Community Experience Specialist

Oregon State University, United States

Updated: 10 days ago
Location: Corvallis, OREGON
Deadline: 17 Apr 2024

Position Details
Position Information


Department Basic Needs Center (MSA)
Position Title Coordinator-Student Program
Job Title Community Experience Specialist
Appointment Type Professional Faculty
Job Location Corvallis
Benefits Eligible Full-Time, benefits eligible
Remote or Hybrid option?
Job Summary
The Basic Needs Center is seeking a Community Experience Specialist. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position.
The Basic Needs Center (BNC) at Oregon State University is a vibrant community center where students help students in a peer-to-peer frame of solidarity and co-creation of solutions around their basic needs. Student leaders (Peer Navigators) provide coaching, problem solving, resource navigation, and community-building opportunities to their classmates who are working through challenging economic realities. The BNC accomplishes this through conversations, events, outreach, and basic needs programs. Programs led by the BNC are focused on food security (OSU food pantry, Healthy Beaver Bags, SNAP application support, cooking classes, a food garden, etc.) as well as many programs related to other basic needs (Textbook Lending Library, laundry, shower, housing strategies, and more). The center is a lively space where on any given day you are likely to encounter bustling activities, warm conversations over coffee, laughter, music, natural light brightening the space and a cozy fireplace running in the winter.
The Basic Needs Center also believes relationships at work matter. We take the time to get to know one another and build trust. Additionally, because we are a learning organization and believe all students are capable leaders, we strive to further build capacity and leadership skills in everyone who works here and within all members of the greater BNC community. Each person on the team brings unique strengths and everyone is regularly in a learner role and a teacher role. We work to simultaneously provide high support with high expectations for the great work we know we can accomplish, and we make it a practice to provide feedback to each other so we may all continue to grow. Professional development including shared readings and practice discussions are part of all positions.
The Community Experience Specialist (CES) plays a vital role in contributing to the BNC organization and the basic needs of OSU students. This role will bring strong hospitality and interpersonal communication skills to create a high-quality experience and welcoming environment for visitors and collaborators to the BNC. The CES serves in a front-of-house role that interacts with visitors and staff daily, contributing to community-building goals and incorporating feedback and observations to seek improvement. They guide the successful day-to-day operations of the center, providing supervision and support of the student team in collaboration with other full-time staff, coordinating the flow of activities and work shifts of the week and overseeing key center facilities. This makes the CES vital in ensuring the day-to-day needs of the center have been planned for and that student leaders have what they need to meet expectations for running the center and creating connections with visitors. This position provides training and everyday coaching to others in the areas of communication, event planning, and hosting skills. The CES provides leadership in designing the interactions that inform most student’s first experiences with the BNC: orientation and university welcome week events, as well as the day to day “welcome” the center offers to students new to our programs.
Why OSU?
Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job!
Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem-solvers and change-makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep-rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.
FACTS:
• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide
• For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about
Locations:
Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport.
Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.
Total Rewards Package:

Oregon State University offers a comprehensive benefits package with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life. OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.
Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.
Key Responsibilities
35% Supervision and Student Development
  • Provide day-to-day supervision, including reviewing events of the day with the team and bringing Peer Navigators into the agenda of the day at shift changes. Build buy-in and motivation with the team for the day’s events when needed. Plan with and support Peer Navigators in balancing focused work time on projects with scheduled program operations (deliveries, pick-ups, event hosting, etc.).
  • Maintain focus on the expectations and community-building goals of the Basic Needs Center and support the team to meet them.
  • Provide project coaching, mentoring and problem-solving to student staff. Ensure compliance with applicable university policies. Provide feedback and support when needed to improve team performance.
  • Develop specific training curriculum for student leaders as needed.
  • Collaborate with other professional staff who also provide mentoring, coaching, evaluating and performance improvement functions for student leaders, in a shared supervision model.
  • Approve student staff timesheets and oversee successful completion of employee training and related recordkeeping. Supervisor of record for BNC student employees.
  • Directly supervise, evaluate, and support the work of a graduate assistant tasked with outreach functions.
  • Collaborate with professional staff to build student leadership and provide high-quality supervisory experiences.


25% Logistics and Organizational Operations
  • Oversee and support program needs connected to student-facing facility resources, such as the shower, laundry room and hospitality counter.
  • Serve as primary scheduler, coordinating student staff work schedules to ensure the center has sufficient staff and roles assigned to accomplish goals.
  • Attend to day-to-day food safety standards. Maintain ServSafe certification.
  • Steward the student-staff assigned workspaces and related resources that support the peer-to-peer program model.
  • Coordinate, approve and purchase event and program supplies in partnership with student leaders.
  • Develop and implement policies and practices to ensure efficient and effective workflows for the center’s daily needs.
  • Provide back-up for picking up food deliveries in partnership with Food Security Programs Manager.
  • Participate in professional development opportunities and relevant departmental meetings.
  • Other duties as assigned.

