Community Engagement Educator

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

The Division of Community Engagement, an integral unit within the Provost’s Office, is currently seeking a Community Engagement Educator. This position will play a pivotal role in advancing community-engaged research at Virginia Commonwealth University. The primary focus is on integrating the research needs of both VCU and our community partners, while simultaneously enhancing the capacity of VCU researchers and students to address societal challenges through community-engaged research practices.

A primary objective of this role is to significantly increase the number of well-trained staff, students, and faculty members proficient in community engagement, partnerships, community-engaged research and engagement with diverse stakeholders. This position is situated within the Division of Community Engagement and will report to the AVP of Community Partnerships. The selected candidate will join a dynamic Division of Community Engagement team and collaborate closely with various community-engaged and research units across VCU to ensure that VCU faculty, students, and staff receive the essential training and support needed to excel in community engaged activities ranging from outreach to developing partnerships for research.  In this role, the trainer will be responsible for designing and delivering comprehensive training programs that cater to diverse learning styles, ensuring all participants can effectively engage with the material (community engagement). The ideal candidate will have expertise in developing both online and in-person training sessions, as well as hybrid programs that seamlessly integrate these formats. Strong presentation and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to utilize interactive techniques to keep participants engaged. Additionally, the trainer will be adept at using various digital tools and platforms to enhance the learning experience and provide valuable feedback to participants.

Qualifications:
Educational Background: A Ph.D. in a relevant field, such as social sciences, public health, education, or a related discipline.

Training Experience: Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering training programs that cater to diverse learning styles, including online, in-person, and hybrid formats. Strong presentation and communication skills are essential, with the ability to engage participants through interactive techniques. Proficiency in using digital tools and platforms to enhance learning and provide feedback is also required.

Research Expertise: Some experience in community-engaged research will be beneficial
Community Engagement: Experience in community engagement, including working directly with communities and community partners. The ideal candidate should have the ability to support faculty and staff in understanding the spectrum of engagement and provide guidance on how, when, and where to effectively engage with communities.

Communication Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively train and support faculty, students, and community stakeholders to promote authentic community engagement aligned with VCU’s mission.

Leadership Abilities: Strong leadership skills to collaborate with faculty in developing innovative training curricula and proactively initiate trainings that address the needs of faculty, students, and the community.

Key responsibilities include:
Teaching and Training: Develop sustainable training modules for students, faculty, and staff to obtain credentialing in community-engaged research and best practices for academic-community partnerships. In collaboration with community partners, develop and deliver training programs for community partners to onboard them to work with VCU.

Mentorship: Provide mentorship and guidance to faculty and students involved in community-engaged research, helping them navigate research processes and community engagement.

Research Support: Work alongside the Division of Community Engagement team and faculty to offer support for faculty interested in community-engaged research projects.

Networking: Promote community engagement training and capacity-building training opportunities in partnership with priority partner communities

Tasks:
Teaching and Training:

• Develop and implement sustainable training modules for students, faculty, and staff in community-engaged research and academic-community partnership best practices.

Curriculum Development:

• Design innovative training curricula that address emerging needs and trends in community engagement.
• Continuously evaluate and update training content to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
  

Evaluation

• Develop assessment tools to measure the effectiveness of training programs and mentorship activities.
• Use feedback and evaluation data to refine and improve training and mentorship offerings.

Mentorship

• Provide mentorship and guidance to students involved in community-engaged initiatives, helping them navigate processes and effectively engage with communities.
• Support the development of best practices in onboarding for community engagement.

Networking

• Promote community engagement training and capacity-building opportunities in collaboration with priority partner communities

• Actively engage with community stakeholders to identify training needs and opportunities for collaboration.
  

Rebekah Jewers
jewersrl@vcu.edu
804-827-0531