Job Description

Position Summary

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry Unit is responsible for planting and maintaining trees in the 10,200 acre park system, planting and maintaining the 117,000 street trees along city streets, responding to tree emergencies in parks and on city streets, and working with residents to develop and implement community-based forestry projects.

The Customer Service and Content Manager is a new position created as part of implementation of the Philly Tree Plan, a 10-year strategic plan for the equitable growth and care of Philadelphia’s urban forest. This position will address communications and cultural barriers to help residents access and use City and partner services, develop and implement communications to highlight the importance of trees to public health and livability in the city, and celebrate the way communities engage with trees. They will also manage customer service staff to provide residents with fast, proactive, and accurate information about PPR’s urban forestry efforts.

Essential Functions

• Hire, train, and manage a customer service representative,

• Develop a system to monitor, track, and report out on customer service activities,

• Along with subordinate staff, answer phone calls and emails from residents and provide information about a wide range of urban forestry topics, including the status of street tree service requests, support for resolving tree-related disputes between residents, available resources and programs, and job/career and volunteer opportunities,

• Receive and route complaints about violations to tree protection requirements during development and utility work,

• Use PPR’s Forest Asset Management System (FAMS),

• Work with partners to develop collateral to inform community stakeholders in advance of public tree work and large capital and restoration projects impacting public trees,

• Support Urban Forestry staff in developing outreach and education materials for events and programs,

• Support creation of Philly Tree Plan progress reports to track progress toward implementation of the Philly Tree Plan,

• Identify and implement opportunities to improve equity and accessibility in communication,

• Create and manage urban forestry public awareness campaigns,

• Work closely with the Communications Unit to identify opportunities and topics for regular blog posts, op-eds, and other materials to promote urban forestry throughout the year,

• Hire and manage consultants as needed,

• Manage the TreePhilly website and social media accounts,

• Create and send newsletters,

• Represent PPR’s Urban Forestry Unit at events and conferences

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to plan, coordinate, and implement communications, outreach, and education, both digitally and in-person

• Proven competency in communicating about environmental and social justice, or demonstrated eagerness to learn

• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, including in managing staff

• Demonstrated ability to work across teams and address disparate viewpoints

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills

• Excellent organization and project management skills

• Proficient in Wordpress, Canva, Mailchimp, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

• Proactive problem solver

• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with co-workers and the public

• Demonstrated ability to learn from mistakes, ask for help, and accept new ideas or ways of thinking

Qualifications

• Three years of experience developing and implementing community outreach, public engagement and/or advocacy strategies (can overlap with subject matter experience)

• One year of work or volunteer leadership experience, or equivalent college-level coursework, in urban and community forestry, environmental education, or similar field

• One year of staff management experience

• Experience managing social media

Additional Information

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation : City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

_ *The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire_

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@phila.gov.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx