Community Engagement Director

The Community Engagement Director for the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce serves as a strategic connector between business, education, workforce partners, entrepreneurs, and the broader community to strengthen Salina’s economic vitality. This role leads initiatives that advance workforce development, support small businesses and entrepreneurs, and foster collaborative community engagement projects that enhance quality of life and regional competitiveness.

The Director works to align employers with talent pipelines, champion programs that prepare and retain a skilled workforce, and cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem where businesses can start, grow, and succeed. Through strong partnerships with local industry, educational institutions, government, and nonprofit organizations, this position advances initiatives that position Salina as a regional hub for opportunity and innovation.

This leader is both visionary and hands‑on—driving strategy, managing key programs, securing resources, and serving as a visible ambassador for business and community collaboration. The ultimate objective of the role is to create meaningful connections that translate into workforce readiness, business growth, and long‑term community prosperity.

• Create, communicate, and advance a compelling and inspired vision and sense of purpose that will motivate and positively influence individuals to explore career and quality of life opportunities in the Salina, KS area.
• Coordinate Home in the Heartland grant program to assist potential out‑of‑state movers in choosing Salina, KS as their new home.
• Maintain and establish relationships with secondary and postsecondary schools, counselors, career offices, and technical education staff. These entities may be in any destination that have an available workforce with the skill sets needed by Salina area employers.
• Create an entrepreneurial climate, provide support and resources to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and business startups through Project OPEN as well as serve as a loan contact for Network Kansas.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships and communication with federal, state, regional and local governmental officials, and external agencies.
• Oversee existing Chamber community development events that include Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, Civics Bee, Career Hire, and Charlie Walker Pitch Challenge.
• Participate with the Salina Human Resource Management Association (SHRMA) as a member of their board, and Workforce Development liaison; this includes assisting SHRMA in coordinating high quality education and training for area employers.
• Work collaboratively with the entire Chamber team to provide valuable services and benefits to our membership.
• Prepare and submit monthly progress reports on all projects for the President/CEO.

• Proven leadership experience and ability to quickly become familiar with operations and goals of a multifaceted workforce development program including identifying opportunities, challenges, and risks.
• Ability to engage in a participatory work environment in which individuals collaborate in pursuit of a common mission and shared goals, promote innovation, change, and problem solving, and maintain positive teamwork.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills and demonstrate an ability to understand, analyze, prepare, manage, and report comprehensive data related to economic development including trends related to workforce development.
• Ability to facilitate problem‑solving, recognize positive results, manage conflict, and negotiate satisfactory outcomes.
• Proven experience and ability to effectively communicate with small or large audiences, listen, speak, write, present, facilitate, and interact in a persuasive and appropriate manner with public and private individuals and groups.
• Working knowledge of PC, Microsoft Suite and industry software, email, D&B database, etc.
• Mature approach in handling business professionals.
• Working knowledge of financial analysis techniques, reports, business plans, etc.
• Knowledge of Chamber of Commerce functions and programs.
• Experie…