Coon Rapids Is Hiring Across Public Safety, Sustainability, and Community Services

Coon Rapids, MN

In a season when many cities are tightening budgets and recalibrating services, the City of Coon Rapids is doing something quieter but equally consequential. It is hiring.

According to current postings on the city’s official recruitment portal, Coon Rapids has opened a slate of professional, technical, seasonal, and operational positions that together sketch a portrait of municipal government in motion. The roles range from police officer to sustainability planner, from park ranger to multimedia journalist. Each position reflects a different layer of what it takes to run a city of more than 60,000 residents in the northern Twin Cities metro.

Applications are being accepted exclusively through the city’s GovernmentJobs portal, which houses detailed job descriptions, qualifications, and pay ranges for each listing.

Professional and Technical Roles

Senior Planner, Sustainability

At the center of the city’s long-term environmental strategy is the Senior Planner for Sustainability, a lead-level role responsible for implementing Coon Rapids’ Energy Action Plan. The plan sets a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030.

The position includes oversight of environmental policy initiatives, coordination of the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program, and staff support for the city’s Sustainability Commission. The planner is also tasked with identifying and securing state and federal grant funding for recycling, stormwater, and related environmental infrastructure projects.

City postings indicate the role typically requires three to five years of experience in urban planning, environmental policy, or environmental education. A master’s degree is preferred.

The hire signals that sustainability in Coon Rapids is not treated as a symbolic goal, but as an operational mandate.

Multimedia Communications Specialist

In an era when local government communication increasingly competes with social media feeds and fractured attention spans, the city is seeking a part-time Multimedia Communications Specialist.

The role, listed at approximately 24 to 28 hours per week, carries a hiring range of $30.48 to $32.23 per hour. The specialist functions, in many respects, as a one-person newsroom. Responsibilities include producing video for the Coon Rapids Community Television Network, known locally as CTN, as well as creating content for the city’s website and social platforms. The work spans video production, still photography, writing, and on-camera reporting.

It is municipal storytelling in real time.

Police Officer

Public safety remains one of the city’s most visible and scrutinized responsibilities. The 2026 hourly pay range for Police Officer is listed at approximately $39.88 to $51.89, translating to roughly $81,000 to $108,000 annually depending on experience. Lateral pay considerations are available for experienced officers.

Applicants must be licensed by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, or eligible for licensure, by March 1, 2026. The department emphasizes a community-first policing model and highlights participation in its BRIDGE Committee, which focuses on building trust with diverse residents.

All finalists are subject to a criminal background investigation.

Seasonal and Operational Roles

Municipal government is not sustained by policy alone. It is built, repaired, mowed, maintained, filmed, and supervised. Many of those responsibilities fall to seasonal and operational staff.

Seasonal Public Works Positions

Parks, Streets, Utilities

These full-time summer roles typically run Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with pay starting between $16.50 and $18.75 per hour.

The work includes mowing, infrastructure repair, traffic control, and general maintenance. For many, these positions serve as entry points into long-term municipal careers in maintenance and public works.

Temporary Park Ranger

The Temporary Park Ranger position offers approximately $18.07 to $21.94 per hour for a flexible summer schedule ranging from 12 to 30 hours per week.

Rangers monitor city parks and athletic fields, particularly during adult sports leagues, helping ensure compliance with park rules and preserving shared public spaces.

Rec on the Spot Specialist

Coon Rapids’ Rec on the Spot program brings mobile recreation directly to neighborhood parks. Specialists transport equipment, organize games, and engage youth in structured activities throughout the summer.

The position reflects a preventative approach to community well-being: meet young people where they are, and build positive engagement before problems emerge.

Facilities Building Support and Video Assistant

Behind every city council meeting and public commission hearing is a technical team. The Facilities Building Support role assists with the upkeep and readiness of city buildings. The Video Assistant supports the broadcasting and technical production of council and commission meetings, ensuring residents can watch local government in action.

Most positions are based at City Hall, located at 11155 Robinson Drive, or at the Public Works Facility.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through the city’s official portal at GovernmentJobs.com/careers/coonrapidsmn. The site allows applicants to create a profile, upload required documentation, and track the status of their application.

Finalists for city employment are subject to a criminal background investigation.

A Civic Workforce in Real Time

Together, these openings offer more than employment opportunities. They provide a cross-section of how a modern suburban city functions. Climate policy is translated into grant applications. Youth engagement is translated into park programming. Public trust is translated into body cameras and BRIDGE Committee meetings. Transparency is translated into televised council sessions.

Municipal government, at its core, is daily work. It is performed not only by elected officials, but by planners, officers, technicians, laborers, and communicators.

In Coon Rapids, that workforce is expanding.

For residents seeking stable public-sector employment, for young people searching for a first step into civic service, and for professionals looking to shape sustainability or public safety policy at the local level, the city’s current hiring round represents an open door.

And in local government, open doors matter.

MinneapoliMedia