Martha’s Vineyard Commission  |  Martha’s Vineyard Community Preparedness Network
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness 2.0 Seed Project
Scope of Work
July 20, 2026

Overview

Martha’s Vineyard is building a community preparedness system that connects all six towns through a shared network for emergency preparedness and climate adaptation. The Martha’s Vineyard Community Preparedness Network, coordinated through the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC), brings together town liaisons, community organizations, emergency managers, and residents to create something more durable and effective than any single town could build on its own.

The Island MVP 2.0 Coordinator is the engine of this effort. This is a full-time, 11-month position responsible for managing the day-to-day work across the island, coordinating with a wide range of partners, building relationships, and ensuring the project delivers on its commitments to residents, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Role Summary

The Coordinator will manage all phases of the Martha’s Vineyard Community Resilience Network project, including hiring and onboarding town and community liaisons, developing and implementing a community engagement plan and emergency communications plan, supporting town-based shelter and vulnerable resident activities, building relations and a long-term sustainability framework along the way. They will serve as the primary point of coordination among town resilience liaisons, community liaisons, emergency managers, and contracted consultants. Think of this role as the organizing hub of the network: keeping the project on track, making sure partners have what they need and providing technical support, communicating regularly with partners and priority populations, and translating the project vision into action on the ground.

This role is contracted through the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. The Coordinator will lead a Steering Committee, which will provide guidance and serve as a sounding board for project direction. The participating towns are Aquinnah, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury.

Key Relationships

Reports to: Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Planner

Steering Committee: Leads the group made up of town preparedness liaisons, community liaisons, and the MVC Climate Resilience Planner

Peer collaborators: MV Emergency Management Advisor (advisory and coordination relationship; not a supervisory one)

Directly coordinates: Town Preparedness Liaisons, Community Liaisons, Communications Specialist, Prepare Your Community Consultant, Fundraising Strategist

Responsibilities and Deliverables by Phase

Phase 1: Building the Foundation (Months 1-3)

The Coordinator will establish the organizational infrastructure that the rest of the project depends on. This includes:

• Developing SOW’s and leading recruitment and onboarding for Town Preparedness Liaisons, Community Liaisons, and Communications Specialist.
• Developing small contracts Prepare Your Community Consultant (if applicable)
• Convening the Steering Committee and establishing a regular meeting schedule
• Conducting an island-wide inventory of existing emergency materials, systems, and organizations serving vulnerable populations
• Collaborating with EM Advisory to work with town emergency managers to identify priority messages and communications needs
• Building a community engagement plan and emergency communications plan that include key messages, target populations, trusted organizations, and engagement activities including an outreach plan for sharing project progress publicly and with town-based climate committees and select boards.
• Developing templates for towns to identify vulnerable residents, assess shelters, and document shelter SOPs
• Adapting the Bainbridge Ready Your Streets program materials into a Ready Your Neighborhood template suited to MV
• Working with the Steering Committee to identify a Fundraising Strategist and to develop an outreach plan

Phase 1 Deliverables:

• Liaisons and consultants under contract and oriented to the project
• Steering Committee convened with meeting schedule established
• Short report on island-wide inventory of emergency materials and vulnerable population organizations -including gaps, website refresh ideas and how town-based  information can complement or be integrated, and key messages based on town EM input.
• Community engagement and communications plans
• Standardized templates for vulnerable resident identification, shelter assessment, and shelter SOPs
• Ready Your Neighborhood template adapted for Martha’s Vineyard
• Fundraising Strategist identified and outreach plan drafted

Phase 2: Building and Activating (Months 3-10)

With the foundation in place, the Coordinator shifts to activation: getting materials out, reaching people, and bringing town-level systems to life. This includes:

