By Melanie Dostis, News Staff

Northeastern University attracted another former city of Boston employee when William Onuoha joined the Office of City and Community Affairs this week.

Onuoha will work under John Tobin, vice president for city and community affairs, himself a former city councilor.

“This has been an open position for a while. It was not a position created. It just needed to be filled,” Tobin said. “Will was certainly the best available.”

Onuoha stepped down from his position as the city’s neighborhood coordinator/district representative to the neighborhoods of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Fenway and Mission Hill Jan. 6

During the six years he held the position with Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Office of Neighborhood Services, Onuoha worked closely with the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, among other resident and civic organizations.

“I’ve known Will for a long, long time,” Tobin said.

Tobin, like Onuoha, also has roots in working with the city. He was a Boston city councilor before joining Northeastern a year and a half ago.

“He will help us [the office of City and Community Affairs] build up and expand upon relationships with neighborhoods like Roxbury, lower Roxbury and the South End,” Tobin said. “In order to build up that team, you really want people who know these neighborhoods.”

Onuoha did not respond to several requests from The News for comment.

Northeastern’s transformation from a commuter school to a much larger campus over the years pushed a large number of students to the Mission Hill neighborhood. The position will make use of Onuoha’s contacts around the city, particularly in Mission Hill, where Onuoha lives.

“He is a member of the YMCA, a gentleman and a great addition to our team,” Tobin said.

Onuoha thanked all the residents and organizations he forged partnerships with during his time in the city Jan. 4 in an email.

“Through our steadfast devoted partnerships, we have fought many battles to preserve the integrity of our neighborhoods and through it all, we have succeeded in strengthening the fabric of our neighborhoods,” Onuoha wrote.

Onuoha was scheduled to start Jan. 9 with Northeastern. His successor with the city has yet to be named.