Community Liaison - Northeast Region

Work for Indiana

Begin a fulfilling career with the State of Indiana by joining one of the largest employers in the state, offering a diverse range of opportunities across 60+ agencies. At the state, you'll find competitive compensation, a robust benefits package and a commitment to work-life balance. Most importantly, you'll have the chance to make a real and measurable impact on the lives of Hoosiers across Indiana.

At the State of Indiana, we don't just talk about diversity and inclusion-we make it our goal to create a welcoming, accessible, and equitable workplace with a workforce that is representative of Indiana's population. As a proud equal opportunity employer, reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to complete the application and interview process as well as perform the essential functions of a role.

About the Office of Community and Rural Affairs:

OCRA works with local, state, and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to aid communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development.

Role Overview:

The Northeast Community Liaison (CL) currently resides within the Northeast Region and serves the following counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, Lagrange, Miami, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, Whitley counties.

The CL serves the state of Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Lt Governor as the front door to state government for local leadership. They represent the interests of Indiana, the Lt Governor, and OCRA. The CL serves as a two-way conduit of knowledge and expertise seeking to understand the needs and priorities of the communities they serve and offers technical assistance, convenes partners, and presents resources in the form of both programmatic and financial offerings from OCRA, state, federal, and other partners.

The CL provides excellent customer service and responsive communication to local and regional level contacts of all disciplines. They are well versed in the technical requirements of all programs and financial solutions.

Salary Statement:

The salary for this position traditionally starts at $53,222 but may be commensurate with education or work experience.

A Day in the Life:

The essential functions of this role are as follows:

• Serve as front door to state government by growing and maintaining working relationships with local and regional leaders including, but not limited to elected officials, local economic development officials (LEDOs), chambers of commerce, community foundations, Main Street organizations, regional planning organizations, professional consultants, other state and federal agencies, and the general public regarding agency activities and services

• Achieve all in-person meeting metrics as set by the agency within the designated region, including meeting with each of the following annually: 2 meetings per mayor, 2 meetings per LEDO, 1 meeting per Indiana Main Street Director, 1 meeting per Community Foundation, 1 meeting per County Commissioner, 1 meeting per Convention of Visitor Bureau, 2 meetings per Town Manager, 2 meetings per Clerk-Treasurer, 1 meeting per Chamber of Commerce

• Enter community interactions weekly through the electronic portal to track the number of in-person meetings, phone calls, and emails with key customers

• Provide and present a regional summary to central office staff

• Participate in all OCRA Staff meetings, internal and external training, workshops, and agency-sponsored events

• Maintain a working knowledge of all OCRA programs

• Provide technical assistance to communities in the engagement of agency programs

• Foster a culture of innovation, committed to meeting current and emerging customer needs.

• Effectively and proactively communicate with design professionals, builders and developers, attorneys, and local community officials and staff on the status of major projects and initiatives.

• Respond to all inquiries relating to specific projects and/or requests for other (programmatic) information.

• Evaluate issues regarding municipal public works and make recommendations to assist communities in achieving their goals and priorities

• Seek, document, highlight, and disseminate community economic development best practices.

• Provide neutral facilitation services for fact-finding, asset mapping, and problem-solving for communities and appropriate organizations.

• Identify, link, and convene local and regional groups with common missions and interests to move their communities forward.

• Utilize internal and external resources, technology, and continuous improvement techniques to report metrics, improve processes, create more capacity, and deliver greater value

• Review project development plans (preliminary engineering reports, comprehensive plans, feasibility studies, etc.) for compliance with technical requirements, regulations, and standards.

• Discuss proposed project details with diverse community stakeholders to evaluate program eligibility and competitiveness ahead of application submission.

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

What You'll Need for Success:

You must meet the following requirements to be considered for employment:

• B.S./B.A. degree or extensive related work experience

• Considerable interpersonal communication skills, both written and verbal

• An outgoing positive approach to new ideas and concepts

• Understand the relationships between Indiana's community economic development goals and various programs and services provided by the agency and its partners

• Ability to travel extensively within the assigned region and the state

• Ability to speak and present to small and large audiences

• Ability to perform basic computer office functions including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Outlook)

• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a demanding environment

Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana:

The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefit package for full-time employees which includes:

• Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) as well as vision and dental plans

• Wellness Rewards Program: Complete wellness activities to earn gift card rewards

• Health savings account, which includes bi-weekly state contribution

• Flexible work scheduling options, including the potential for hybrid remote work for employees whose work may be performed outside state facilities

• Deferred compensation 457B account (similar to 401k plan) with employer match

• Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options

• A robust, comprehensive program of leave policies covering a variety of employee needs, including but not limited to:

• 150 hours of paid new parent leave

• Up to 15 hours of paid community service leave

• Combined 180 hours of paid vacation, personal, and sick leave time off

• 12 paid holidays, 14 on election years

• Education Reimbursement Program

• Group life insurance

• Referral Bonus program

• Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits

• Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

• Free Parking for most positions

• Free LinkedIn Learning access

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to recruiting, selecting, developing, and promoting employees based on individual ability and job performance. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all people in all aspects of employer-employee relations without discrimination because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or veteran status. We will comply with the spirit as well as the letter of all applicable state and federal laws.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability and require reasonable accommodations to complete this application, you can request assistance by contacting the Indiana State Personnel Department at jobs@spd.IN.gov.

The State of Indiana has established a culture that welcomes equity, inclusion, and opportunity for all employees and applicants. We encourage you to apply if you feel you have the transferrable skills to be successful in this position and we look forward to reviewing your application.

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