Community Engagement Coordinator

**APPLICATION PACKAGE DUE BY 12:00pm (NOON) Friday, March 6, 2026**

Position:                                  Community Engagement Coordinator

Staff Member Type:          Administration

Reports To:                            Deputy Chief

Department:                          Administration

FLSA Status:                          Full-Time; Non-Exempt

Supervisory:                           No

GENERAL STATEMENT:

The Community Engagement Coordinator provides communications, outreach, and public education support in a public safety environment. Working with the Wildfire Resiliency Department, Fire Marshal, and District leadership, this position delivers accurate public information and supports wildfire resiliency, prevention, and life-safety programs.

The Coordinator develops and distributes communication materials across print and digital platforms and serves as a liaison between the District, community members, and partner agencies. The role translates technical information into clear, practical messaging.

This position supports leadership and operations by preparing outreach materials, program communications, and emergency messaging. Work is performed under general supervision and requires sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to manage multiple priorities, including time-sensitive situations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following statements are illustrative of the duties and essential functions of the position and do not include other non-essential or marginal duties that may be required.  The District reserves the right to modify or change the duties or essential functions of this position at any time.

Communications & Marketing

The Community Engagement Coordinator serves as the District’s primary communications lead, ensuring consistent, accurate, and engaging messaging across all platforms.

• Develop, design, and distribute educational and promotional materials across print and digital platforms, including newsletters, social media, campaigns, and collateral.


• Manage and maintain AFPD’s website and social media platforms, ensuring timely updates, coordinated messaging, and effective communication during routine operations and emergency events.


• Coordinate with regional partners, local governments, nonprofits, and emergency agencies to align public information and messaging across jurisdictions.


• Support District branding and media relations efforts, including press releases, public service announcements, and advertising.


• Track analytics and engagement metrics while maintaining proficiency with content management systems, media platforms, and email marketing tools.

Community Outreach & Engagement

The Community Engagement Coordinator builds and maintains strong relationships with residents, community organizations, and partner agencies to advance AFPD’s mission.

• Coordinate with the Executive Assistant to support public office hours and front-desk communication needs.

• Represent AFPD at community meetings, HOA events, workshops, fairs, and public forums, serving as a visible and trusted District representative.


• Plan and deliver wildfire preparedness, defensible space, and life-safety presentations tailored to diverse audiences.


• Support Firewise recognition and renewal efforts and serve as liaison for First Due, Community Connect and the Neighborhood Ambassador Program, including outreach, coordination, and content development.


• Foster inclusive outreach strategies that serve Aspen’s diverse and multilingual population and perform other related duties as assigned.

Event Planning & Public Education Programming

The Community Engagement Coordinator plays a key role in planning and executing AFPD’s community engagement events and educational initiatives.

• Plan and coordinate community events, preparedness workshops, open houses, and educational programs.


• Manage event logistics including materials, equipment, staffing support, and on-site engagement.


• Support fundraising and awareness events in partnership with the Aspen Wildfire Foundation, as appropriate.


• Ensure events align with District goals and communication priorities.

Wildfire Resilience & Prevention Support

This role provides targeted communications and outreach support to AFPD’s Wildfire Resilience Team and Fire Marshal’s Office.

• Develop and deliver wildfire mitigation and defensible space messaging for residents, property owners, and visitors.


• Support prevention and life-safety education campaigns.


• Highlight program outcomes and mitigation successes to demonstrate community impact.


• Collaborate with program managers to translate technical information into clear, accessible content.

Operational Collaboration & Incident Support

Community Engagement Coordinator works collaboratively across AFPD divisions and supports operational needs as required.

• Track and report outreach metrics and campaign performance to inform continuous improvement.


• Provide communications and Public Information Officer (PIO) support during incidents or urgent public information needs, under direction of command staff.


• Maintain organized records of outreach activities, materials, and contacts.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Knowledge of:

• Principles and best practices of communications, public relations, marketing, and community engagement.


• Public education and messaging strategies related to wildfire mitigation, fire prevention, emergency preparedness, and life safety.


• Public Information Officer (PIO) roles and emergency communications protocols.


