Community Engagement Coordinator - Office of Vice Mayor James Mai

Description

Full-Time (40 hrs/week)

Work happens in: Office at City Hall. Neighborhoods, community events, schools, local businesses, parks, cultural gatherings, and civic venues with coordination support from City Hall.

Schedule: Flexible, including frequent evenings and weekends.

Reports to: Vice Mayor James Mai / Chief of Staff

Role Overview

Let’s be very clear:

This is NOT a desk job.

This is NOT an administrative role.

This is a community-first leadership position grounded in service, visibility, trust, coordination, and execution. The Community Engagement Coordinator is the person who ensures the Office of the Vice Mayor shows up, on time, prepared, organized, and with heart, at the places where people live, gather, and connect.

You will participate in community outreach, coordinate events from planning to execution, synchronize calendars, manage RSVPs and event prioritization, support constituents, build long-term relationships, and serve as a trusted face of the office across Irvine.

This role requires both logistical excellence and relational warmth. You must love people, love community, and love getting things done, in real time, in real places, with real impact.

What This Job Actually Looks Like

You will not only attend events, you will:

• Identify them, plan for them, staff them, set them up, lead them, and represent the office.
• Coordinate logistics, volunteers, materials, timing, and event presence strategy.
• Ensure the Vice Mayor’s office shows up visible, organized, prepared, relevant, and community-connected.
• Listen to residents, follow-up personally, and ensure no one falls through the cracks.
• Maintain a calendar that runs with intention, alignment, and accuracy.
• Build trust by doing what you say you will, every time.

Core Responsibilities

Community Outreach & Relationship Building

• Maintain a consistent, high-visibility presence across Irvine neighborhoods.
• Build and nurture relationships with HOAs, residents, nonprofits, schools, small businesses, seniors, youth, cultural organizations, and community leaders.
• Engage proactively — knocking on doors, joining community tables, attending gatherings, listening deeply, and showing up between events (not only at events).
• Serve as a trusted community point of contact and ambassador for the Vice Mayor.

Event Identification, Strategy, and Leadership

• Build and help manage the office’s community engagement and events strategy.
• Identify key events where the Office of the Vice Mayor should be present.
• Ensure every event aligns with community needs, district priorities, and representation impact.
• Handle full event coordination, including:
  • Outreach, invites, RSVP tracking, and confirmations.
  • Staffing, volunteers, tabling, signage, handouts, and materials.
  • Run-of-show preparation, talking points, and pre-event briefings.
  • On-site event leadership, troubleshooting, pacing, and execution.
• Ensure the office’s presence is always visible, organized, welcoming, purposeful, and impactful

Calendar Synchronization, Prioritization & RSVP Management

• Keep the Vice Mayor’s calendar and team calendars fully synced, updated, and conflict-free.
• Track all event invitations and ensure they are:
  • reviewed
  • prioritized based on impact and alignment
  • accepted or declined in a timely manner
  • confirmed with all relevant details locked
• Manage all RSVPs, confirmations, prep deadlines, and day-of logistics.
• Ensure event details, time, location, format, audience, partners, speaking roles, and expectations are confirmed and communicated internally.
• Ensure smooth transitions and coverage when multiple events or meetings overlap.

Constituent Services & Community Care

• Serve as a frontline listener and connector for residents seeking help, resources, or city support.
• Track requests, coordinate solutions with city departments, and follow up until resolution.
• Close every loop with transparency, clarity, and compassion.
• Maintain organized records and ensure residents feel heard and supported.

Representation, Briefings & Feedback Loops

• Represent the Vice Mayor at community functions when needed, with professionalism and care.
• Prepare briefing packets including talking points, community context, stakeholders, priorities, and potential sensitivities.
• Capture community feedback, emerging trends, concerns, and opportunities.
• Report insights back to help shape future priorities and outreach strategy.

You Will Excel in This Role If You:

• Believe community work happens in the community , not behind a screen.
• Are energized by people, conversation, and shared purpose.
• Love planning, organizing, and executing logistics and building relationships.
• Can anticipate, prioritize, and coordinate seamlessly.
• Stay calm, resourceful, and solution-focused when plans change.
• Follow through with consistency, care, and accountability.
• Lead with humility, respect, urgency, and heart.

Minimum Qualifications

• 2+ years of meaningful community engagement or public-facing experience.
  (volunteer, civic, nonprofit, or grassroots leadership qualifies).
• Demonstrated event planning and coordination experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience managing calendars, RSVPs, and external coordination.
• Comfortable representing an elected official in public settings.
• Reliable transportation throughout Irvine.
• Available evenings and weekends (MUST HAVE).
• High integrity, discretion, and emotional intelligence.

Preferred but not required:

• Local government, nonprofit, or civic organizing experience.
• Bilingual Plus (Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, Korean, etc.).
• Volunteer coordination or community team leadership.

Compensation

Competitive full-time salary based on experience.

Approved event and outreach expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

To Apply

Email the following to jamesmai@cityofirvine.org
Resume.Short cover letter describing your community engagement experience.One example of an event you planned and led.One example of supporting a resident from outreach to resolution.
Final Word
This role is not measured by the number of emails sent.
It’s measured in calendars aligned, events executed, residents supported, connections built, and trust earned.

We aren’t hiring someone to watch the community.
We’re hiring someone to be in it, lead in it, and care for it.

If your instinct is to show up, over and over, and do the work that matters in the places that need it most…

This is your calling.



Closing Date/Time: 11/24/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

Please mention you found this employment opportunity on the CareersInGovernment.com job board.

• 

• City of Irvine

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