Upstream - Community Engagement Officer

Upstream's Mission: We drive change toward a robust and enduring reuse economy. 
 

Upstream's Vision: We live in a regenerative world where the planet is treated as indisposable and communities thrive. 


Job Summary

The Community Engagement Officer plays a central role in connecting Upstream to the broader reuse and environmental justice movement. This role runs the Reuse Solutions Network (RSN), manages shared online platforms, and supports policy and funding tracking across the team. Because the RSN sits at the intersection of policy, communications, strategic initiatives, and community, this role requires someone who can see across the full organization — not just execute within their lane — and who brings insights from external engagement back into Upstream's strategy in real time.

The Community Engagement Officer builds relationships with key allied organizations, identifies opportunities to connect dots between groups working toward shared goals, and creates resources to support the broader reuse and policy community.  This role also represents Upstream through speaking engagements and by-request policy engagement at the state and local level.

The Community Engagement Officer will bring strong organizational skills, a collaborative mindset, and a passion for reuse, environmental justice, and policy advocacy. They must be comfortable working in a fast-evolving landscape where priorities shift as the movement grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Run the Reuse Solutions Network (RSN), serving as the primary point of coordination for network members and activities, including:
  • Facilitating RSN sessions with large member groups, requiring skilled facilitation to manage group dynamics, center multiple perspectives, and drive productive outcomes across a broad range of stakeholders.
  • Leading collaborative discussions across the full Upstream team to plan RSN programming, ensuring that policy, communications, and strategic initiatives all inform and benefit from the network's direction.
  • Presenting key insights and themes from RSN meetings to the full Upstream team during all-team meetings, to facilitate the translation from what you're hearing from the network into actionable intelligence for the organization.
• Manage Basecamp and the RSP Hub, keeping shared online platforms organized and up to date for the team and partners.
• Manage the Policy and Funding Trackers, ensuring information stays current and accessible to support team planning.
• Engage in policy advocacy at the state and local level by request, including work on legislation and sign-on letters as needed.
• Liaise with allied organizations to build and maintain strong working relationships, including:
  • Coordinating with the Comms team on external communication and joint messaging.
  • Synthesizing what we're learning from allied organizations into strategic insights for the full Upstream team — not just reporting what happened, but identifying what it means for our work and where we can adapt.
• Create resources on behalf of Upstream to support the broader reuse and policy community.
• Represent Upstream at speaking engagements, both in-person and virtual.