Cape Ann Municipal Climate Vulnerability Planning Effort: Community Liaisons

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TownGreen is working with Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport to translate climate resilience priorities into local action and is looking for 6-7 residents (like you!) to serve as a paid Community Liaison participant.

Position: Community Liaison
Number of openings: 6-7
Timeframe: 9 months (Sept 2026 – June 2027)
Location: Cape Ann - Meetings in Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport
Time commitment:

• 1-5 hours per week (80 hours total, including monthly meetings and time outside meetings spent on preparing for and reviewing community activities)
• Optional additional effort beyond the initial 9 months depending on interest in the Seed Project selected by the Core Team (which you’ll be part of).

Compensation: 

• Maximum of $3,200, dependent on number of Community Liaisons
• Seed project compensation will be project-dependent

Who is a Community Liaison? Someone with strong ties and trusted relationships within Cape Ann. You’ll connect with community members, identify their needs and priorities, and help make sure those insights shape the project.

What are we looking for? Someone with connections to youth, older adults, parents or caregivers of young children, the shellfish and lobster industries, immigrant communities, and commuters and seasonal workers, as well as someone with expertise in or experience with housing instability, financial insecurity, and food insecurity.

About the project: The four Cape Ann municipalities are participating in a two-year process called the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) 2.0 Program, facilitated by TownGreen and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC). The MVP 2.0 Program is a grant program run by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The provided funding helps communities identify their climate vulnerabilities and implement projects that build community resilience. Through the MVP 2.0 process, we create a Core Team of municipal staff and Community Liaisons who work together to lead the MVP 2.0 work.

About the Core Team: The Core Team will focus on ways to make Cape Ann more resilient to climate change impacts, such as flooding and extreme heat, and support community needs for a stronger and healthier community. Topics the Core Team may address include increasing access to healthy food, housing, and transportation; advancing emergency preparedness; reducing flood risk; and staying cool during heat waves. The Core Team will lead conversations with community members, update the municipalities’ resilience priorities to align with community needs, and select a project to build community resilience. In the second year, some Core Team members will implement the project selected.

Responsibilities:

• Participate in regular meetings and learning sessions with the Core Team. 
• Design & support community engagement activities. This could include events, surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
• Explore community & climate data to update Cape Ann’s climate priorities.
• Develop an implementation project to support community resilience.
• Identify and develop an implementation plan for a project that supports community resilience.
• Reflect on the process.