The Role
The LA Local recently announced that it will be integrating and adding the Long Beach Post and the Long Beach Business Journal into its operations. The Community Engagement Manager will lead our local listening and community engagement efforts to ensure we strengthen local partnerships with community, school and neighborhood leaders, as well as work to build a network of residents with a focus in Long Beach and in some areas of greater Los Angeles to help inform the work of our newsroom(s). This position will work with the Community Engagement Director in the development and execution of community gatherings to ensure we are building trust with consistent community presence. The role will include assisting with the recruitment of participants in our LA Documenters and high school journalism programs. The Community Engagement Manager will report to the Community Engagement Director and work closely with our Documenters Editor and Student Journalism Manager to support outreach, programming, and recruitment efforts.
LA Documenters
Powered by the award-winning Documenters Network by City Bureau, we train and pay LA county residents to document local government meetings. Residents learn new skills, get an inside look at how decisions get made in local government and help keep an eye on what our elected officials are up to.
Student Journalism Program
Across our neighborhood and city coverage areas, students receive journalism training and mentorship from professional journalists to report and write about issues that matter most in their communities.
A successful candidate must have demonstrated experience in program management, event planning, community organizing and outreach.
The Organization
The LA Local is a nonprofit startup dedicated to revitalizing local journalism in Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Long Beach. We’re building a new model for community-focused news that connects neighborhood-level reporting with broader regional issues, trains and pays local residents to document local government meetings through our Documenters program, and helps prepare the next generation of journalists in our Youth Journalism program. Our approach combines dedicated community newsrooms with a central hub that amplifies local stories, identifies cross-community trends, and produces region-wide coverage that matters to all residents.
Our Values
Free, Independent Local Press: We believe all Angelenos deserve to have a source of unbiased information that equips them to thrive in their daily lives. Our work will meet high journalism standards, be independent, non-partisan, and free to access. We’ll prioritize reaching as many Angelenos as possible, in the most effective ways possible.
Community-first: We center the needs of local communities, with an ultimate goal to strengthen communities and make LA, Inglewood and Long Beach work better for its residents. Journalism should be focused on serving people most affected by the subject matter, and equipping them to take action.
Equity & Inclusion: We need a representative, equitable, and inclusive local press. Newsrooms should be representative of the communities they cover, shift narratives to be centered on community perspectives, and provide pathways into newsgathering for residents.
Trust: We believe that building trust must be a core principle of our journalism. As a baseline, the journalism we support must be accurate, independent, unbiased, non-partisan, and a trusted source of shared facts by the communities we serve.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct regular outreach and lead community engagement of local residents in priority areas, including Long Beach and parts of greater LA. This includes active outreach to community organizations, schools, and other non-media partners.
- Support the planning and execution of engagement activities in our coverage areas, including community convenings, focus groups, speaker series, outreach events, or reporting projects that can benefit from input from community partners and residents. Cultivate and maintain relationships with like-minded organizations.
- Help build community partnerships, and identify opportunities for mutual sponsorships and support.
- Maintain ongoing and consistent feedback between community partners and our newsroom(s)
- Write, format and send a weekly internal LA Documenters newsletter to share available assignments, opportunities, resources and wins with the Documenters cohort.
- Create a consistent calendar and lead community events like orientations, meet-ups and other programming for LA Documenters.
Qualifications:
- Passion for community centered local news that informs and empowers local residents.
- Bachelor’s Degree and 3-5+ years of relevant work experience, preferably in a campaign, elected official or community organization.
- Exceptional organization skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and deadlines efficiently.
- Comfort and experience in project management, public speaking and leading presentations.
- High level of attention to detail and meticulous follow-through.
- Ability and willingness to work non-traditional hours including occasional weeknights and weekends as necessary.
- Proficiency with Google productivity tools (Gmail, Calendar, Google Meet, Contacts, Docs, Sheets, Slides), Slack, Zoom, and an aptitude for learning new software and systems.
- Bilingual skills desired in Spanish, Khmer, Vietnamese or Tagalog, but not required.
Compensation & Benefits
The annual salary for this position will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, ranging from $70,000 to $82,000. Salaries reflect our compensation philosophy of market competitiveness and pay equity. All candidates receive a first and best offer in line with our market, recognizing their education, training, years of experience, and level of expertise.
We are committed to providing employees with a comprehensive benefits package that ensures staff have access to quality and affordable healthcare, can save for the future, and can find time to recharge.
Apply using the form below
Please submit your cover letter and resume here.