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Community Development Worker Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Community Development & Engagement Build and nurture a developer and user community around IFM ... Experience working with GitHub or similar platforms (issues, pull requests, basic branching) and ...

Community Development Director Summary Direct, manage, oversee and integrate the activities and ... Maintain and direct the maintenance of working and official departmental files, including accurate ...

Community Development Director

Delano, CA · On-site

$13K - $16K/mo

... Community Development Department that provides current and advance planning; plan checking ... Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships. Communicating with employees, the ...

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Community Development Worker information

See California salary details

$12

$20

$29

How much do community development worker jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 10, 2026, the average hourly pay for community development worker in California is $20.43, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.59 and $23.27 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a community development worker?

Community development workers are professionals who support and empower communities to identify their needs, develop solutions, and improve their quality of life. They work with individuals, groups, and organizations to address social, economic, and environmental issues. Their roles often include facilitating meetings, providing information, helping to access resources, and encouraging community participation in decision-making. Community development workers may be employed by local governments, non-profits, or charities, and their work is vital in promoting social inclusion and community well-being.

What are some common challenges faced by community development workers in engaging diverse community groups?

Community Development Workers often encounter challenges such as building trust with residents from varied backgrounds, overcoming language or cultural barriers, and ensuring inclusive participation in community initiatives. Successfully encouraging engagement requires patience, strong communication skills, and cultural sensitivity. Collaborating with local leaders, adapting outreach strategies, and being responsive to community feedback are vital for overcoming these obstacles and fostering meaningful involvement.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a community development worker, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Community Development Worker, you typically need a background in social work, community studies, or a related field, along with experience in community engagement and project management. Familiarity with data collection tools, case management systems, and grant application processes is often required. Strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to inspire and empower others are vital soft skills in this role. These competencies are essential for building trust, fostering collaboration, and driving positive, sustainable change within communities.

What is the difference between Community Development Worker vs Social Worker?

AspectCommunity Development WorkerSocial Worker
CredentialsTypically requires a diploma or bachelor's degree in community development, social sciences, or related fieldsUsually requires a bachelor's or master's degree in social work (BSW or MSW) and licensure
Work EnvironmentCommunity centers, non-profits, local government agenciesHospitals, clinics, social service agencies, schools
Employer & IndustryNon-profit organizations, government agencies focused on community welfareHealthcare, child welfare, mental health services

While both roles aim to improve individual and community well-being, Community Development Workers focus on community projects and empowerment, whereas Social Workers provide direct support and services to individuals and families. The roles often overlap but differ mainly in scope and setting.

How to get into community development work?

Community development workers typically need a relevant degree such as social work, community development, or public administration. Gaining experience through volunteering, internships, or entry-level positions helps build skills in communication, project management, and community engagement. Certifications in areas like conflict resolution or grant writing can also enhance job prospects.

What jobs can you do with community development worker?

A community development worker can pursue roles such as community organizer, outreach coordinator, program coordinator, social services case manager, or policy advocate. These positions often involve working with local organizations, government agencies, or non-profits to improve community well-being and require skills in communication, project management, and community engagement.

What cities in California are hiring for Community Development Worker jobs?

Cities in California with the most Community Development Worker job openings:

Infographic showing various Community Development Worker job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 86% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $42,503 per year, or $20.4 per hour.

Community Development Manager

Sunnyvale, CA • On-site

Socket.dev
Network Security • 1 - 10 employees

$125 - $150/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

This job post has expired 1 day ago. Applications are no longer accepted.


Job description

About the Institute of Foundation Models

The Institute of Foundation Models is a dedicated research lab for building, understanding, deploying, and risk-managing large-scale AI systems. We drive innovation in foundation models and their operationalization, empowering research, education, and industry adoption through scalable infrastructure and real-world applications.

The Role

We are seeking a Community Development Manager to expand the reach and real-world adoption of our foundation models (language, vision, multimodal, and world models) beyond the university environment. This role bridges the gap between research innovation and practical use, ensuring our models are accessible, well-documented, and actively adopted by external developers, partners, and organizations. The ideal candidate combines technical comfort with strong communication and community-building skills to:

  • promote the use of IFM technology,
  • foster a vibrant developer and user ecosystem, and
  • support adoption strategies.
Key Responsibilities
  • Community Development & Engagement Build and nurture a developer and user community around IFM's models, APIs, and tools. Plan and run workshops, hackathons, webinars, and training sessions to showcase model capabilities and encourage experimentation and adoption. Develop partnerships with industry, government, and academic collaborators to promote technology transfer and open innovation around IFM models. Represent IFM at external events, conferences, and meetups, championing its models, tools, and initiatives. Define and track key community metrics (e.g., active developers, event participation, usage coming from community channels) to understand impact and refine activities.
  • Technology Adoption & Support Work closely with the Product, Research, and Engineering teams to understand model capabilities, deployment options, and priority use cases. Translate complex research outputs into practical applications, example integrations, documentation, and user guides. Provide technical onboarding and ongoing support to external developers and partners integrating IFM models and APIs. Gather structured feedback from users and partners, and channel it into product and research roadmaps (e.g., feature requests, pain points, documentation gaps). Coordinate with DevOps and MLOps teams to ensure external users have reliable access to IFM models (APIs, SDKs, sandbox environments) and know how to use them.
  • Content & Knowledge Sharing Develop and maintain public-facing resources such as documentation, tutorials, FAQs, example repos, and quick-start guides. Create and support content such as blog posts, talks, short videos, and demo showcases that explain "what this model can do" and "how to use it" for different audiences. Support the creation of case studies and success stories that highlight impactful applications built on IFM models. Contribute to communication materials for product updates, new releases, and adoption milestones, in coordination with Product and Communications teams.
Academic Qualifications
  • Essential Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. 3–6 years of experience in developer relations, technical community building, technology adoption, or adjacent roles (e.g., product, solutions, startup founder/operator with strong external-facing responsibilities). Comfortable writing small scripts and demo applications in Python or JavaScript to call APIs, build simple prototypes, and help developers integrate IFM models into their own applications. Familiarity with how modern ML models are used in practice (e.g., calling hosted models via APIs, using SDKs, or working with ecosystems such as Hugging Face). Experience working with GitHub or similar platforms (issues, pull requests, basic branching) and contributing to documentation and example repositories. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for both technical and non-technical audiences. Demonstrated ability to plan, execute, and iterate on community or developer-facing programs (events, workshops, hackathons, pilots) in a fast-moving environment. Proven stakeholder management skills, working across multiple internal teams (research, product, engineering, communications) and external partners
  • Preferred Experience working with common ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX) or model deployment tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, major cloud platforms). Prior experience with foundation models (LLMs, multimodal models, or world models) and familiarity with AI/ML research environments. Background in AI/ML, computer science, or a related technical field (formal degree or equivalent practical experience). Experience in an academic, research lab, or "frontier-tech" environment where research-to-product translation is part of the work.
Benefits Include
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
  • Bonus
  • 401K Plan
  • Generous paid time off, sick leave and holidays
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Life insurance and disability
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