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Kearns & West

Associate

San Francisco, California

The Organization

Kearns & West, Inc. is a stakeholder engagement, communications, and collaborative solutions firm. Our staff is passionate about engaging communities in the planning and decision-making process for community, transportation, water, energy, and environmental planning projects. We understand the technical issues and work on the “people side” of these projects.

Kearns & West’s specialists take a diverse range of issues, opinions, goals, and interests, and organize them into clear, productive processes that lead to successful conclusions. The Kearns & West approach involves assessment, outreach, process and meeting design, facilitation, dispute resolution, and development of communications tailored to each project’s unique process. Collectively, these tools and techniques build productive stakeholder relationships, integrated approaches, and strategic partnerships with the goal of developing long-term, sustainable solutions.

Our San Francisco office is involved in several high-profile projects ranging across local, regional, state, and federal levels and including work for High-Speed Rail, MTC, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Bay Area Air District, and various other jurisdictions and agencies.

The Position

Kearns & West seeks to hire a staff Associate. Each advancing level assumes greater experience and responsibility in planning/logistics, outreach, stakeholder engagement, project task management, equity-focused facilitation, communications, project management, and business development in support of our work.

The successful candidate(s) will carry out communications, outreach, planning, and public engagement on a variety of projects. They will work with stakeholders representing local communities, as well as representatives from transportation providers, state and federal agencies, tribes, advocacy organizations, business industries, and local interests. Most of the work is based in Northern California and centered in the San Francisco Bay Area but could include work throughout California and across the United States.

Given our portfolio of transportation, community planning, climate adaptation, energy, and water projects, a candidate’s interest and experience in passenger rail, public transportation, general plans, natural resources, and/or environmental planning are highly desirable. Candidates come from a variety of backgrounds, but past work with local, state, and/or federal government agencies on planning, collaborative problem-solving, public engagement, communications, community development, public policy, and/or dispute resolution projects is required.

Key responsibilities include the following:

Thoughtful interaction with diverse stakeholders, including clients, community members, advocates, and others on a range of sensitive topics.
Impartial facilitation of stakeholder discussions, group meetings, and events.
Graphic communication (e.g., presentations, videos, brochures, websites).
Organizing, managing, coordinating, and participating in community outreach events, charrettes, workshops, focus groups, etc. in virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats.
Planning and executing stakeholders and public meetings or other forums (including logistics).
Identifying digital engagement opportunities/appropriate tools for stakeholder engagement projects.
Research and writing of peer reviews, survey summaries, meeting summaries, public comments, and outreach plans for many types of audiences (including underrepresented communities, multilingual communities, business groups, elected officials, etc.).
Staff supervision, mentoring, and time management.
Implementing engagement plans, including maintaining detailed calendars, schedules, and task lists.
Development of complex strategic plans and processes, policy recommendations, guidance documents, etc.
Development of project proposals including budgets, strategies, business development plans, interviews, and other approaches to expand our portfolio of work.
Contract administration, progress reporting, and invoice and expense report preparation.
Managing a project from initiation to completion, coordinating and working as a team.

Qualifications

We’re looking for someone who is:

Organized and prepared to contribute to our team organization.
Adaptable and flexible.
Self-motivated, hardworking, and comfortable working independently, yet successful at balancing working as part of a team.
An effective and reliable communicator.
Skilled at facilitating sensitive discussions and making presentations.
Excited to bring a deep technical knowledge in planning, environmental issues, law, communications, policy and/or other applicable fields.
Comfortable taking direction and empowered to take the initiative.
Able to reliably set priorities, manage multiple tasks, and meet project deadlines on multiple projects for multiple clients.
Interested in working in a firm of about 90 professionals with offices across the US.

Education, Certifications, and Experience

MINIMUM EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Possession of a master’s degree, other advanced degrees, or educational equivalent is a plus, and may be considered in lieu of work experience.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Successful Associate candidates will have 2-5 years of work experience. With a background in transportation and infrastructure issues, environment, land-use, conflict management, and resolution, public stakeholder engagement and strategic communications, mediation, local and regional government, public policy, and/or community relations.
LOCATION/TRAVEL: Position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Candidate must reside in the region and be able to work in our San Francisco downtown office as needed. Candidates must possess a valid driver’s license and be able to drive independently to meetings and events. Candidates must be able to travel occasionally, as needed.
REQUIRED SKILLS: Strong writing, presentation, and teamwork skills. Fluency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), online meetings and collaboration tools.
DESIRED SKILLS: Experience with database management, Adobe Creative Suite software, and social media tools. Experience with Unanet software. Graphic design. Fluency in Spanish.

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