• Implementation of the Community Engagement and Emergency Communications Plans including:
  • Coordinating regular steering committee meetings and providing town and community liaisons with necessary materials to keep climate committees and select boards up to date on progress.
  • Overseeing review and update of the Dukes County emergency management website, including ensuring prominent links from key island sites like the Chamber of Commerce, SSA, MVC, and town websites, ideally in both English and Portuguese.
  • Coordinating development and printing of preparedness materials including refrigerator magnets, checklists, and bilingual resources.
  • Coordinating assembly and distribution of Stay Bags stocked with 72-hour shelter-in-place supplies for vulnerable households, through community organizations and Town Preparedness Liaisons and Community Liaisons.
  • Leading or coordinating at least 20 community engagement sessions with organizations serving vulnerable populations, with the goal of distributing materials and sharing key preparedness messages.
  • Maintaining ongoing public outreach through newspaper, radio, website, and social media through the Communications Specialist.
• Facilitating Town Preparedness Liaisons, Emergency Managers, and other community members to complete standardized templates for vulnerable resident identification, shelter assessment, and shelter SOPs.
• Coordinating development and training of a volunteer team to support shelter operations.
• Supporting the launch of a Ready Your Neighborhood pilot in each town, working through Town Liaisons.
• Working with libraries and realtors to extend reach to the broader community and visitors.
• Building relationships with community members and organizations with a long-term coordination in mind.
• Identify local development programs and funding models to support long-term coordinator position sustainability.

Phase 2 Deliverables:

• Updated Dukes County emergency management website with verified cross-site links
• Preparedness materials developed, translated as needed, and distributed
• Stay Bags assembled and distributed to vulnerable households across all towns
• At least 20 documented community engagement sessions completed
• Progress reports (i.e. ppt, pdf) developed to share with climate committees and select boards on a regular basis
• Completed vulnerable resident identification, shelter assessment, and SOP documents for all participating towns
• Shelter volunteer team recruited, trained, and documented
• Ready Your Neighborhood pilot launched in each participating town
• Funding strategy in development with at least one funding pathway identified

Phase 3: Long-Term Vision and Sustainability (Months 10-11)

In the final phase, the Coordinator leads the transition from project to program, ensuring the network has what it needs to continue after the grant period ends. This includes:

• Developing a long-term roadmap tailored to Martha’s Vineyard’s community preparedness, adapted from the Bainbridge Prepares model, (scope to be determined through lessons learned and need identified through the project for community-based efforts)
  • Ensuring the framework includes clear guidance for how community-based activities support and complement formal emergency management systems
• Documenting protocols for reaching the public, vulnerable populations through community partners, and visitors including seasonal residents
• Coordinating final island-wide outreach to share project accomplishments
• Implementing funding strategies developed in Phase 2 and supporting grant applications or donor outreach

Phase 3 Deliverables:

• Long-term Martha’s Vineyard Community Preparedness Roadmap
• Communications protocols for public, vulnerable populations, and visitors
• At least one funding application submitted or funding commitment secured
• Final project report and accomplishments summary

Ongoing Responsibilities Throughout the Project

• Prepare quarterly progress updates for Select Boards across all participating towns to be shared through Town Preparedness Liaisons
• Coordinate with the Communications Specialist on key messages, internal communications, and public-facing materials
• Facilitate or support monthly Steering Committee meetings
• Maintain regular communication with the MVC Climate Planner and MV EM Advisor and integrate their guidance into project decisions
• Track project budget and flag any issues to MVC in a timely manner
• Document all major decisions, templates, and materials in an organized and accessible format for future coordinators

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is organized, collaborative, and deeply comfortable working across a wide range of partners and community contexts. Specific qualifications include:

• Experience in project coordination, community organizing, emergency management, or a closely related field
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with an ability to translate complex information clearly for different audiences
• Comfortable working with and through others rather than directing from above; this role succeeds through relationships and team building
• Familiarity with Martha’s Vineyard communities, organizations, and local government is a strong asset
• Experience working with vulnerable or historically underserved populations
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and keep partners on track
• Proficiency with standard office tools; experience with website updates or social media a plus

Logistics

Duration: 11 months (must complete all tasks and deliverables by June 2027)

Hours: Full-time (approximately 40 hours per week)

Compensation: $70,000 to $80,000 depending on experience and scope

Location: Martha’s Vineyard; some in-person presence across participating towns required

Contracted through: Martha’s Vineyard Commission

Reports to: MVC Climate Planner

To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to isomichi@mvcommission.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.