Communications Specialist

Under general direction of the Communications Manager, this position performs a variety of professional duties to facilitate communication with residents and the general public; facilitate awareness and understanding of City initiatives, programs, and activities; encourage citizen involvement in the City’s planning and decision-making processes; and improve relationships and engagement between diverse sectors of the community and City departments and officials. The position participates in planning, implementing, promoting, and coordinating assigned communications, digital and print content and publication, media opportunities, and organizing and coordinating public education and outreach events.

Essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. The omission of a function does not preclude management from assigning essential duties not listed herein if such duties relate to the position. In addition, specifications are intended to outline the minimum qualifications necessary for entry into the class and may not necessarily convey the qualifications of incumbents within the position.

• Collaborates with City departments and officials to define communication and public engagement goals, strategies, and campaigns for each department’s unique business needs.
• Designs print and digital materials including brochures, catalogs, advertisements, banners, and signage using a design platform (Adobe Suite, Canva, InDesign, etc.), and coordinate the production and delivery of all materials.
• Produces and edits content for print and online channels including text, graphics, video, and photos; provides information to and coordinates with writers, digital content creators, and other public relations consultants; coordinates scripting, filming, production, and distribution of video content.
• Builds and executes social media strategy into the City’s communication and public engagement goals through competitive research, platform determination, benchmarking, messaging, and audience identification.
• Generates, edits, publishes, and shares content (original text, images, video, or HTML) via the City’s social media channels that build meaningful connections and encourages community members to act.
• Engages, monitors, and responds to the community across a variety of media platforms and events to build consistent conversation with a focus on nurturing relationships to improve organic reach.
• Plans, coordinates, and implements community engagement events, meetings, and programs such as speaking engagement for key officials, meetings with neighborhood associations, town halls, and citizen academies.
• Assists in the training and development of key officials and other City spokespersons with respect to public speaking and media interviews.
• Assists in the planning, design, and production of regular communications media such as weekly newsletters, podcasts, and video messaging.
• Develops and upholds communications/marketing agreements made with outside agencies.
• Interacts with the media; serving as a City spokesperson as needed.
• Develops and establish collaborative partnerships with a diverse set of people and organizations to include community groups, non-profits, non-governmental agencies, faith communities, businesses, schools, and service providers to identify and address issues; maintain and improve database of community contacts; develop and maintain neighborhood association and community association tracking systems and mailing lists.
• Supports and collaborates with the Web Administrator in the planning, development, and maintenance of content for the City website.
• Participates in monitoring and evaluating all City media coverage including earned and paid print, TV, radio, and social.
• Attends Department events for photography, videography, and social media coverage.
• Plans and coordinates photo and video shoots, as needed or assigned.
• Assists in the development, organization, and archiving of the City’s photo and video library.
• Builds and maintains positive working relationships with co-workers, other City employees, and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Be an integral team player, which involves flexibility, cooperation, participation, and communication.
• Performs related duties as required or assigned.