Digital Navigator - City of Somerville

Statement of Duties:

The Digital Navigator works to strengthen systems, policies, and programs to advance the Digital Navigation and Digital Literacy skills of Somerville residents, particularly at the Mystic Housing Authority. The Digital Navigator will collaborate with and convene city wide, multi stakeholder partnerships committed to digital inclusion efforts. In addition to working with a variety of stakeholders, they will meet with residents individually, provide small group assistance, and teach classes to help residents gain the necessary digital skills to achieve their goals. The Digital Navigator will work to contribute to the work of the Digital Bridge Initiative.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types 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.

• Convene key community stakeholders to provide a coordinated system of supports for program participants in need of digital navigations services.
• Provide coaching and digital navigation services to residents located at Somerville Housing Authority locations, particularly the Mystic Housing Apartments. Coaching will occur virtually.
• Meet with residents individually and in small groups to provide coaching in introductory digital skills.
• Teach classes in the computer lab based on various needs of the residents.
• Continuously strengthen partnerships at higher education institutions, employers, training providers and other applicable cross-sector partners to ensure successful outcomes for participants.
• Project Management activities such as coordinating working groups with a wide variety of external and internal stakeholders, Manage contracts and budgets, monitor project progress, evaluates consultant work and ensures contract deliverables; and other programmatic tasks.
• Interfaces with local community, other city departments, and state/federal agencies to promote digital inclusion programming, answer inquiries, and provide grant reporting documentation;
• Prepares written project analysis/response;
• Prepares staff reports for a variety of Boards and Commissions;
• Presents case information at Board and Commission meetings;
• Works in close cooperation with the other divisions (e.g., Planning and Zoning, Transportation and Infrastructure, Housing) that comprise the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD)
• Work with City Economic Development staff to create and build out a recruitment plan, attend recruitment events at the Mystic Apartments and other venues.
• Maintain accurate detailed transition supports and student records in database.
• Collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data related to participant programs
• Helps coordinate community outreach and public participation processes for workforce development initiatives
• Other duties as assigned.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Three-five (3-5) years of experience in community engagement, entry level information technology, case management, workshop facilitation and/or associate’s degree in related field; 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. Applications demonstrating lived experience with socially disadvantaged populations are preferred.

Special Requirements: Job duties include schedule flexibility and attending some evening meetings as necessary.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of community, action groups, neighborhoods and community needs
• Considerable knowledge of workforce development, digital navigation and inclusion, wrap around supports and marketing as applied to planning and service delivery.
• Considerable knowledge and experience with relation to municipal and community-based service delivery, referral mechanisms and services and wrap around services.
• Working knowledge of personal computers, case management software, and marketing.
• Thorough knowledge of workforce development planning principles and practices
• Thorough knowledge of local training opportunities that lead to sustainable employment, labor practices, and current workforce trends.

Ability:

• Ability to learn and teach basic technical concepts related to internet services, computers and devices, and commonly used online services and applications
• Ability to self-organize and work independently
• Ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills with cultural sensitivities in mind when working with diverse clients, coworkers, and the community
• Ability to innovate and creatively problem solve
• Ability to handle stressful situations in a calm manner
• Ability to be flexible and understanding of changing needs
• Ability to analyze problems, prepare technical reports and formulate recommendations
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with contractors, supervisors, program participants, and the public

Skill: This position requires strong skills in oral and written communication, as well as excellent customer service skills. This position also requires basic technical skills and comfortability in working with Microsoft Office and Google Suite. Additional skills include basic competency in data analytics, project management, and marketing. Bi-lingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole, Nepali, Mandarin, and/or Cantonese is preferred, but not required.

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

Minimal 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. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy 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. 

Hours: Full-Time, weekend and evening hours.
Salary: $66,244.85 annualized, plus benefits 
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Exempt
Date Posted: November 18th, 2024

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. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Please Note: The below details do not apply to any Mayor Student Jobs programs OR youth workers with the city.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation (for non-union positions) union positions vary by contract
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

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