About City Bureau

City Bureau is an innovation lab reimagining local journalism, civic media, and participatory democracy. We equip people with civic skills, develop resources that directly meet people’s information needs, and create pathways for deliberative dialogue that strengthens communities. We envision a world where all communities have the information, tools, and resources they need to actively shape their futures and cultivate a more responsive and just democracy.

Location: Remote, with some required travel to Chicago and partner communities. Hybrid if in Chicago.

About Documenters

City Bureau’s Documenters program makes local democracy real and accessible to anyone. We do this by training and paying community members to attend and take notes at local public meetings, turning the knowledge, relationships, and capacity of local residents into a powerful community information resource. 

Since launching Documenters in Chicago in 2016, local news and community organizations nationwide have adopted the program through the Documenters Network, which now includes more than 20 programs housed in local organizations across the country. City Bureau partners with local community and news organizations to start local Documenters programs (“sites”) in order to equip communities to understand and shape local policies and public systems. Collectively, we have trained nearly 4,000 community members and documented more than 5,000 public meetings across the country.

This role is focused on our founding Documenters program in Chicago, which helps innovate the program and develop learnings that can cross-pollinate with local Documenters programs across the country. City Bureau stewards the overall Documenters program model; provides custom central technology through Documenters.org to operate and publish Documenters assignments; and offers convenings, template materials, and more to sites that support innovation, learning, and connection.

About the Job

City Bureau is seeking a Site Success Manager to support the success of a growing network of 20+ Documenters sites. 

This role will be responsible for coaching, consulting, and communicating with a portfolio of organizations who are implementing Documenters programs. This role will be the primary success partner for those Documenters sites, including virtually meeting with them regularly; responding to day-to-day support needs; collaboratively goal-setting with sites; and building strong relationships with site staff to drive forward the program’s impact. You will join a new and growing team of Site Success Managers.

We are looking for someone who has experience with coaching, partner or member success, relationship building, and problem-solving. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented in managing multiple projects and relationships; collaborative in sharing knowledge and asking for support; and can take initiative to move ahead projects independently, including through gaps in process. We are seeking someone who is comfortable with high volume at a growth-stage organization and deeply community-oriented.

The Site Success team works alongside a Network + Learning team that focuses on network-wide convenings, communication, and learning materials; a Product team that develops Documenters.org; and the Chicago Documenters team that implements and innovates on the founding Documenters program in Chicago.

You should apply if:

• You’re an exceptional relationship builder: You’re curious what drives people; you naturally individualize your approach based on their needs; and you can motivate partners toward common goals.

• You’re a solutions-oriented coach: You have a knack for asking the right questions; brainstorming solutions based on partners’ needs; and curating resources to fit their contexts.

• You’re excited about reimagining civic life: You jump at the chance to create new pathways for communities to participate in local news and government.

Responsibilities

• Be the primary communicator, coach, and consultant for a portfolio of Documenters sites

• Support sites to onboard and implement Documenters programs, including using key tools and systems, such as Documenters.org

• Facilitate regular check-in calls and respond to day-to-day support needs

• Collaboratively set clear, ambitious, achievable goals with Documenters sites to drive forward the success of the program

• Build strong, authentic relationships that foster trust and confidence with key stakeholders within the site

• Customize and curate City Bureau and external resources to fit the specific needs of each site

• Provide regular reports and insights to City Bureau stakeholders as needed to collaborate with team members on problem solving and thoughtful escalation of issues

• Occasionally propose, plan and execute in-person visits to sites

• Tracking and analyze key data for the portfolio of sites to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement

• Develop and curate resources for sites that support their programs

• Highlight learnings and bright spots from sites to support others in the Documenters Network

• “Weave” the Documenters Network by facilitating connections between different sites

• Support virtual and in-person events for the Documenters Network

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience with coaching, partner management, or success management. 

• Exceptional relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner with staff, residents, donors, and community partners

• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, particularly around active listening, facilitation, emotional regulation, and cultivating buy-in. Demonstrated experience communicating with diverse audiences

• Collaborative: Excited to consistently bring in other team members for thought partnership and support as needed, and create mutually beneficial goals on shared projects

• Ability to handle a high volume of information, communication, and meetings without sacrificing quality in a mostly remote environment

• Fast learner, especially with technology: Can dive into complex technical systems and quickly prioritize information.

• Highly flexible and solutions oriented: Strong critical thinking and active listening skills, with the ability to identify challenges and adapt plans as new information becomes available

• Proactive and accountable. Ability to take initiative and drive projects forward independently.

• Growth-oriented with a low ego; demonstrated ability to learn from past actions and apply insights to help our teams be successful in the future

• Experience with the following tools is a plus: Google tools (Gmail, Docs, Sheets), Slack, Asana, AirTable

We expect that the strongest candidates will have the above skills and areas of expertise in varying degrees. If you don’t have every qualification, please consider applying, and use your application to tell us about the skills you bring that would help us build this team.

Compensation, Benefits and Support

• $64,000 annual salary. City Bureau uses a universal compensation system.

• Full time with benefits package including health care, dental, vision, life insurance

• Employer sponsored 401k plans, with 100% employer match up to 4% of salary

• $1,000 annual technology and work tools allowance

• $1,000 professional development allowance

• 15 days paid vacation, not including health days

• 11 company holidays each year, which may be exchanged for employees who celebrate other holidays

• A 4.5-day week for most of the year. For three months during the summer, City Bureau operates on a 4-day work week.

• Work from home options: City Bureau has a central office and requires some in-person meetings and work sessions. 

• A culture of intentional professional development and organizational learning: City Bureau staff hold regular share outs to learn from one another and hold regular community check-ins to connect and surface feedback on policies and practices.

Our Anticipated Timeline

We’re projecting the following timeline for this hiring process. We will notify candidates of any shifts as we move through the process.

• Application closes on May 25, 2025

• Within two weeks of closing applications, you will know if you’ve moved onto the interview stage 

• Within two weeks of your interview, you’ll know if you moved onto the case exercise stage

• Within two weeks of your case exercise completion, you’ll know if you moved onto the final interview

• We expect to make a final offer in late June

City Bureau is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

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