Youth Engagement Specialist

About the Role

We are seeking a Youth Engagement Specialist to support our Youth Programs Team, which builds relationships with youth-serving organizations and delivers voter education and civic engagement programming to young New Yorkers. The team focuses on engaging New Yorkers ages 14–24 through community partnerships, educational workshops, trainings, and events that build civic knowledge, leadership, and capacity for sustained participation in the democratic process.

Responsibilities

• Lead voter education and engagement efforts for young New Yorkers ages 14–24, focusing on building civic knowledge, leadership, and long-term capacity for participation.
• Develop and facilitate workshops, plan and execute community events, and create train-the-trainer sessions for educators and youth leaders.
• Partner with public schools to create and implement programming, and develop other opportunities for young people to engage with the electoral process.
• Build and maintain relationships with youth-serving organizations, schools, and community partners.
• Manage multiple programs, events, and cross-team collaborations.
• Research and identify new and existing partner organizations to expand outreach.
• Develop and implement tailored partnership building plans for assigned geographies.
• Manage material requests and distribution to voters in priority neighborhoods.
• Collect, maintain, and update data for assigned projects, ensuring accuracy and compliance with unit policies.
• Utilize CRM, project management tools, and data dashboards to track progress and support reporting.

Requirements

• Understanding of structural barriers limiting young people’s participation in civic and electoral life.
• Ability to create inclusive spaces where young people feel respected, heard, and empowered.
• Strong organizational, communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated empathy, discernment, adaptability, and self-accountability.
• Knowledge of NYC campaign finance law, voter registration processes, and the role of the CFB.
• Understanding of best practices for working with minors and child safety laws in NYC and NY State.
• Ability to communicate effectively across diverse ethnic, linguistic, and cultural groups.
• Basic knowledge of New York City local and state government.
• Proficiency with PowerPoint and ability to prepare engaging slide decks.

Qualifications

• Understanding of high school (14-18) and college-age (18-24) youth populations, particularly NYC Public Schools and CUNY students.
• Relationship-building skills with partners and stakeholders rooted in trust and understanding.
• Workshop facilitation experience, delivering engaging presentations to diverse audiences.
• Openness to learning and deepening understanding of New York City communities.
• High emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience with elections and voting work, especially in NYC.
• Experience working in NYC Public Schools and/or building curriculum, particularly in history, social studies, or civic engagement.
• Proficiency in one or more of NYC Votes’ covered languages (strongly preferred).

We strongly encourage people of color/the global majority, people that speak a language other than English, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and people with other marginalized identities to apply.