The Outreach Specialist is AACCAAʼs primary community-facing presence — the person residents meet before they ever walk through an AACCAA door. Reporting to the Chief External Affairs & Strategy Officer, this position carries agency-wide responsibility for community outreach, resident engagement, partner site development, and program awareness across AACCAAʼs full service portfolio: Early Head Start, Energy Assistance, Housing Assistance, Youth Development, Diversion & Reentry Services, Health & Wellness, Health Ambassadors, and Community Outreach & Support Services.
The position exists to close the gap between what AACCAA offers and what residents know exists. Success looks like more of the right people, in the right programs, faster — with documentation that holds up under review.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Community Outreach and Engagement
1. Conduct person-to-person outreach across Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis, with priorityin Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Brooklyn Park, Severn, Odenton, and Pasadena.
2. Represent the full AACCAA service portfolio at community events, health fairs, resource fairs, food distributions, housing communities, faith-based organizations, schools, libraries, correctional reentrypoints, and partner agency sites.
3. Serve as a single point of entry for residents: assess at a high level which AACCAA programs may fit a residentʼs situation and route them to the correct intake pathway.
4. Staff and coordinate regular outreach events and tabling activities, distributed across target communities and across programs.
5. Build and maintain an active roster of recurring outreach locations, including standing presence at high-traffic sites.
6. Recruit, orient, and direct volunteers supporting outreach activities; document volunteer participation and hours for agency reporting.
7. Support agency presence at coalition tables, community meetings, and public forums as directed by the CEASO.
8. Gather and relay community-level intelligence — emerging needs, service gaps, partner capacity changes, resident feedback — to the CEASO and relevant program directors.
9. Support data collection for AACCAAʼs Community Needs Assessment, including resident surveys, focusgroup recruitment, and key sector input, in alignment with CSBG Organizational Standards for community assessment and consumer input.
Health and Wellness Program Outreach
10. Conduct dedicated outreach and recruitment for the Healthy Families & Community Wellness Initiative, explaining program services, eligibility, and enrollment steps to residents with varying literacy levels andEnglish proficiency.
11. Capture prospective participant information at point of contact and transmit to Community Health Navigators within one business day.
12. Complete warm handoffs to a Community Health Navigator and confirm that first contact occurred. A resident handed a phone number is not a handoff.
13. Coordinate logistics and participant recruitment for nutrition education workshops, healthy cookingdemonstrations, walking groups, and wellness activities — site booking, reminders, sign-in, and headcount.
14. Support SNAP and WIC enrollment outreach and connect residents to community food distribution resources.
15. Document outreach contacts on the day they occur, distinguishing person-to-person encounters fromdigital reach, consistent with funder reporting definitions.
16. Submit outreach data to the Data and Evaluation Coordinator on the monthly schedule required to meetfunder reporting deadlines.
Partnership Development and Stewardship
17. Develop and maintain working relationships with community partners including public health agencies, workforce development organizations, food distribution organizations, faith-based institutions, schools, housing providers, and social service partners.
18. Secure and schedule outreach access at partner sites; negotiate recurring presence where volume justifiesit.
19. Maintain partnership documentation sufficient to support CSBG Organizational Standards on documented community partnerships.
20. Support the CEASO in identifying prospective partners aligned to agency strategic priorities.
Materials, Communications, and Community Reporting
21. Maintain inventory and distribution of outreach materials in English and Spanish across all partner sites and AACCAA locations.
22. Draft outreach content — event announcements, flyer copy, community-facing summaries — for review and approval prior to release.
23. Support communication of agency activities and results to the community, consistent with CSBG requirements that the agency report its work and outcomes publicly.
24. Route all program materials through the required internal and funder review process before publication, and ensure correct funder attribution on all published materials.
Administration and General
25. Maintain accurate records in AACCAAʼs client and program data systems, including outreach logs, sign-in sheets, event records, referral tracking, and partner site records sufficient to withstand announced and unannounced funder site visits and audit review.
26. Adhere to participant confidentiality requirements and to funder data ownership provisions.
27. Participate in staff meetings, program planning, required training (community outreach, motivational interviewing, culturally responsive service delivery), and funder meetings asdirected.
28. Perform other duties consistent with the position and the mission of the agency.
Qualifications
Required
High school diploma or GED.
Minimum two years of experience in community outreach, community health work, case aide or navigator work, peer support, canvassing, community organizing, or a comparable community-facingrole.
Demonstrated ability to build trust quickly with low-income residents and residents of color, and to work respectfully across cultures, faiths, immigration statuses, and justice-system involvement.
Working knowledge of Anne Arundel County communities, particularly Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Brooklyn Park, Severn, Odenton, and Pasadena.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and demonstrated accuracy entering data into a client management or program tracking system.
Ability to maintain accurate daily time and activity records.
Valid driverʼs license, reliable transportation, and current auto insurance. Countywide travelrequired.
Availability for regular evening and weekend community events, with schedule flexed during the sameworkweek.
Ability to pass a criminal background check consistent with AACCAA policy and applicable programrequirements.
Preferred
Bilingual English/Spanish, spoken and written — strongly preferred, with priority consideration andplacement at the upper end of the salary range.
Maryland Community Health Worker certification, or eligibility and willingness to pursuecertification.
Lived experience in, or long-standing connection to, one or more of the communities served.
Familiarity with SNAP, WIC, LIHEAP/energy assistance, housing assistance, Head Start eligibility, or reentryservices.
Prior experience working under federal or state grants with documented performance measures.
Associateʼs or bachelorʼs degree in public health, human services, social work, communications, or a related field.
Experience recruiting and coordinating volunteers.
Core Competencies
Initiative. Generates outreach opportunities rather than waiting to be assigned them.
Follow-through. Closes the loop on every handoff. A contact that never reaches a program is not acontact.
Documentation discipline. Understands that undocumented work is unreportable work, and unreportable work puts funding at risk.
Portfolio fluency. Can speak credibly about every AACCAA program and knows where each residentbelongs.
Cultural humility. Meets residents where they are, without judgment.
Boundaries. Recognizes the limits of the role and refers appropriately to program staff and licensedproviders.
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
Field-based position with regular work in community settings including outdoor events, communitycenters, faith-based facilities, schools, housing communities, and partner agency sites. Requires theability to stand for extended periods at tabling events; lift and transport materials, tables, andsupplies up to 25 pounds; and travel independently throughout Anne Arundel County in variedweather conditions. Regular evening and weekend event work is expected. Some remote andtelephone-based work is available for follow-up contacts and administrative tasks.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law, consistent with the Governorʼs Code of Fair Practices and AACCAAʼs non-discrimination policy.
AACCAA is Anne Arundel Countyʼs designated Community Action Agency, serving local families since1965.
To Apply
Submit a resume and brief statement of interest to [email protected]. Position open until filled. Applications from residents of the communities served are strongly encouraged.
Pay: $35,000.00 - $45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
