Community Engagement Lead

At Serve Robotics, we’re reimagining how things move in cities. Our personable sidewalk robot is our vision for the future. It’s designed to take deliveries away from congested streets, make deliveries available to more people, and benefit local businesses. The Serve fleet has been delighting merchants, customers, and pedestrians along the way in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago while doing commercial deliveries. We’re looking for talented individuals who will grow robotic deliveries from surprising novelty to efficient ubiquity. WHO WE ARE We are tech industry veterans in software, hardware, and design who are pooling our skills to build the future we want to live in. We are solving real-world problems leveraging robotics, machine learning and computer vision, among other disciplines, with a mindful eye towards the end-to-end user experience. Our team is agile, diverse, and driven. We believe that the best way to solve complicated dynamic problems is collaboratively and respectfully. JOB OVERVIEW The Public Engagement Lead will support Serve Robotics’ public engagement and community relations efforts across the Chicago metro area. Reporting to the Public Engagement Manager, this role is responsible for executing stakeholder engagement activities, representing Serve Robotics in neighborhood and public forums, and helping maintain positive relationships that preserve Serve’s right to operate and enable market expansion. JOB DUTIES - Execute community and stakeholder engagement activities in alignment with Serve Robotics’ public engagement strategy and business objectives - Serve as a primary on-the-ground point of contact for community meetings, ward-level engagements, regulatory hearings, and other public-facing forums - Represent Serve Robotics professionally and credibly at neighborhood meetings, civic events, and industry or community forums - Monitor and track community sentiment, local concerns, and emerging issues across Chicago neighborhoods, escalating risks and opportunities to the Public Engagement Manager and Policy team - Build and maintain relationships with key local stakeholders, including community organizations, neighborhood associations, aldermanic offices, regulators, advocacy groups, and property owners Partner cross-functionally with Policy, Operations, Legal, Trust & Safety, and Communications to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated responses Draft and support the development of public-facing materials such as one-pagers, talking points, presentations, public testimony, and meeting summaries - Maintain accurate records of stakeholder interactions and community activities in internal tracking tools and databases - Provide regular updates and reporting to the Public Engagement Manager on engagement activities, issues, and qualitative outcomes EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, & SKILLS Required Experience, Qualifications, and Skills - 4+ years of experience in community engagement, community organizing, public affairs, public relations, stakeholder management, or a related field Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience - Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with a wide range of community stakeholders, including elected officials’ offices and neighborhood-based organizations Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including public speaking and facilitation Experience working cross-functionally and translating community input into clear insights for internal teams - Comfort operating in dynamic, sometimes politically complex environments and responding to emerging issues in real time Familiarity with Chicago’s civic landscape, transportation ecosystem, or urban policy environment is a plus - Willingness to travel locally and attend evening or weekend community meetings as needed