Urban Revitalization Specialist

Somerville is a city that upholds progressive principles for both employees and residents. The City of Somerville embraces and encourages an innovative, empowering, and collaborative workplace culture in a fast-paced, challenging environment. The City also offers a generous benefits package that embodies a strong work-life balance. Not only is Somerville a “Model City,” as termed by The Boston Globe, it is also a model employer.

Statement of Duties

The Urban Revitalization Specialist for Economic Development is responsible for project management of complex development scenarios by providing technical assistance to elected and appointed officials; development of new economic development procedures; preparing written project analysis; managing community engagement, interfacing with state and federal agencies; and managing consultant contracts including scope-of-work and budgets.

Essential Functions

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Provides technical assistance to elected officials regarding planning activities in the city.
• Researches and implements programs to enhance economic development.
• Manages and implements development projects.
• Manages consultant contracts.
• Manages RFP’s and property disposition.
• Interfaces with local community, other city department, and state/federal agencies.
• Prepares written project analysis/response.
• Develops new planning procedures.
• Designs and prepares urban design plans.
• Analyzes and organizes project-related data sets.
• Manages the public process dealing with planning initiatives.
• Prepares staff reports for a variety of Boards and Commissions.
• Presents case information at a Board and Commission meetings.
• Coordinates community outreach and participation processes.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Urban Planning, or related field and seven (7) years’ experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Master’s degree strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Knowledge of community, action groups, politics (local), neighborhoods and business concerns; considerable knowledge of economic, sociological and environmental aspects of planning.

Abilities: Ability to organize and direct the preparation of comprehensive research studies, analyze problems, prepare technical reports and formulate recommendations; ability to think creatively, exercise emotional intelligence and maintain or shift focus in accordance with changing priorities; ability to work individually and in small groups; ability to lead others, receive feedback and problem-solve; ability to communicate effectively orally, in writing, and through the use of digital communications and presentation tools with , contractors, developers, owners, supervisors, employees, and the public.

Skill: Skilled public speaker; excellent customer service, data analysis and communications, planning and design skills. Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole and/or Nepali is preferred.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30lbs.)

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Send your resume and cover letter by December 14, 2020 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.