Senior Education & Outreach Specialist

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is a dynamic social service organization serving children, youth and families, people with disabilities, older adults, and military veterans. Trustworthiness is a value and strength shared by our employees and recognized by the communities we serve. We offer an Alive Workplace (Supportive, Positive and Fun) and careers that challenge, energize, and reward employees. Consider joining us!

The Senior Education and Outreach Specialist provides statewide education, outreach and relationship-building support that increases awareness and understanding of Home and Community-Based Services and PICS services. The position develops and delivers accessible presentations, webinars, training and educational resources for community partners, prospective service users, participants, families, representatives, workers and other stakeholders.

Working in collaboration with the Director of Outreach and Engagement, the specialist implements assigned outreach priorities, builds and maintains community and referral relationships, represents PICS at conferences and community events and provides navigation and defined enrollment assistance. This includes explaining service options, enrollment expectations, available resources and next steps; following up on referrals; identifying potential enrollment barriers; and coordinating timely handoffs to the appropriate enrollment or service team.

As an experienced individual contributor, the specialist independently manages assigned education and outreach activities, coordinates defined projects, tracks engagement outcomes and recommends improvements based on stakeholder feedback and emerging community needs. The position contributes to participant engagement, service awareness, qualified referral opportunities and PICS growth goals through independent execution of statewide education, outreach and engagement priorities.

Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities:

Education, Training & Content Development: 40%

• Develop, design, and maintain educational resources, presentations, webinars, training materials, toolkits, guides, and informational content for participants, representatives, workers, community partners, and prospective service users regarding PICS services, resources, systems, and support options.
• Identify, coordinate, and schedule speaking engagements, conference presentations, and other educational opportunities.
• Deliver training and educational presentations and webinars to educate community partners and prospective service users about HCBS and PICS services.
• Review and update educational materials to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with current program rules, regulations, and best practices.
• Track training participation, collect feedback, and evaluate outcomes to support continuous improvement.
• Provide navigation and education to prospective service users, participants, representatives, and families by explaining service options, enrollment expectations, available resources, and next steps.
• Provide defined enrollment assistance, including referral follow-up, enrollment-readiness guidance, identification of potential barriers, and coordination or timely handoff to the appropriate enrollment or service team.
• Assist in creating social media, blog, and resource content as needed.

Community Outreach, Partnerships & Referral Engagement: 35%

• Represent PICS at conferences and community events to educate and raise awareness about HCBS, self-direction and PICS services through expert engagement.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective service users, participants, families, and caregivers by understanding their needs, providing education about available options, answering questions, and connecting individuals to appropriate resources and next steps that support informed decision-making and qualified referrals.
• Conduct phone, email, virtual, and in-person outreach with prospective service users, participants, families, representatives, workers, community partners, and referral sources to provide education, answer questions, support engagement efforts, and strengthen referral relationships.

Customer Feedback, Participant Engagement & Resources: 10%

• Support customer-feedback initiatives by conducting assigned outreach, identifying themes and trends, and contributing recommendations that support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify, recruit, and engage participants, families, representatives, and workers to share their experiences through participant spotlights, testimonials, videos, marketing campaigns, and other storytelling initiatives that support education, engagement, and awareness of PICS services, including obtaining appropriate releases and permissions.
• Maintain and coordinate updates to the PICS Community Resource Guide, connecting supported participants and families with essential resources to navigate available services.

Internal Collaboration, Service Improvement & Growth: 10%

• Collaborate with internal teams to provide support, facilitate process improvements, provide appropriate training, and create and refine educational resources and content such as toolkits, guides, and presentation materials for participants, families, and community partners.
• Provide planned or short-term organizational support and reasonable coverage across PICS as needed, within defined priorities.

Professional Development & Special Projects: 5%

• Monitor industry trends and best practices by participating in webinars, conferences and professional development opportunities related to disability services, older adults, and HCBS.
• Coordinate and complete special projects and additional responsibilities as assigned, demonstrating initiative and independent judgment.

Workload allocation statement: Time spent across functions will vary based on organizational priorities, participant and partner needs, staffing and coverage needs, travel, special projects, and the time of year. Conferences and events are generally more concentrated in spring and fall.

• All employees have access to childcare assistance, discounts on events and services, an employee assistance program, financial counselling, a wellness program, and UKG Wallet which allows you to access your payroll dollars before payday!
• Employees working 30+ hours a week have access to medical, dental, life, vision, 403(b) plan with a match, and other ancillary plans.
• Generous PTO plan that includes paid holidays and float days.
• Paid training during your orientation and throughout your employment.
• Opportunities to grow your career at LSS within our 24+ different services.
• A diverse workplace with an outstanding reputation for putting the people served and employees first.
• An ALIVE Workplace that is Supportive, Positive, Healthy and Fun!

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, education, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant professional experience will be considered.
• Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience in Minnesota Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), human services, outreach, education, training, partnership development, or community engagement, including knowledge of services and supports available to individuals with disabilities, older adults, families, and caregivers.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and maintain productive relationships with prospective service users, participants, families, community organizations, lead agencies, referral partners, program leaders, and internal teams.
• Demonstrated public-speaking and presentation skills, with experience delivering engaging and accessible presentations, webinars, and educational training to professional and community audiences of varying sizes in both virtual and in-person settings.
• Experience developing clear, high-quality educational materials, including presentations, toolkits, guides, training materials, and informational resources.
• Strong written, verbal, public-speaking, facilitation, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly and educate prospective service users and families through a relationship-based, person-centered approach.
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan, prioritize, and manage multiple outreach, education, partnership, event, and content-development initiatives while meeting deadlines.
• Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to understand stakeholder needs, exercise sound judgment, and respond to changing circumstances.
• Experience collaborating across departments and with diverse internal and external stakeholders to support shared goals, service improvements, and organizational initiatives.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and other technology used for presentations, webinars, educational resources, data tracking, and business communication.
• Commitment to the organization’s mission and values and to improving the experiences and outcomes of participants, families, and workers.
• Ability to maintain confidential information and exercise appropriate discretion.
• Ability to pass a DHS NetStudy background check.
• Must have a valid driver's license, maintain an acceptable driving record, and successfully meet the organization's motor vehicle record (MVR) requirements.
• Ability to travel throughout Minnesota for outreach, conferences, and events as required. Estimated travel time is up to 20%.
• Ability to work occasional evening and weekend work hours for outreach events, conferences and community engagement activities.