Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Placemaking Coordinator – Job Description

This new position with the Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) requires an energetic, results-oriented professional enthusiastic about the potential of Castleberry Hill. As a community organizer, ability to manage complex issues and projects, work effectively with a variety of constituencies, interface with volunteers and build consensus among diverse stakeholders are essential skills. Passion for Placemaking and public spaces is a must.

The Neighborhood Placemaking Coordinator will focus his/her energies on improving the public spaces in Castleberry Hill, with a focus on connecting with Downtown and the Westside neighborhoods of Vine City and English Avenue as well as the AUC. Areas of emphasis will include improving connectivity between the neighborhoods, supporting the implementation of neighborhood Placemaking projects, and activating public spaces to enhance the overall environment. In many ways this position will act as both a public safety coordinator as well as a beautification coordinator since safety is linked to neighborhood beautification allowing for once unsafe areas to become useful, activated space.

By focusing on placemaking, beautification and safety, Castleberry Hill will be able to identify social entrepreneurship opportunities that can help residents, business owners and property owners and enhance the overall community.  The planning support the coordinator offers will help the CHNA develop business, marketing and communication plans for social entrepreneurship opportunities involving placemaking throughout the neighborhood.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Liaison with Community Organizations, Residents, Businesses and Property Owners

  • Promote and facilitate understanding within the community, of Placemaking principles through presentations, engagement and other communication tools.
  • Provide staff support for neighborhood organizations to plan and implement Placemaking projects.
  • Establish and nurture networks and strategic and programmatic partnerships and relationships between neighborhoods, non-profit organizations, city agencies, and other key stakeholders in pursuit of the vision

2. Implementation of Placemaking projects

  • Manage implementation of public space improvements including:
    • Involvement in final design and construction of the public space;
    • Purchase, find storage and maintain special equipment for events and performances
    • Supervise design and construction of special amenities
    • Supervise installation of planting beds and trees.
  • Manage and oversee  ongoing maintenance of public spaces, including landscaping, cleaning,
  • Organizing volunteers to assist with all aspects of implementation

3. Events planning and organization

  • Set up program of regular and special events and manage schedule
  • Develop events in collaboration with area and city-wide partners
  • Plan and coordinate programming and maintenance with community
  • Market and promote events

Knowledge and Skills

Applicants who have demonstrated the following skills and knowledge will be highly regarded by the search committee:

  • Skilled consensus builder, able to work well within the framework of a complex and politically sensitive public-private sector environment, with a broad cross section of personalities.
  • Out-of-the-box thinker with creative solutions to public spaces challenges and opportunities.
  • Excellent project management skills including ability to stakeholders from the conceptual stage to the successful completion of a project. Attention to detail and strong communications skills are essential.
  • Effectively facilitate multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
  • Ability to coordinate projects with multiple agencies and stakeholder groups.
  • Demonstrate proven integrity and sound judgment.
  • Design and/or event planning experience, and knowledge of Castleberry Hill and Westside communities, a plus.
  • Knowledge of Google Docs/Drive and Google technologies when working with teams a big plus.

Current Projects/Focus

  • New Amsterdam Fund – Community space funded through New Amsterdam, a Gallo company, to activate an inactive space for the enjoyment of the community
  • Soccer Pitch – Building a soccer pitch at 310 Trenholm, property owned by HJ Russell Company. This has been combined with the New Amsterdam Fund community space in order to have a larger impact on the community and have the CHNA and Castleberry Hill Athletic Club (CHAC) work together towards placemaking and activation
  • Murals & Artwork – Funding in place for entryway artwork for the neighborhood and working with several organizations to bring amazing murals to walls in Castleberry Hill as well as work with the city to place the original CH sign back at an entry point
  • Street Sign Toppers – Project funded through NPU-M for street sign toppers throughout the neighborhood

Anticipated Pay Rate (negotiable): $25/hr

Anticipated Time Commitment (negotiable depending on pay rate): 10 hours/week or 40 hours/month, monthly reports to be provided to Exec Board for review/payment

Deadline for Submissions: Monday, May 22, 2017

Send resumes/pay rates to info@castleberryhill.org w/ subject line: Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Placemaking Coordinator