Back to jobs
New

Community Engagement Specialist (Contract)

Mobile, AL

Via is using technology to transform transportation around the world. From changing a single person’s daily commute to reducing humanity’s collective environmental footprint — we’ve got huge goals.

As a Community Engagement Specialist (Contract) for Mobile, AL’s transit network redesign, you will lead community engagement efforts—combining relationship-driven community work (trusted organization and disability-community partnerships, political sensitivity, focus groups) with a milestone-driven launch playbook (train-the-trainer, champion organizations, education sessions, toolkit saturation, and targeted street outreach). This is not a service expansion; it is a high-visibility relaunch where messaging must be careful, inclusive, and credible for riders, caregivers, community organizations, and city leadership.

This is a contract role: ~40 hours/week through launch (approximately Jun–Aug 2026), tapering to ~10 hours/week post-launch (Sep–Nov 2026), with full-time in-person presence in Mobile, AL.

What You’ll Do:

  • Own and execute the community engagement plan for the network redesign, which includes a rebranding and changes to the transit network. This includes pre-launch outreach through post-launch follow-up.
  • Build trusted relationships with community organizations, advocates, and local leaders, with emphasis on riders who will experience change to their use of transit, as well as those who use paratransit, accessibility services, and caregiver support.
  • Recruit champion partner organizations, lead train-the-trainer sessions, and drive distribution of digital and print education toolkits across Mobile.
  • Plan and lead community events, tabling, and on-the-ground outreach, including targeted pushes at major transit hubs, hospitals, colleges, and senior-serving locations.
  • Facilitate rider focus groups and listening sessions (e.g., safety, trust, service changes) and translate insights into clear recommendations for Via and city partners.
  • Design and deliver accessibility-, paratransit-, and senior-focused education sessions so riders and caregivers understand how to use the redesigned service.
  • Distribute rider- and organization-facing materials (FAQs, one-pagers, toolkits) that explain the redesign clearly, accurately, and inclusively.
  • Support municipal and partner briefings with talking points and pre-read materials; proactively flag community concerns and recommend ways to address them before they escalate.
  • Serve as the senior local point of contact for community questions and concerns, and mentor a field intern on outreach tracking, event support, and weekly feedback capture.
  • Provide regular written updates on outreach progress, feedback themes, and risks to Via’s local and central teams.

Who You Are:

  • 5+ years in community engagement, advocacy, public affairs, or nonprofit partnership roles—or equivalent consulting experience in public-facing programs.
  • Proven success building trust with community organizations, especially disability, senior, and equity-focused stakeholders; comfortable in politically sensitive environments.
  • Experience facilitating trainings, focus groups, and partner meetings; strong facilitator, not only a planner.
  • Track record delivering measurable outreach outcomes (committed partners, events held, materials distributed, attendance targets).
  • Excellent verbal and written communicator; able to adjust tone for org leaders, riders, caregivers, and city staff.
  • Self-directed on a part-time contract: you manage your own plan, trackers, and invoices; you escalate early when risks emerge.
  • Mobile, AL / Gulf South experience or demonstrated ability to work credibly in a mid-size Southern city strongly preferred.
  • Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for regular field work required.

Compensation and Benefits

  • Final salary will be determined by the candidate’s experience, knowledge, and skills. Salary reflected does not include equity or variable pay, where applicable
  • Hourly Pay Range: $30-35/hr

Ready to join the ride?

Via is an equal opportunity employer.

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Via? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Via’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.