Coalitions and Advocacy Coordinator - Office of the Mayor

Rise Higher Detroit; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

A civic leadership administration in Detroit is seeking a Coalitions and Advocacy Coordinator. In this role, you will strengthen community ties, facilitate resident engagement, and influence city policies through actionable insights. Ideal candidates should have a strong understanding of Detroit’s neighborhoods, exceptional communication skills, and experience in community organizing. The position offers an annual salary range of $80,000 to $120,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Join us in shaping a more inclusive city.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of community engagement, advocacy coordination, or coalition-building experience.
• Strong understanding of Detroit’s neighborhoods and civic landscape.
• Experience facilitating meetings and managing advisory groups.

Responsibilities

• Develop citywide coalitions and community councils.
• Support the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs in strategy building.
• Document and synthesize resident concerns into actionable summaries.

Skills

Community engagement

Relationship-building

Strong communication

Cross-cultural collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Job description

Coalitions and Advocacy Coordinator - Office of the Mayor

ABOUT THE SHEFFIELD ADMINISTRATION

Detroit is entering a historic new chapter under Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield, the city’s first woman to serve as Mayor. Elected with a decisive mandate, Mayor-Elect Sheffield brings a steady, community-rooted approach to governing—one focused on listening to residents, healing long‑standing divides, and delivering meaningful improvements in daily life across every neighborhood. She will take office on January 1, 2026, with a commitment to building a city that lifts every family and expands opportunity for all.

As she forms her administration, Mayor-Elect Sheffield is assembling a talented, diverse team of leaders who bring deep expertise, lived experience, and the courage to put forward bold, innovative ideas that move Detroit forward. Her team will drive a City government grounded in collaboration, equity, transparency, and results. The Sheffield Administration seeks mission‑driven individuals who are ready to serve, ready to build, and ready to help shape Detroit’s future.

ABOUT THE OFFICE

The Office of the Mayor leads Detroit’s citywide agenda to strengthen neighborhoods, expand opportunity, and ensure every resident’s voice shapes the future of the city. Within this structure, the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs oversees programs, departments, and initiatives that bring government directly to Detroiters—amplifying community voices, supporting block clubs and neighborhood associations, and ensuring that resident feedback meaningfully influences policy, service delivery, and major decision‑making. The Coalitions and Advocacy Coordinator is housed within this neighborhood‑centered leadership vertical and plays a crucial role in building and sustaining relationships across community coalitions, advisory boards, special‑population liaisons, and resident‑led networks that anchor Detroit’s civic and neighborhood life.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Coalitions and Advocacy Coordinator serves as the Administration’s central organizer and relationship engine for resident‑driven input, cross‑neighborhood coalitions, advisory councils, and special‑population engagement. Reporting to the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs, the Coordinator ensures that resident concerns, community ideas, and neighborhood priorities are gathered, synthesized, and elevated into actionable recommendations that influence housing, economic development, mobility, public safety, and other major citywide initiatives. The role requires a leader with deep community relationships, experience working inside Detroit’s neighborhood ecosystem, strong facilitation and communication skills, and the ability to translate community feedback into accurate, timely, and actionable insights for senior leadership. The Coordinator also supports the development and management of diverse advisory boards, liaisons, and coalitions to ensure that Detroit’s residents feel directly connected to—and directly heard by the Mayor’s Office.

• Strengthen Detroit’s block clubs, neighborhood associations, and resident‑driven networks as core partners in City decision‑making
• Ensure that resident input meaningfully informs housing development, neighborhood planning, economic development, and program design
• Support the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs in building inclusive coalitions across youth, seniors, immigrant communities, returning citizens, and disability‑advocacy groups
• Build and maintain advisory boards and special‑population liaisons that reflect Detroit’s diversity and lived experience
• Advance the Mayor’s commitment to dignity, transparency, and resident participation in government
• Ensure that neighborhood insight and community data are systematically collected, evaluated, and incorporated into policy, programs, and service improvements
• Strengthen communication channels between residents, City departments, and executive leadership to ensure feedback loops are closed
• Promote equitable representation across neighborhoods, ensuring that historically underrepresented voices are centered in major City initiatives

This description outlines the general nature and key responsibilities of the role and is not intended to be exhaustive; duties, responsibilities, and activities may be modified at the discretion of the Mayor.

Core responsibilities include:

• Develop and maintain citywide coalitions, advisory groups, and community councils that reflect Detroit’s neighborhoods and diverse resident populations
• Coordinate liaisons and neighborhood representatives to gather resident feedback and communicate community needs to executive leadership
• Support the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs in building an integrated engagement strategy across neighborhoods, special‑population groups, nonprofit partners, and civic stakeholders
• Organize public meetings, listening sessions, community roundtables to gather input on major City policies, development projects, neighborhood initiatives, and municipal services
• Document, synthesize, and elevate resident concerns, ideas, and priorities into actionable summaries and recommendations for senior leadership
• Partner with City departments to ensure that feedback collected from residents informs policy development, program design, and service‑delivery improvements
• Track and maintain records of coalition membership, engagement activities, and community outcomes to support strategic planning and reporting
• Develop relationships with community leaders, block clubs, neighborhood associations, faith‑based institutions, youth groups, and advocacy organizations to strengthen outreach
• Coordinate communication with residents through multiple channels to ensure accessible, transparent, and timely updates on City programs and initiatives
• Identify gaps in community representation and design new engagement strategies to ensure equity in participation across all neighborhoods
• Support crisis‑response and rapid‑engagement needs when emergent issues affect neighborhoods or resident groups
• Represent the Chief of Neighborhood Affairs and the Mayor’s Office at meetings, events, and community engagements as needed

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, urban studies, social work, community development, or a related field
• Three to five years of community engagement, neighborhood organizing, advocacy coordination, or coalition‑building experience
• Strong understanding of Detroit’s neighborhoods, community networks, and civic landscape
• Experience facilitating meetings, managing advisory groups, and coordinating diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize community feedback and translate it into clear, actionable insights
• Strong communication, relationship‑building, and cross‑cultural collaboration skills
• Ability to work effectively in fast‑paced, community‑centered environments requiring diplomacy and sound judgment
• Experience working with elected officials, government agencies, or large nonprofits preferred
• Commitment to equity, community voice, transparency, and resident‑centered governance

Rate of Pay

$80,000‑120,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits

Our goal is to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce by providing generous healthcare and other benefits to eligible employees. Learn more about benefits for City of Detroit employees.

Equal Opportunity in Employment

The Sheffield Administration is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Even if you do not meet all of the requirements listed above, we encourage you to apply if you believe you have the skills, experience, and expertise necessary to thrive in this role. The City of Detroit is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds—including those historically underrepresented in municipal government—to apply.