CENTER FOR RURAL ENGAGEMENT (BL-CFRE-IUBLA)

The IU Center for Rural Engagement improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching and student service, the center builds vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.

The Community Resilience Liaison (CRL) serves as a key connector between Indiana University and communities across the state, helping align community-identified environmental, social, and economic resilience needs with university resources and expertise.

Department Specific Responsibilities

• Reports to the Director of Community Initiatives.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with community partners, faculty, staff, and stakeholders, representing the Center for Rural Engagement (CRE) at meetings, events, and collaborative initiatives.
• Works closely with IU units such as the Environmental Resilience Institute and Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands to advance community resilience projects and strengthen campus-community partnerships.
• Supports the development, management, and evaluation of community-engaged projects by coordinating project activities, monitoring outcomes, tracking key metrics, and helping ensure IU meets partner expectations.
• Collaborates with CRE leadership to facilitate community projects, develop scopes of work, supports the Sustaining Hoosier Communities program, supervises up to 3 Rural Scholars, and shares project successes with communications staff.
• Works with a high degree of independence, this positions helps advance the CRE's mission by fostering trust, supporting successful project delivery, and enhancing the impact of IU's engagement efforts across Indiana.
• Communicates frequently remotely and in-person with community leaders and project leads in the selected community to ensure that their needs are being heard and met by CRE initiatives.
• Develops strong knowledge of the key issues related to health and wellness that impact each county and aligns resources to address these issues, ensuring the success of the county.
• Develops strong interpersonal relationships with community leaders and stakeholders to enhance the CRE's likelihood of successful implementation of new projects and initiatives.
• Facilitates community information sessions and other workshops.
• Collaborates, and actively shares community information and insights with CRE directors and other CRE staff, and shares stories for marketing, communications and social media efforts.
• Works closely with the Director of Student Engagement to support the Student Success pillar of the IU 2030 Strategic Plan. This includes serving as the lead on several SHC projects and managing up to three Rural Scholars.
• Generates scopes of work for community partners and communicates those plans and expectations to faculty, community leaders, and the CRE team.
• Follows up with project partners when necessary and helps to problem-solve issues.
• Coordinates with CRE staff to ensure that the logistical and resource needs of projects are met in a timely fashion and within budget.
• Actively participates in monthly project management and grant scoping meetings.
• Completes other affiliated duties as assigned.

General Responsibilities

• Serves as liaison to key stakeholders in public and private sectors on partnership opportunities advancing institutional initiatives.
• Initiates and maintains frequent interactions with relevant partners ensuring strong collaborative relationships and focus.
• Develops knowledge of issues and needs of initiatives, programs, and partners to make appropriate connections with university and external resources.
• Serves as a community resource facilitating programs, providing technical assistance, and ensuring communication to optimize project outcomes.
• Collaborates with university and external partners to identify funding needs and potential sources; participates in developing external funding proposals with education and outreach components.
• Communicates partner expectations with unit leadership to assist in operationalizing project outcomes; collaborates in the timely delivery of logistical, budgetary, and support functions.
• Determines and tracks key project metrics and assists in analysis and report development.
• May provide guidance to lower-level Institutional Advancement Consultants.

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 2 years experience in outreach, engagement, public relations, or related field.

Preferred

• Demonstrated success in complex project management.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Ability to represent the company with external constituents.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders.

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

This position requires some state-wide travel.

Indiana University Bloomington

$65,000.00-$67,190.00 annually

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For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.

Career Level: Career

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Development & Advancement

Job Family: Institutional Advancement

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This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online. You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at iups@iu.edu or by visiting IUPD.

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