Digital Inclusion Specialist

General Description

Madison, Wisconsin has been recognized as one of the best places to live in the country and the City of Madison Information Technology (IT) Department has been recognized as a Top Ten 2022 Digital Cities Survey winner. The IT Department has a culture of innovation, collaboration and work/life balance, and we believe our employees are our most valuable resource, and are key to our organizational success. We want our employees to feel valued, engaged, and satisfied with their jobs.

This position offers an opportunity to serve the public by supporting the City of Madison’s digital inclusion ecosystem and the City’s priorities of addressing the issue of the digital divide in Madison. The City of Madison Digital Inclusion Coordinator will report to the IT Director and will be responsible for providing leadership and direction to advance efforts as the lead subject matter expert, representative and project manager for grant initiatives, programs and projects, including supporting other digital inclusion initiatives across cross-organizational efforts.

Work may involve some team leader responsibility on specific projects, as assigned and is performed under the general direction of a senior level professional or supervisor.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Oversee City of Madison digital inclusion strategies and plans    

• Develop a Digital Inclusion work plan, and work with community partners to pursue grant funding opportunities;   Establish and maintain partnerships with diverse, mission-aligned organizations, developing city-wide alliances around digital access and digital literacy.
• Coordinate, support and engage the organizations working on digital equity and inclusion in the community.
• Research, recommend, and implement strategies that are in line with emerging national and local trends relating to digital inclusion.
• Convene digital inclusion organizations and partners across the city, facilitating relationships to foster new engagement and opportunities and identifying how policies can be improved to support digital inclusion work.
• Pilot community specific projects including, computer refurbishing and donations, digital literacy courses.
• Develop relationships with local providers to assist community partners.
• Provide leadership for digital equity planning, strategy formation, coalition work, and policy advocacy.
• Serve as a spokesperson for the City in public settings related to digital inclusion and equity.
• Work collaboratively with partners to produce accessible communications and engagement materials.
• Create a City of Madison Digital Inclusion communications presence (Web, blogs, social media, etc.)
• Work with stakeholders to keep digital inclusion strategic priorities as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
• Disseminate the Digital Navigator model and lessons learned nationally.
• Lead development of resources and gathering of community-created resources to be made publicly available.
• Assist community partners to identify existing local digital inclusion resources and gap areas.

Facilitates digital inclusion grant opportunities 

• Assist with finding and applying for grants to help increase the capacity and impact of digital inclusion efforts, including coordinating or supporting with fundraising strategies with community partners.
• Facilitates digital inclusion grant opportunities to internal/external stakeholders
• Monitor relevant city, state and federal legislation and policies, and identify opportunities for advocacy by the City on behalf of our digital equity goals and objectives.
• Develop and maintain tracking processes for grants, maintaining appropriate internal/external controls; ensure adherence to programmatic and financial grant requirements on a timely basis.
• Work with grant partners/recipients in order to increase project and programmatic effectiveness. Monitor and record project progress, including review and analysis of submitted programmatic and financial reports, changes in budget or contract terms.