Project Associate

Project Associate   

Community Builders is looking for a dynamic new team member to join us in shaping livable communities throughout the American West.  

About Community Builders  

We’re a small, but mighty nonprofit that works to build healthy, equitable, and prosperous communities that improve people’s lives today and ensure a sustainable tomorrow. CB is recognized as a leader in developing and implementing processes and projects that nurture a greater sense of belonging while also addressing the structural challenges rural communities face: growth, housing, economic transition and development, equity, and more. 

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with community partners to envision the future they want and identify practical solutions to get them there. Along the way, we build their civic capacity so they can tackle new challenges down the road. Our team is creative, collaborative, and strategic. We get stuff done and we have a lot of fun doing it.  

To learn more visit us at: communitybuilders.org 

About the Job 

We are seeking a new team member to provide support and assist with different types of projects, helping communities address tough issues such as economic diversification, community revitalization, affordable housing, building complete streets, brownfield redevelopment, and more. The Project Associate role blends task execution as well as project coordination and management. We are looking for someone who is eager to learn, willing to hop in and help, and can take direction from more senior staff and apply that to future situations. This person must also be able to collaborate with a variety of external partners, cultivating strong relationships and maintaining effective communication with their team and external partners.

What you might do in a day… 

• Facilitate a call with a local team to check in on the project process and communicate next steps.
• Help create, through writing and visualizations, a community plan that synthesizes community input, analysis, and strategies.
• Lead elements of a larger community assistance project
• Help design graphically engaging communications tools, such as posters, presentations, or infographics, for a project or community workshop.
• Help design and carry out community engagement strategy, including working to summarize the findings of a public engagement process in a memo or presentation. 
• Research a topic and provide a summary in clear language and infographics in support of a community assistance project
• Facilitate a team of community leaders at a Community Builders training 
• Help plan and execute a community design charrette
• Plan logistics for an in-person site visit to one of our community partners
• Develop a conceptual site plan for a proposed brownfields redevelopment site
• Take meeting notes and concisely summarize and distribute them to community partners.
• Guide a community team through the steps of a toolkit for affordable housing.
  
  
  

This job might be for you if: 

• You want to bring people together. You love community engagement and get pumped thinking about ways to get more people meaningfully involved in shaping the future of their community. 
• You have the desire and capacity to help build more livable places. You have passion, skills and experience that you want to apply towards building more resilient communities and regions. 
• You believe in empowering communities and local leaders. You get excited talking about building local capacity and inspiring community-driven action. 
• You are a community development nerd. ​Do you find yourself taking pictures of intersections or Missing Middle housing when you travel? Does a vacant storefront set you daydreaming? Do you have a cat named Jane (Jacobs)? Does conducting a market analysis sound exciting? Does your heart pound for equitable engagement? If any of these resonate, you’d likely fit in here.
   
• You totally geek out on research and analysis. You love to find and communicate the story behind the data. 
• You love to make things beautiful. You have skills and appetite to make our work products eye-catching and easy to understand through graphics and crisp design.
• Collaboration is your jam. ​You enjoy working closely with a tight-knit team. You are comfortable playing a support role on projects while working toward collaborating as a leader and manager.  
• You’re a do’er. ​You are organized, love checking boxes off your to-do list, and are excited to start taking on more complex projects. 
• You’re driven to learn and grow. You are excited to learn and develop your skills working within an innovative, fun and collaborative team environment. 
  
  

Things we are looking for: 

• A minimum of 1-2 years of on the job experience working as a team member on complex community projects or initiatives, that provides a foundation in community planning fields, such as urban planning & design, community outreach, economic development, housing, or a related area.
• Preferred, but not required: a master’s degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience / skills within one or more of the following technical competencies: urban design, policy analysis, community engagement, graphic design, writing, research, or land use law. 
• Some experience in community outreach and engagement. 
• Strong analytical skills in community planning and policy disciplines. 
• Strong communication skills: interpersonal, written and presentation.  
• Solid skills/experience in standard graphic design platforms (e.g. Adobe Suite)
• Solid skills and experience collecting and analyzing data. 
• Basic understanding of local government procedures and processes.  
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and excellent time, task, and project management skills  
• Passion for the communities we serve and the work we do.  
• Ability to work as a cohesive team with a small group of highly skilled professionals to achieve outstanding outcomes for our communities. 
• A strong work ethic and desire to grow personally and professionally.  
• Proficiency in Spanish is highly preferred. 
  

If you’re reading this job description and getting excited, but don’t think you’re qualified - apply anyway. We are looking for creative, innovative thinkers who are willing and ready to learn and grow with us.

Details 

The Project Associate is a full-time, salaried position with a competitive salary and excellent benefits package. The salary range for this position is between $62,000 to $72,000. Community Builders covers 100% of the premium for a bronze level health insurance plan (with buy-up options available) and 100% of the premium for dental benefits. We also match up to 3% towards an IRA. 

We want our team to enjoy a healthy work/life balance. Our time off package starts with 9 paid holidays and 23 days of paid time off. That’s 32 days of paid time off in your first year of employment! Additionally, we offer flexible work hours and a 36-hour minimum work week instead of the traditional 40 hours. 

Work Setting: Community Builders operates as a remote work organization. However, we require all employees (including this role) to be based in Colorado, with a preference for this position to reside within Garfield / Eagle / Mesa Counties. Project Associates typically travel 1-2 times per month to sites within Colorado.  

https://communitybuilders.bamboohr.com/careers/34

To Apply 

Application deadline: September 14, 2026. 

Apply through BambooHR ONLY.  

We will review applications as they are received and schedule interviews accordingly. Candidates can expect to participate in a minimum of a phone screen and at least one interview with our team. We will not contact any candidate’s provided references until after an interview. Applications will not be considered without a cover letter and answers to additional questions provided. 

Please contact patrick@communitybuilders.org with any questions.