Community Navigator

Job Description

Job Summary

The Community Navigator is a new position within the Human Services Division of the City of Santa Monica. The primary goal of this position is to help vulnerable or underserved populations find, understand, and successfully access needed resources, including local, state, and federal benefits. Unlike traditional case managers who may focus on long-term clinical goals, this navigator will focus on reducing barriers to an individual or family’s immediate, practical needs. This position will primarily be based at the Park Center at Virginia Avenue Park but may co-locate at other city locations in Santa Monica as needed.

Serves as a community-facing liaison connecting residents to City and regional programs, services, and resources through outreach, navigation, referrals, and engagement. Works collaboratively with community members, City departments, and external partners to identify barriers and service gaps, elevate community needs and feedback, and support equitable and culturally responsive programs, policies, and service delivery. Uses trauma-informed, strengths-based, and language-accessible approaches to improve access to services and address systemic inequities.

Representative Duties

Develops and implements strategies to connect underserved community members to
relevant programs and resources.

Conducts proactive outreach in neighborhoods, community spaces, and trusted
gathering places to increase awareness of City programs and services among diverse
and underserved populations.

Plans, implements and conducts community engagement and resource navigation
activities at schools, community centers, libraries, parks, faith-based organizations, and
other community locations to connect residents with available resources and services.

Assists individuals and families in identifying, accessing and navigating appropriate City
and community resources related to housing, healthcare, crisis intervention, legal, and
social service systems and coordinates referrals to appropriate resources, providers
and follow-up support.

Identifies cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers impacting access to services and
collaborates with City staff and community partners to support more inclusive and
equitable practices.

Serves as a cultural broker between communities and institutional systems, conveying
context, history, and lived experience in ways that enable residents and service
providers to engage more honestly and effectively.

Gathers and communicates community feedback, concerns, and priorities to City
departments and stakeholders to support program development, outreach efforts, and
continuous service improvement.

Collects and analyzes data on service utilization, barriers, and unmet needs to identify
gaps in program access and recommend improvements. Provides program analysis and
policy-related recommendations for department or division operations.

Facilitates participatory planning processes and shared governance models that center
community voice in program design, policy development, and decision-making.

Organizes and supports community input sessions, co-design processes, and feedback
mechanisms that give residents meaningful influence over the services intended to
serve them.

Reviews existing programs, policies, and service delivery methods to assess
effectiveness, cultural responsiveness, and accessibility.

Collaborates with external agencies, nonprofits, and service providers to streamline
referrals, share resources, and support joint initiatives.

Serves as primary contact for inquiries to the City of Santa Monica related to social
services. Handles sensitive community/participant complaints.

Works with internal departments to coordinate service delivery, share insights, and align
efforts to improve community access.

Trains colleagues on community engagement and available resources, as assigned.

Performs other duties, as assigned

Requirements

Knowledge of:

Diverse and underserved community needs, programs and services.

Intersectional approaches to systems navigation, including how to identify and address
the layered and overlapping forms of inequity.

Effective customer service and case management techniques.

Principles of program planning, monitoring, implementation and evaluation with the
ability to apply an equity lens to assess whether programs are reaching those most
in need and producing outcomes that address systemic barriers.

Principles and practices of public administration.

Community engagement techniques including participatory planning, co-design
processes, and shared governance models.

Quantitative analysis techniques.

Applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Ability to:

Teach, train, and work with individuals and organizations to promote equitable access to
social services.

Analyze and solve administrative problems.

Maintain accurate records.

Prepare and present effective presentations.

Establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with City
employees and a wide variety of individuals, agencies, boards, commissions,
community organizations and the general public.

Work with persons from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds as well as a
variety of work styles, personalities, and approaches.

Provide effective customer service.

Build trusted rapport with diverse communities by understanding the historical and
structural conditions that have shaped community relationships.

Recognize and respond appropriately to the impacts of trauma, stress, and systemic
inequities.

Hold space with diverse communities, including those carrying trauma, fear, grief, and
mistrust of institutional systems.

Engage the most vulnerable residents with the patience, cultural humility, and genuine
care.

Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, across languages, cultures, and
institutional contexts, with clarity for community members, City leadership, nonprofit
partners, and elected officials.

Education, Training, and Experience :

Fluency in Spanish may be required based on assignment.

Option A:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree.
Experience: Three years of recent, paid work experience in public sector or non-profit
program management, community engagement and/or policy development in the social
services field.

Option B:

Education: Graduation from high school or the equivalent.
Experience: Seven years of recent, paid work experience in public sector or non-profit
program management, community engagement and/or policy development in the social
service field.

Supplemental Information

How to Apply:

Applicants must submit a completed on-line City Application along with any required supplemental application materials with the Human Resources Department by the filing deadline. If you do not submit your on-line application by the filing deadline, you will not be considered for this position. Please note, applications may be rejected if incomplete. Resumes, CVs and cover letters are not reviewed as part of the application screening process.

If you would like for your education to be considered, you must attach a copy of your college level transcripts or diploma to your online application. Applicants who indicate receipt of college level coursework or degree from a foreign institution must provide United States credential equivalency verification along with a copy of your college diploma/transcripts. All materials must be received in the Human Resources Department no later than the filing deadline. Failure to do so will result in your application being evaluated without the education being considered.

Selection Process:

All applicants must submit clear, concise and complete information regarding your work history and qualifications for the position. All applicants will be reviewed and only those applicants determined to be most qualified on the basis of experience, training and education, as submitted, will be invited to participate further in the selection process.

Testing may consist of a combination of any of the following and is subject to change as needs dictate: written test, performance test, evaluation of qualifications, oral interview.

If three or more qualified City employees apply and pass the examination, a promotional list will be established in addition to an open-competitive list. If fewer than three qualified City employees pass the examination, the appointing authority, in accordance with the City's civil service rules and regulations, can decline to use a promotional list, in which case a promotional list will not be established for this position.

Note: Internal staff who submit transfer applications must notify the analyst in charge of the recruitment, via email, upon submission of their transfer application.

Background Investigation:

Candidates who have successfully completed all prior phases of the selection process will be subject to a thorough background investigation.

Inclusion & Diversity Statement

The City of Santa Monica is a progressive, inclusive and culturally rich community. As leaders in public service, we strive to be an employer of choice by attracting and retaining a highly talented workforce where people of diverse races, religions, cultures and lifestyles thrive. Our goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where our staff are empowered to perform at their highest level and where their differences make a positive impact.

The City is an equal opportunity employer and strives to build balanced teams from all walks of life without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state and/or local law. We aim to create a workplace that celebrates and embraces the diversity of our employees. Join us!

Special assistance with the application and examination process is available, upon request, for persons with disabilities. Call (310) 458-8246, TDD (310) 458-8696 (Hearing Impaired Only).

Please note the request for reasonable accommodations must be made to Human Resources at least three work days prior to the examination.

The City's liberal fringe benefits for full-time employment include sick leave, holiday and vacation pay, the Public Employees Retirement System, medical, dental and vision insurance, credit union, deferred compensation, tuition reimbursement, Dependent Care Assistance Plan and priority enrollment consideration at Hill & Dale Family Learning Center, Marine Park Child Development Center, and Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School.

Closing Date/Time: 11/2/2026 5:30 PM Pacific