• Social media platforms, website content management systems, email marketing tools, digital analytics, and branding standards.


• Community engagement approaches for diverse and multilingual populations.


• Public sector, government, or nonprofit organizational environments and processes.


• Firewise programs, defensible space concepts, and wildfire resilience principles (or ability to acquire this knowledge).

Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including writing, editing, and content development for external communications and educational materials.


• Graphic design and visual communication skills for print and digital media.


• Public speaking and presentation skills for meetings, workshops, and community events.


• Project management and organizational skills, including managing multiple priorities and deadlines.


• Proficiency with modern communication tools and platforms.


• Event planning and coordination skills.


• Interpersonal, collaboration, and data tracking skills to support outreach performance and reporting.

Abilities:

• Translate complex or technical information into clear, accessible messaging.


• Represent Aspen Fire Protection District professionally in community, interagency, and emergency settings.


• Work independently with minimal supervision while functioning effectively as part of a team.


• Adapt priorities and messaging in response to changing conditions or incidents.


• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive or time-critical information.


• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with community members and partner organizations.


• Maintain a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, and perform responsibilities across office, field, remote, and other off-site settings as necessary.

EQUIPMENT, ENVIRONMENT, MENTAL, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

• Driving: May drive a District vehicle or personal vehicle in the normal course of business


• Office equipment: Daily use of calculator, copier, fax, scanner, and printer


• Computer equipment: Daily use of personnel computer; Microsoft Office Suite (including Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Apps), Google Apps and PowerPoint; Adobe Acrobat; ESO; Aladtec; Bamboo HR; First Due; Streamline (or similar website products)


• Other equipment: shedder, laminator, printer


• Language skills: Reads and interprets documents, instructions, and manuals; writes reports and correspondence using proper spelling, grammar, and style; presents information and responds to questions individually and in small groups


• Mathematical skills: Performs routine mathematical calculations including fractions, decimals, ratios, percent, and proportions.


• Reasoning ability: Interprets instructions in written, oral, or diagram; solves practical problems with little standardization and a variety of concrete variables


• Physical Activity: Sits for long periods of time; may walk, stand, bend, stoop, reach climb, carry, and lift for varying periods. Requires continuous and repetitive arm-hand-eye movement


• Lifting: May involve lifting and carrying up to 25 pounds for short periods of time


• Vision and hearing: Must have visual acuity to see and for short periods of time read paper and electronic documents; must be able to answer telephones, participate in conversations with others and respond to verbal inquiries


• Exposure to environmental conditions: May be exposed to heat, cold, noise, rain, snow, odors, fumes, traffic, and dust/dirt

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or GED


• Three (3) or more years of professional experience in communications, marketing, outreach, public relations, or a related field.


• Ability to successfully pass a background check.


• Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills, including the ability to produce clear, accurate, and engaging content for external communications.


• Demonstrated graphic design skills, including experience creating visual materials such as flyers, brochures, digital graphics, and presentations.


• Ability to communicate professionally and effectively with diverse audiences, internal staff, and external partners.


• Proficiency with basic office technology and communication tools, including email, word processing, and digital file management systems.

An equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered. The district reserves sole discretion in determining equivalency.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS

• Associate’s degree or higher in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Graphic Design, or a closely related field.


• Experience working in public safety, government, special district, or nonprofit environment.


• Familiarity with wildfire mitigation, fire prevention, emergency preparedness, or life-safety education.


• Public Information Officer (PIO) certification or equivalent emergency communications training.


• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, including the ability to communicate effectively with community members in both languages.


• Experience managing social media accounts, websites, or digital communication platforms for an organization.


• Experience coordinating community outreach events, public education campaigns, or engagement initiatives.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The member is required to maintain certifications the employee has at time of hiring or obtains during employment with the District.

HOURS AND WORK SCHEDULE

This is a non-exempt position that includes work during daytime hours, Monday through Friday; with potential evening, weekends and/or holidays should the need arise. This is a 40 hour per week position.

NOTE

Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the above listed tasks, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics. The list of tasks is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class. 

The District reserves the right to change, update and/or amend this job description as the needs of 

the organization changes.