Becoming a community mobilization director can be a great career choice if you have a keen interest in social justice, and the emotional and intellectual fortitude to deal with stressful, burnout-causing projects. You'll also need patience, empathy and strong organizational skills.
This profession offers the ability to work closely with a diverse group of stakeholders, and can offer a diverse work environment that may include international travel, or a lot of domestic travel.
Below, we’ve outlined everything you'll need to know to become a community mobilization director. We’ll show you what employers will be looking for in terms of your education and experience, as well as what personal traits and attributes you’ll need in order to be effective in this line of work.
We've also included helpful supplementary information, such as a general job description, an overview of the job duties involved, salary expectations, career advancement opportunities, a list of possible employer types, and much more.
So, What is a Community Mobilization Director?
Community mobilization is the process of engaging communities to identify community priorities, resources, needs and solutions, with regard to issues that affect the overall well-being of that community.
Community mobilization directors are responsible for engaging and organizing local communities and various stakeholders, and for the overall management of project activities involving community organizations.
The types of communities and populations they work to mobilize can be quite varied, ranging from communities made up of members of a specific ethnicity or nationality, or members of a physical community, such as a neighbourhood. These communities can also include groups of people with certain political, social or other special interests.
Education Needed to Become a Community Mobilization Director
The educational requirements for this profession can vary quite widely, depending on the discretion of the employer, and the level of knowledge needed for the role and any associated projects.
For example, some employers may only require that you have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a social science, while others will require a master’s or doctoral degree in public health, behavioural sciences, or a related field.
Experience You’ll Need
To be considered a preferred or leading candidate for a community mobilization director job, the employer will want to see that you have experience that proves you can be competent and effective in the role for which they are hiring.
This means that they’ll want to see that you have experience working in a social organization, experience in their area of focus (such as international health projects, for example) as well as experience that’s similar to the specific duties you’ll be performing.
In general, having the following type of experience (professional or volunteer) can be quite valuable for this profession:
• General experience in a social organization, in roles of progressive responsibility
• Experience in working with non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and national governments to yield results toward common goals
• Experience working with the target population
• Experience supporting or leading successful initiatives in the employer’s or project’s area of focus (such as the public health sector, for example)
• Experience with the administrative, management and reporting policies, procedures and systems of various aid and donor organizations
Success Tip: Having a combination of relevant education (the more advanced the degree, generally the better) and relevant experience is ideal. If employers also feel that your personal traits and characteristics will also align with their organizational culture, and your goals align with what they’re trying to accomplish, then you have a great chance of landing the job.
Traits, Skills & Characteristics Needed to Be Successful
Becoming a community mobilization director takes more than having a proper education, the right type and amount of experience, and good job prospects. To truly thrive in this career, you’ll need certain skills, personal traits, and attributes, such as:
• A willingness to work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations
• A service-oriented attitude towards work
• The ability to communicate with a high level of professionalism, discretion, and courtesy
• A willingness to work long hours, evenings and weekends, and to work on very short notice
• An understanding of non-profit administrative, management and reporting policies, procedures and systems
• Excellent written, presentation, and public relations skills
• A keen interest in social justice
• An interest in working with non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and national governments to yield results toward common goals
• Fluency in a second language (preferably that of the target population) is typically considered a strong asset
• Willingness to be based in a foreign location
• Willingness to undertake a significant amount of domestic travel
More About This Career: Typical Job Duties
Although their duties can vary from job to job, community mobilization directors are typically responsible for the following general duties:
• Assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of project activities
• Preparing monthly, quarterly and annual project reports
• Providing mentorship, support and supervision of project workers
• Working closely with various stakeholders, including community leaders, government agencies, non-profit organization representatives, donors, private sector companies, and others
• Providing a high level of technical expertise and input into the design and development of strategies and plans aligned with the goals of the project and those of cooperating partners
• Managing activities leading to increased use of and demand for services at the community level (such as basic health services)
• Developing and disseminating community mobilization guidelines to aligned programs and institutions
• Supporting the development of baseline survey tools among other needs and performance assessment activities
• Identifying and leading adjustments to improve strategies based on evidence collected by field teams
• Leveraging existing technologies and behaviours and introducing innovative approaches to maximize messaging
• Ensuring mobilization approaches are tailored for different target audiences
• Representing the employer and the project at local, regional and international meetings and conferences as relevant
How Much Do They Earn?
The salary level of community mobilization directors can vary, typically depending on the following factors:
• Their level of education and experience
• The size, type and budget of their employer, or of the project
• Their wage and salary negotiating abilities
• The region in which they work
• The scope of responsibilities involved in their job
Community Mobilization Director Salary - United States: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary level of Americans working in the ‘Social and Community Service Managers’ occupational group is $65,320 per year (May, 2018 figures). The BLS also states that the lowest 10% of salaries in the group were at or below $40,720, and the highest 10% were at or above $111,150 per year.
Salary - Canada (Alberta): According to the 2018 wage and salary survey (Government of Alberta) the mean salary level of Alberta-based ‘social workers’ (which can include community mobilization directors) is $65,593 per year. The survey also notes that they typically earn a wage of between $28.67 and $38.46 per hour.
Salary - Canada (B.C.): According to the Province of British Columbia, those working as ‘social workers’ in B.C. earn an annual provincial median salary of $71,032, or an average wage of between $19.00 and $42.07 per hour.
Please Note: Unfortunately, no similar statistics were available from reliable sources for other Canadian provinces or territories at the time of writing (July 24, 2019).
Who Employs Them?
Community mobilization directors are typically employed with the following types of organizations:
• Municipal, provincial/state and federal government agencies
• International organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Non-profit and community-based organizations
• Religious organizations
• Social services groups (with or without religious affiliation)
Community Mobilization Director Jobs
Our job board below has “community mobilization director” job postings in your area, when available. If you don't see what you're looking for, try using alternate terms to describe the profession, such as “community program director”, "community program manager" and other related terms:
Career Advancement Possibilities
As a community mobilization director, you would have plenty of opportunities to advance your career into positions of greater responsibility, challenge and pay. For example, you could become:
• A consultant who has expertise in dealing with specific population groups, delivery methods, or project types
• The manager of a government agency
• An executive of a non-profit or non-governmental organization
• An employee or executive of an international government agency, such as the World Health Organization
Alternatively, you could use your experience, education and overall expertise to move into roles of various description within the public sector.
Similar Professions in Our Database
Is becoming a community mobilization director not quite the right career move for you after all? Need more options to explore? Listed below are occupational guides in our system that are similar in nature to this one, but different enough that they just might be what you’re looking for:
• Community Involvement Animator
• Director of Volunteer Services
• Non-Profit Foundation Manager
References for This Career Guide
The following sources were referenced in the preparation of this career guide. Please visit them to learn more about the various aspects of this profession.
Occupations in Alberta: “Social Workers.” (March 4, 2016). Government of Alberta - Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS). Retrieved July 24, 2019.
Explore Careers: “Social workers.” (n.d.). Province of British Columbia - WorkBC. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: “Social and Community Service Managers.” (June 18, 2019). United States Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
Please Note: Some actual job postings were used in the preparation of this career guide. Due to the brief nature of their online presence, they are not listed here as cited references.
Scholarships for Becoming a Community Mobilization Director
Scholarships listed for majors that are relevant to this profession can be found on our Scholarships page, by finding the pages that correspond to the majors listed on our "Relevant Fields of Study" section below. Any and all scholarships found within those pages will be relevant.
Relevant Fields of Study
Studying one of the university majors listed below can serve as an excellent educational foundation for this career:
