Our ideal candidate will:

• Have a bachelor's degree or equivalent education and experience with 3 or more years' professional, demonstrated experience in community engagement, community organizing, community relations or community experience/event building.
• Have a passion for community, the City, and Downtown Grand Rapids as well as an understanding of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Downtown Improvement District (DID) and other boards and citizen Alliances that comprise the DGRI leadership network.
• Possess the ability to connect, collaborate and communicate effectively with a wide range of people and perspectives including Downtown residents, residential property owners and managers, and relevant resident-related organizations and social institutions.
• Be energetic, proactive and solutions-oriented with a bias toward action in order to manage multiple projects and priorities while creating work products on a deadline.
• Manage and grow the Downtown Neighbor Network community through professional verbal and written communications, event production, and civic training. Patience, openness to different perspectives and strong ability to work with diverse personalities is critical for this role.
• A deep understanding of the nuances of working with civic institutions, resident groups, and other interests and the ability to adjust strategy and approach accordingly to achieve outcomes.
• Consistently make good decisions through analysis, experience, and judgment by doggedly tracking new information, conducting surveys, and gathering insights in order to serve as the go-to source for information relevant to support and maintain a high-quality resident experience.
• With a focus on metrics and outcomes, develop and manage a budget to support resident and neighbor-related initiatives.
• Represent the organization in a professional manner, while being focused, optimistic, persistent, and personable in order to discover and deploy best practices events, programs, projects, committees, and other initiatives in residential engagement, communication and participation that improve the quality of life for Downtown residents.
• With a keen eye for detail, support the management, maintenance and growth of DGRI's resident contact database as well as key residential metrics.
• Use tools like Microsoft Office, CRM and other digital programs to plan and execute regular resident-focused informational communications, including but not limited to, email newsletters and social media.

Here's what we're offering the right candidate:

• An opportunity to affect things that matter in our city! You'll have exposure to exciting events, projects and developments and help to redefine our skyline.
• A fun and flexible culture. Our diverse team works hard and has a good time doing it.
• Competitive compensation
• Medical & Dental Insurance
• Life insurance
• Short- & long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Gym membership discounts and other wellness initiatives
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Opportunities to grow and develop your career

About DGRI

The mission of Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. is to accelerate Downtown GR's transition to a best-in-class American city. While a small, yet mighty organization, our growing team works hard with a wide array of community partners to build an increasingly vibrant downtown with great recreational experiences, high quality of life for people from all walks of life and a strong inclusive economy. You may be familiar with some of our work:

• GR Forward DGRI and partners led the development of this award-winning community plan and investment strategy to transform the Grand River into a distinct asset and guide the next generation of growth in Downtown Grand Rapids. Now we are busy making the vision a reality with the rehabilitation of Lyon Square and the new Switchback Park on the horizon.
• The Van Andel Arena, Downtown Market and DeVos Place Convention Center We helped build the facilities and accelerate the revitalization of Downtown.
• Movies on Monroe, Relax at Rosa, World of Winter. Yep. That's us. We strive to activate downtown year-round with events highlighting art, music, culture, and inclusivity. We've also expanded Downtown public amenities with a public restroom, dog park, skate park and established a Refreshment Area to complement and activate our Downtown public spaces.

To learn more about our work, read our GR Forward Master Plan.