus, this position focuses on building equity-centered relationships, creating public-facing events and conversations, and connecting university students and local communities to public media in meaningful ways.

The Specialist will support local implementation of RMPM's civic engagement initiatives, such as Above the Noise and Ambassador
64, with an emphasis on dialogue, connection, and university student collaboration. This role supports RMPM's broader goal of developing scalable civic engagement models that can be expanded statewide.

Key Responsibilities

Community Engagement & Partnership Building

• Co-create events, programs, and initiatives with the RMPM Statewide Civic Engagement department that reflect community interests and priorities.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations, leaders, trusted community messengers, and university students and faculty.
• Represent RMPM at public events, town halls, and community forums to gather insights and build trust, with the goal of implementing RMPM's community listening pipelines.

Program Development & Facilitation

• Facilitate community discussions, storytelling showcases, and public dialogues that surface local voices and issues.
• Activate content-such as film, documentaries, news stories-as tools for community dialogue and reflection.
• Share community and student feedback to inform content development and engagement strategies.

Student Engagement & Mentorship

• Supervise and mentor 1-2 student interns annually who support creation of opportunities for diverse community dialogue; such as town halls, storytelling showcases, facilitated conversations, local celebrations, and more.
• Design and implement programs that connect students with RMPM's civic engagement iniaitives.
• Collaborate with faculty and students in departments such as Political Science and English; specifically, Journalism and Media Studies.

Strategic Implementation & Scaling

• Develop, test, and refine civic engagement prototypes and models for potential replication across Colorado.
• Contribute to statewide civic engagement efforts by sharing learnings from regionally-based work.
• Coordinate with other RMPM civic engagement staff to align goals, share resources, and scale successful initiatives.

Media Center Activation

• Serve as RMPM's primary point of contact at the Ballantine Media Center at Fort Lewis College.
• Hold regular office hours within the Media Center for student and community engagement.
• Collaborate with other organizations housed at the Media Center to co-create events and engagement opportunities.

Qualifications of Position

• Minimum 3 years of experience in civic engagement, community partnerships, nonprofit programming, grassroots organizing, or public service.
• Demonstrated ability to build inclusive, equity-driven partnerships with diverse communities.
• Strong facilitation, coordination, and leadership skills.
• Experience with grassroots outreach and qualitative feedback gathering.
• Ability to manage interns, collaborate with faculty, and oversee small budgets and project timelines.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and/or people of color are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every qualification. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce. If you're excited about this role, feel a passion for our mission, this feels like it could be your dream job, but your previous experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply!

PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION:

Persons interested in this position must apply bs.org/jobs. Please submit the following items:

Position will be posted bs.org/jobs until filled. No phone calls, please. KRMA-TV/KTSC-TV/KRMJ-TV/KRMU-TV/KRMZ-TV and KUVO-FM/KVJZ-FM are licensed to and operated by Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. as non-commercial public television and radio.

Work Environment

This is a hybrid position based in Durango, CO, with a mix of on-site and remote work. Regular presence at Fort Lewis College and regional events is expected.…