Community Specialist - Fluency in K'nyaw; S'gaw Karen) Language

Position Overview

Connect, empower, and inspire K'nyaw-speaking communities through meaningful library services. The Saint Paul Public Library is seeking a bilingual K'nyaw (S'gaw-Karen)-speaking Community Specialist who is passionate about building trusted relationships, expanding access to library resources, and creating welcoming spaces for individuals and families.

• Serve as a cultural bridge by delivering programs in both English and K'nyaw (S'gaw-Karen) that support early literacy, school readiness, digital literacy, job searching, and lifelong learning.
• Collaborate with community organizations, provide translation and interpretation services, strengthen connections with immigrant and K'nyaw (S'gaw-Karen) speaking communities, and help ensure library programs and services reflect the diverse needs of the people we serve.
• Improve the effectiveness of Library communication with communities of color by developing and maintaining key contacts within the communities.
• Host in person S'gaw-Karen story times, facilitate digital literacy classes, and provide library information and resources to the community.
• Coordinate multiple programs and collaborate with other Library Community Specialists.
• Serve as an internal consultant regarding specific communities of color to Saint Paul Library staff.

This is a three year grant-funded position. Candidates for this full time vacancy should be able to communicate fluently in K'nyaw (S'gaw-Karen) and demonstrate cultural competency with the K'nyaw (S'gaw-Karen) community represented in Saint. Paul. A $1.50 per hour language premium is available for this position upon successful completion of the required language proficiency test.

Ideal candidates should have general background in community engagement, understanding of the immigrant and refugee experience or paths to citizenship, and ability to work with culturally diverse communities. The flexible and mobile nature of this role may include working at and traveling to multiple library locations and community partner locations, such as local schools. This position also requires working a flexible schedule including evening and weekend hours.

• Competitive wages
• Health insurance
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time

The City of Saint Paul is dedicated to dismantling systemic racial, cultural, and economic barriers that prevent people from fully enjoying and participating in our community and ensuring fairness in opportunities and outcomes for all individuals. At the City of Saint Paul, we want our workforce to reflect the diverse city that we serve. Our leaders are guided by an unapologetic equity agenda, which promotes the belief that true equity is building a city that works for all of us.

We encourage you to apply as we are most interested in finding the best candidate for this job.

• A bachelor's degree.
• Two years of college (60 semester credits) and two years of reference and referral library services experience.
• A Certificate in Urban Library Services or equivalent certification and one year of library services experience.
• Four years of experience in a social service agency providing direct client service and one year of library services experience.
• Four years of experience in a social service agency providing direct client service plus 12 college semester credits.

If applying for a position delivering services in a language other than English, must read and write fluently in the respective language.

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