Communications Specialist III - Community Engagement Planner

Metro Transit has an exciting Community Engagement Planner III opportunity on Metro’s Community Engagement Team coordinating the planning and implementation of community engagement efforts to solicit input from the public regarding Metro service and capital planning, programs, and policies.

The Partnership & Engagement group within Metro Transit's General Manager's Office facilitates community engagement, government relations, language equity and community-based organization partnerships for King County Metro. This workgroup is part of the Strategic Communications and Engagement section that provides Metro trusted leadership, coordination, and expertise in engagement and communications with employees, stakeholders, partners, and the community to shape and implement equitable and sustainable regional mobility solutions.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.

• In collaboration with other engagement colleagues, support the design and implementation of multi-phase engagement strategies that allow the public to shape services, infrastructure, plans, and policies that affect them– including creating feedback gathering activities such as public meetings, surveys, advisory and working groups, focus groups, and partnership with community-based organizations.
• Work closely with senior community engagement planners and project teams to identify opportunities and limitations on what aspects of the project can be influenced by community engagement and turn technical information into easy-to-understand messages for the public.
• Coordinate with strategic communications, creative, and marketing teams to develop plain language, in-language, and accessible communication products and strategies to reach external audiences.
• Build positive, lasting formal and informal relationships with stakeholders, including community-based organizations, and community leaders as partners in meaningfully engaging priority populations in Metro’s decision-making.
• Facilitate temporary and standing working groups, advisory boards, and formal commissions, including recruitment, agenda preparation, orientation, facilitation of decision‑making, note taking, and assuring accessibility of meetings and materials.
• Support development of engagement plans, engagement summaries, overview presentations, and final engagement reports that summarize the engagement goals, approach, activities, and outcomes to share with the public, Metro staff and leadership, elected officials, community members and the public.
• Apply project management skills to establish and document processes, plans, and timelines to meet community engagement goals and overall project timelines.
• Track key learnings from community and metrics that support the team’s key performance indicators to report on community engagement outcomes.
• Act as liaison with specific communities to provide information and education about transportation projects, to articulate departmental perspectives on relevant issues, and to listen to concerns and help resolve problems.
• Other duties as assigned.

The most competitive candidates will have at least 3 years of demonstrated experience designing and implementing complex, equitable, feedback gathering opportunities that center public and community member’s voices to shape plans, projects, and outcomes.

• Experience implementing inclusive, multi-phase community engagement initiatives that center the voices of traditionally underrepresented communities; tracking, documenting, analyzing feedback.
• Familiarity with the spectrum of public participation and experience identifying how community input can meaningfully shape decisions to address community‑identified needs and priorities.
• Effective group facilitation skills to set and manage a meeting agenda and guide groups to achieve meeting goals including active listening, awareness of group dynamics, creating an inclusive environment, time management, and…