Project Assistant - Kreyol

Statement of Duties

The Project Assistant – Kreyol staff will assist the Kreyol language team in fulfilling its mandate to serve as a bridge between the City of Somerville and the Kreyol-speaking community. This includes assisting in the development of programs, aiding with event planning and information dissemination, connecting community members to needed services and civic engagement opportunities, and delivering exceptional service to neighborhoods and residents of Somerville. The Project Assistant – Haitian Creole staff will gain valuable professional experience working in local government and will get to interact with city officials and civic leaders in Somerville.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

● Reports directly to the Kreyol Services Coordinator

● Under the guidance and supervision of the Kreyol Services Coordinator:

• Supports community outreach efforts by sharing vital information, programming, and services with the Kreyol-speaking community.
• Aids Kreyol-speaking residents in the completion of surveys to capture experiences and feedback, and in the completion of applications to connect residents to services and programming.
• Connects with community agencies serving residents, schools, and houses of worship to learn about available resources and to help create spaces for the community to participate.
• Participates in events sharing City information and connecting residents to services and programming.
• Assists residents via telephone or in person to navigate available services and programs.
• Assists in recruitment efforts to increase the participation of Somerville’s immigrant and refugee residents in the City of Somerville’s committees, commissions, task forces, focus groups, among others.
• Conducts research; performs public outreach, participates in community meetings and other events organized by the City and partner organizations.
• Provides direct constituent service triage.
• Conducts data entry.
• Assists with planning, attending, and executing events.
• Works with various internal and external offices and stakeholders at special events.

● Attends staff meetings and trainings, as requested.

● Maintains the highest standards of confidentiality.

● May require weekend and holiday hours in order to maximize engagement with the community.

● Demonstrated commitment to developing their professional and interpersonal skills.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications 

Education and Experience:

One (1) or more years of directly relevant experience working with a government entity or non-profit organization and engaging with vulnerable populations. Must be 16+ to apply.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Strong commitment to social justice. Proficient in all Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook email. Knowledge of community agencies and resources. Openness to mentorship and a mindset for equity and social justice.

Ability: Ability to work independently and within a multicultural team. Creative and analytical thinking. Ability to use social media platforms.

Skills: Strong interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills. Must be a fluent speaker and writer of Haitian Kreyol. Acceptable English skills (or better) for written communications required (must be able to communicate effectively in English in writing, but a moderate level of errors is acceptable). Strong writing skills and attention to detail. Assessment and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated organizational and time management skills.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Minimal physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. Work requires some agility such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30lbs.). When in the field, more physical skill may be required to accomplish the duties required.

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer

and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Hours: 10 hours a week, not benefits eligible 

FLSA Status: Non-exempt 

Salary: $25 per hour

Union: Non-Union

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or [email protected].

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.