Public Engagement Strategist IV

Job Summary
Here’s your chance to be the voice that connects community, clients, and project teams in a way that builds trust, sparks understanding, and keeps momentum moving in the right direction. The Public Engagement Strategist IV leads the charge in building positive, lasting relationships between KLJ and diverse public stakeholders—residents, government agencies, media partners, advocacy groups, and more.

In this role, you’ll partner closely with engineers, project managers, and technical experts to translate complex project details into clear, compelling narratives. You’ll design engagement strategies for some of our most significant and high-visibility projects, ensuring communities stay informed, heard, and confident throughout every phase of delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Engagement & Stakeholder Relationships

• Develop and direct public engagement strategies for large, complex projects that align with overall project goals and client objectives.

• Identify key stakeholders and build strong relationships with government agencies, community partners, and advocacy groups.

• Maintain pulse-check awareness of public sentiment, community dynamics, and political landscapes impacting projects.

Communication & Content Leadership

• Review, refine, and elevate content across channels—including newsletters, press releases, social media updates, and project summaries.

• Translate technical engineering concepts into clear, relatable messaging for the public.

• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and accessibility across all messaging and materials.

Public Meetings & Engagement Events

• Develop communication and outreach plans tailored to each stage of a project—planning, design, and active construction.

• Lead public meetings, workshops, open houses, tours, and listening sessions that encourage two-way dialogue.

• Manage logistics, vendor relationships, materials development, and event execution with precision and professionalism.

Feedback, Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Gather, evaluate, and interpret community feedback to refine strategies and proactively address concerns.

• Analyze engagement effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative metrics to guide future improvements.

• Monitor local media, social media platforms, and public forums for emerging trends, questions, or issues.

Crisis & Issues Management

• Develop and implement crisis communication plans to ensure transparency and responsiveness during challenges, disruptions, or high-impact project moments.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal teams on emerging issues requiring clear, timely communication.

Team Leadership & Knowledge Sharing

• Mentor, coach, and guide junior public engagement professionals to strengthen overall team capability.

• Lead training sessions and internal workshops to promote best practices in community engagement.

• Write effective scopes of work and contribute to proposal development and strategy, as needed.

Additional Duties

• Perform additional responsibilities aligned with business needs, advancing KLJ’s mission, culture, and community impact.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Urban Planning, or related field.

• Extensive experience designing and delivering public engagement strategies for complex or large-scale civil infrastructure projects.

• Prior experience collaborating with diverse community groups, government agencies, and advocacy organizations.

Technical Skills & Expertise

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with talent for simplifying complex technical content.

• Proficiency with digital communication platforms, including social media, analytics tools, content management systems, and basic graphic or layout tools.

• Skilled with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Leadership & Professional Skills

• Ability to lead facilitation sessions—both in-person and virtual—with confidence and clarity.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport across a wide range of personalities and perspectives.

• Experience managing multiple priorities, deadlines, and deliverables in a fast-paced environment.

• Knowledge of local government processes, permitting pathways, public policy, and regulatory considerations relevant to civil engineering work.

• Experience with crisis communication and issue-management strategies.

Travel

• Travel required based on project locations and engagement needs.

Core Competencies

• Establishing Personal Capability: Advanced

• Impacting Organizational Capability: Practicing

• Developing Professional Capability: Developing

Physical Requirements

This role requires both office-based and field-based activities. The employee must be able to:

• Sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, twist, and crawl as needed.

• Use hands to handle objects, tools, or controls; reach with arms; and communicate clearly.

• Lift and move up to 10 pounds frequently and up to 25 pounds occasionally.

• Maintain visual acuity including close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Schedule & Travel

This position is full-time at 40 hours per week, with travel expectations based on project-specific engagement and communication needs.

What else you need to know

At KLJ, we have a vested interest in the personal, financial, and professional goals of our employees. The salary for this position is expected to range between $80,000 - $105,000. Factors that may be used to determine actual salary include education (or applicable experience), training, job location, competencies relevant to the role, and internal equity. We offer a competitive full suite benefit package including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, performance bonus, 401k, employee stock ownership program and a flexible work environment that gives you options to support excelling both professionally and personally. The options available for the current year are described at www.kljeng.com/careers/benefits.

This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive and other duties may be assigned. It is a description of the job as presently defined and is subject at any time to revision. This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.

All applicants must be authorized to work in the US, without employer-sponsorship. KLJ does not offer employment based VISAS.

KLJ will not be partnering with third-party recruiters on this position. Please review our third-party recruiting policy at www.kljeng.com/careers.

Position will be posted until filled.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.