Educational Technologist

Organizational Background and Mission
Urban Habitat (UH) is a community-based organization, founded in 1989, to build power in low-income communities and communities of color by combining policy, advocacy, research and coalition building to advance environmental, economic and social justice in the Bay Area. Our staff brings a wealth of expertise in issues of transportation, land use, planning, community development, and environmental justice.

Leadership Institute
Since 1998, Urban Habitat’s Leadership Institute (LI) has provided innovative, authentic leadership and capacity-building learning experiences to advance a range of campaigns led by low-income people and people of color in the Bay Area region. The Leadership Institute supports Urban Habitat’s programs by providing customized trainings to a wide array of equity stakeholders, both those working “inside” our governance systems and those working “on the ground.” Our objective is to create and strengthen strategic ties between inside and outside advocates in order to win concrete policies that benefit the region’s low-income communities and communities of color.


A core component of Urban Habitat’s LI program is the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI). The goal of the BCLI is to identify, place, train, and support low-income people and people of color for priority boards and commissions seats in the Bay Area. The BCLI prioritizes seats that have the most potential to promote transportation justice, equitable development, affordable housing, good jobs, and climate justice. In 2009, UH piloted the BCLI in Oakland, San Francisco, and Richmond. Moving forward, the objective is to operate the BCLI throughout the 9-county Bay Area region, and to disseminate the BCLI model throughout California and in strategically chosen locations in other states. The BCLI expansion and dissemination plan relies heavily on the development and implementation of a clear, accessible educational technology plan, for both hybrid/blended learning in the 9-county Bay Area region and distance learning elsewhere.

Position Description
Urban Habitat is seeking a technically and pedagogically proficient, equity-minded individual for the position of Educational Technologist. This individual should possess strong teaching, facilitation, and curriculum development skills and should have specialized knowledge of hybrid/blended learning technologies suitable for professional-level learners.

Under the direction of the Director of Education and Coalition Building, the Educational Technologist will work both with Urban Habitat program staff and with a diverse group of organizations (community groups, intermediaries, policy groups, government, labor, youth groups, etc.) to create and implement customized curricula and leadership learning objects using innovative technology formats to support explicit, measurable learning outcomes for Urban Habitat programs.

For the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute, the Educational Technologist will work with the Director of Education and Urban Habitat Management Team to design and implement a learning technology plan for program growth and dissemination through a hybrid (blended) learning model, allowing remote cohort members to stay connected in between face-to-face gatherings.

The Educational Technologist will work with the Director of Education and the BCLI Program Associate to support Urban Habitat and the BCLI by offering outcomes-based, web-based learning activities including, as needed, webinars/webcasts, video lectures, podcasts, screencasting, Wikis, video conferencing, virtual tours. She or he will be responsible for maintaining the BCLI course site and alumni program portal, structuring learning experiences for the BCLI cohort and alumni, and providing technical support as needed for cohort members new to the online learning environment. She or he will attend face-to-face training sessions to provide instruction and facilitation as needed, and will also support annual conferences and other meetings to be associated with this program.

In addition, the Educational Technologist will interface with a variety of audiences that Urban Habitat trains, including elected officials, city staff, community groups, and neighborhood leaders. As a result, he or she must have a good understanding of how these groups think and operate as well as exercise a high degree of professionalism.

Essential Functions of the Job:
-Curriculum Design: Play a lead role in the design of technology-enabled curricula and other education materials on a wide range of topics related to regionalism, environmental justice, equitable development, economic development, community engagement strategies, and policy and decision-making processes.
-New Technologies: Play a lead role in determining technology elements appropriate to UH Leadership Institute endeavors, including selection of best-fit technologies, recommendations for hardware and software purchases, internal and external technology training for new technologies, and maintenance of educational technology equipment.
-Existing Technologies: Perform maintenance and update duties for the LI website – i.e, post podcasts, updates, announcements, and all other content as needed, and coordinate recording, filming, and other aspects of existing LI offerings.
-Facilitation and Coordination of Leadership Institutes: As needed, provide face-to-face teaching and facilitation, particularly as related to technology tools.
-Alumni Network: Support a sustained BCLI network to ensure that they remain engaged in UH’s ongoing programs and campaigns. This includes developing and maintaining an electronic alumni newsletter and contributing technological elements to receptions and conferences.
-Documentation and Evaluation: Play a lead role in the documentation and evaluation of technology-based curricula, trainings, and methodology. Disseminate best practices and methodology to key allies throughout the country, as needed, particularly as related to the BCLI.
-Program Support: Work with UH staff and play a lead role in researching, identifying, and implementing technology-based leadership-development and capacity-building strategies to support UH’s priority programs and campaigns, including our Transportation Program, Social Equity Caucus, Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI), Climate Justice Program, and Land Use and Housing Program.

Participate in annual program planning to achieve organization’s long-range strategic goals.
-Development and Communications: Provide regular updates and other written materials to the Director of Development and Planning, Board of Directors, and Media and Communications Associate in order to support UH’s fundraising efforts, media strategy, and Communications Associate in order to support UH’s fundraising efforts, media strategy, and web-site outreach. Participate in fundraising cultivation meetings and/or provide talking points on Leadership Institute program for development purposes.

Qualifications
Master's or Bachelor’s degree in Educational Technology, or comparable.
At least three (3) years of instructional design experience (preferably for an array of audiences beyond the K-12 level) required.
Curriculum development experience required.
Strong research and organizational skills required.
Excellent project management skills required. Capacity to establish goals and priorities along with the ability to manage multiple projects to achieve deadlines necessary.
Excellent writing and editing skills required.
Excellent facilitation and teaching skills required.
Conference planning experience a plus.
Demonstrated ability to effectively engage with grassroots and base-building organizations, elected officials, and decision-makers as well as an ability to build partnerships and relationships with key campaign players.
Demonstrated sensitivity and understanding of issues facing low-income communities of color.
A team player who works well with others as well as independently.
Proficient in a broad array of educational technologies required. Proficiency in Drupal and Moodle a plus.

Salary: Commensurate with experience.
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled.

Start Date: ASAP

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please email your cover letter and resume, AS ATTACHMENTS, to: EDLI@urbanhabitat.org.