Park Equity Advocate

Park Equity Advocate

Urban Tilth has an immediate opening for a Park Equity Advocate to work with the City of Richmond, local residents, and project partners to strengthen and secure funding sources for general fund parks in the City of Richmond. This position will be tasked with helping to create a variety of policy initiatives and park projects that will improve access, programming, maintenance, and community engagement at City of Richmond parks. The ideal candidate for
this position should be community-focused, relationship-driven, highly organized, skilled at communications in both community and government spaces, event planning, strong writing skills, and project coordination. The Park Equity Advocate will be responsible for the planning, supporting outreach efforts, coordination, and execution of the RichPEP (Richmond Park Equity Project) Advocacy work. This
role is central to connecting with the City of Richmond and community members, ensuring their voices are heard, and advocating for improvements that align with their needs. By leveraging creativity, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to inclusivity, this role will help elevate all parks in Richmond as vibrant, community-centered spaces.

Position Responsibilities:

Support RichPEP Collaborative

  • Work with the Program Director and RichPEP (Richmond Park Equity Project) towards collective goals.
  • Attend internal meetings with the RichPEP Partner organizations as needed
  • Support other RichPEP Collaborative work as needed

Resources Acquisition

  • Secure grant writing consultant to secure funds for Greenway Master Plan implementation, capital improvements, maintenance, and programming costs
  • Implement work plan for grant writing initiative
  • Assist in identifying and applying for funding opportunities to enhance park safety, maintenance, and programming.
  • Explore, select, and advocate for long-term funding, such as a ballot initiative similar to The Richmond Fund for Children and Youth that would allocate a consistent percentage of general fund annual revenue to park maintenance and programming.

Park Advocacy

  • Work with contractor and City of Richmond to update Adopt-a-Spot program to strengthen accountability, increase clarity on when and how to transition Adopt-a-Spots, and ensure that there is adequate city staff dedicated to managing the program
  • Act as a liaison between the community, project partners including City of Richmond staff, and local elected officials to ensure community needs are met.
  • Build and maintain relationships with community members, organizations, schools, and other project partners.
  • Lead in-person outreach activities such as flyers, neighborhood canvassing/door knocking, attending and presenting at community meetings, local churches and organizations, and appropriate monthly Neighborhood Council meetings and Parks and Recreation Commission Meetings.
  • Prepare and deliver regular presentations to key community stakeholders at commission meetings and City Council to advocate for policies generated by Rich PEP

Administrative, Communications, and Reporting

  • Manage social media posts, newsletters, and other outreach tools to keep the community informed about park equity updates and opportunities.
  • Update the Greenway RichPEP Action Plan as needed to adjust the timeline of deliverables
  • Development of monthly reports with project status updates on progress as it relates to the project timeline and deliverables
  • Document all programming offered by collecting sign-in sheets, photos, and pre-and post-surveys, as well as gathering and analyzing community feedback data to inform future programming and park improvements.
  • Accurately complete all timesheets and submit all expense reports weekly to support funder billing
  • Frequently check emails and respond to emails in a timely manner
  • Attend professional development training as needed to continue to improve and update skill sets and or expand knowledge of the areas of food, social, economic, and environmental justice in which Urban Tilth works.
  • Support and participate in all staff work days, special annual events, training, and annual board and staff retreats.
  • Attend Urban Tilth monthly all-staff meetings, mandatory all-staff events, and annual all-staff strategic planning retreats.
  • Attend training and conferences to continue to develop professional skills

Required Skills:

  • Experience in community engagement, event planning, or related fields.
  • Strong communication and organizational skills.
  • Familiarity with social media platforms and digital marketing tools.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups and stakeholders.
  • Passion for creating inclusive, welcoming spaces.

Desired Skills:

  • Bilingual Spanish
  • Driver’s license and clean driving record
  • Experience working in Richmond or other similar majority BIPOC low-income communities

Compensation:

  • Hourly position: $30/hr
  • 100% FTE position (40 hours per week)
  • Some weekends, evenings, and holidays required

*People of Color, North Richmond, Richmond, and San Pablo residents, LBGTQ, and formerly incarcerated are encouraged to apply.

How To Apply:
Please email your cover letter, resume, and references to: employment@urbantilth.org
SUBJECT LINE: ATTN: Park Equity Advocate Hiring Committee – Park Equity Advocate Position

Urban Tilth has a great team and we are doing great things. To learn more about our work visit
our website: www.urbantilth.org, Facebook page: facebook.com/urbantilth, or Google Urban
Tilth.

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