20% Education and Training
  • Contribute to student and professional staff training with a focus on communication skills, interaction skills, communicating across difference/conflict, and receiving community feedback.
  • Coach student leaders toward successful event planning, skillful hosting, and meaningfully including others in activities. Prioritize and coach the vibrant and relational goals of our community programming and spaces.
  • Utilize feedback to identify opportunities to improve the quality of the BNC program and collaborate with the team to implement improvement strategies.
  • Collaborate to plan broader training and leadership development experiences for student staff with internal and external peers and colleagues involved in various committee or event efforts that span organizations. Connect training and educational goals and processes to theories and literature relevant to the organizational goals (examples include but are not limited to: Asset-Based Community Development and the Social Change model for student leadership development).
  • Provide expertise and support to internal and external stakeholders about the BNC programming model. Share information and coach campus colleagues regarding strategies for encouraging help-seeking behavior, student development and building skills with students experiencing resource-related challenges.

20% Activities and Event Coordination
  • Support student leaders in learning and practicing the planning functions for their educational events and community building programs.
  • Coordinate the calendaring and scheduling of program activities.
  • Responsible for student outreach efforts.
  • Coordinate organizational welcome week activity and other new student programming, integrating learning goals and other priorities.
  • Participate in relevant divisional or organizational collaborative efforts and committee work to engage OSU students in events and involvement opportunities.
What You Will Need
  • Bachelor’s degree in education, business, hospitality, tourism, theater, communication or other relevant degree to the position
  • Experience supervising or leading staff or volunteers for a minimum of one full time year, or two years in a half-time role.
  • Successful experiences building and maintaining relationship and partnership with stakeholders representing various interests.
  • Excellent organizational skills and demonstrable success executing complex projects on a team.
  • Experience collaborating in a team environment with diverse individuals.
  • Experience building connections and community across social class groups.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and coach others toward successful teamwork.
  • Ability to manage conflict, unexpected circumstances, or the need to pivot attention and activity while remaining calm and thoughtful. Willingness to have flexibility/adaptability.
  • Demonstrated willingness to learn and apply learned knowledge/theory to practice. Ability to describe one’s interest in and the approach one would take in a purposeful learning organization informed by student development theory.
  • Excellent situational judgement and use of professional interpersonal boundaries.
  • Valid driver’s license and ability to drive or willingness to learn to drive university vehicle.


This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.
This position requires driving a university vehicle or a personal vehicle on behalf of the university; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a motor vehicle history check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver’s license in their state of residence, be determined to be position qualified and self-report convictions as per University Policy 05-030.
What We Would Like You to Have
  • A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.
  • Demonstrable experience coaching interactions and interpersonal communication. Examples could include but are not limited to directing theater casts, providing instruction to communication-focused classes, supervisory roles in the hospitality or tourism industry or success coaching a team of athletes.
  • Professionally applicable graduate studies (degrees or certificates) in relevant topics including (but not limited to) student development, organizational development, business leadership or leadership development, asset-based community development, and community development.
  • Workplace experience applying concepts of microdemocracy, student development, organizational development, business leadership, leadership development, or asset-based community development.
  • Specialized training in Applied Improvisation, cross-cultural dialogue, Dynamic Facilitation, restorative justice, Motivational Interviewing, learner-centered pedagogy, coaching or other similar skills.
  • Personal experience participating or working in a youth or student leadership development program; with the ability to communicate the value of such to others
Working Conditions / Work Schedule
The Basic Needs Center community environment involves significant front of the house interactions with student leaders, other staff, and community members. Our center is regularly busy and can be noisy. During busy times during certain activities the work area may be warm or cool from having doors open. Remote work in this function will be rare and only as needed with prior approval. Work schedule will be 8-5 or 9-6 pm weekdays. Heavy lifting (occasionally up to 50 lbs) will be required with some regularity. Evening and weekend work is rare and coordinated with significant advance notice. This staff member will have a desk/assigned office workspace but will spend a majority of time in required work away from their office and may choose to have a second dedicated workspace in the main (public-facing) community room.
Pay Method Salary
Pay Period 1st through the last day of the month
Pay Date Last working day of the month
Recommended Full-Time Salary Range $50,000-$55,000
Link to Position Description
https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/position_descriptions/151712

Posting Detail Information


Posting Number P07891UF
Number of Vacancies 1
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date 07/01/2024
Anticipated Appointment End Date
Posting Date 03/18/2024
Full Consideration Date
Closing Date 04/17/2024
Indicate how you intend to recruit for this search Competitive / External - open to ALL qualified applicants
Special Instructions to Applicants
When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:
1) A resume/CV; and
2) A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position.
You will also be required to submit the names of at least three professional references, their e-mail addresses and telephone numbers as part of the application process.
For additional information please contact:
Laura Tilley
[email protected]

OSU commits to inclusive excellence by advancing equity and diversity in all that we do. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.
OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.
Starting salary within the salary range will be commensurate with skills, education, and experience.
OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system. This job has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities. If you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job-related pre-employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre-employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [email protected] .

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