Community Engagement Specialist

Description

JOB SUMMARY: The Community Engagement Specialist serves as a vital connector between residents in the upper levels of care, their families, volunteers, and the wider community. This role facilitates life enrichment experiences and fosters a culture of purpose and belonging in the upper levels of care. Through volunteer leadership, individualized programming, and creative outreach, the Community Engagement Specialist’s work elevates the everyday moments that matter most for residents in the upper levels of care.

 Learn about Plymouth Place Benefit Packet offered to all Full-Time Employees: 2025 Benefit Guide.   

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES: Employee will apply skills to ensure Person Centered Care as exhibited through our Pillars of Excellence:

People

Stewardship

Service

Quality

Growth

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage the non-resident volunteer program. This includes recruiting, screening, training, and supervision of volunteers to support life enrichment programs in the upper levels of  care.
• Organize and lead community outreach initiatives engaging residents and staff in shared-purpose activities to foster engagement and accomplishment.
• Collaborate with local organizations and group volunteers (e.g., schools, civic clubs) to co-create enriching activities for and with residents in the upper levels of care.
• Develop and implement individualized engagement activities tailored to the cognitive and emotional needs of residents in the upper levels of care.
• Design, implement, and maintain tools to capture upper levels of care resident interests and life stories, including Interest Surveys, Memory Boxes, and the LifeBio biography platform
• Analyze collected data and disseminate meaningful summaries to staff to support personalized care and engagement
• Develop tools and programs to support residents whose spouses are living with dementia. This includes facilitating seminars, lectures, and related information, and creating and facilitating a mutual support group for them.
• Create content for and co-lead the weekly Memory Café for IL residents who are living with dementia and their spouses.
• Manage inventory and operation of the HCC Care Cart, ensuring relevant, comforting supplies are well stocked and      appropriately distributed. Maintain inventory for HCC Welcome Totes.
• Monitor participation and program success metrics to support continual improvement
• Comply with applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, and regulations; maintains knowledge of and follows all Plymouth Place policies and procedures.
• Maintain regular and punctual attendance at work and meetings.
• Attends in-service and education programs.

OTHER DUTIES: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the team member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• During emergencies or natural disasters  may be required to be on duty for the duration of the disaster. 

Requirements

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Gerontology, Social Work, Recreation Therapy, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Experience in community engagement, life enrichment, volunteer coordination, or therapeutic programming, preferably in a senior care or healthcare setting.
• Prior experience utilizing reminiscence-based approaches or life story tools to support engagement and connection with older adults is recommended.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities Required:

• Ability to demonstrate deep empathy and apply creative thinking when designing and implementing programs that engage older adults, including individuals living with memory loss.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in tracking participation data and communicating program effectiveness.
• Experience with reminiscence-based or  life story tools is highly desirable.
• Ability to represent the organization in a professional, positive manner across diverse audiences.
• Ability to lead with warmth, initiative, and a spirit of collaboration.
• Ability to work evening and weekend hours as needed to support special events and volunteer activities.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize workloads, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to read, write and speak English sufficient to perform job duties and to interact and communicate with residents, families, and employees.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS: The physical activities of this position constantly require effective talking, hearing, sitting, walking, and standing functions. The position often requires exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Must be able to perform activities with close visual acuity, such as reading a computer screen and reading print material. 

OSHA Exposure Category: Category III – Position includes tasks that involve no exposure to blood, body fluids, tissues; would not be required to perform Category I tasks.

INTELLECTUAL/EMOTIONAL REQUIREMENTS: The occupant of this position must be able to perform the responsibilities of the position well under pressure. The position requires adaptability to performing a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another without loss of efficiency or composure. This position requires the ability to deal with and find resolutions to problems and maintain a productive working relationship with employees and may be interrupted frequently to meet the needs and requests of others. It also requires adaptability to fluctuate between priorities daily while being responsive to needs as they arise.