Salary: $5,165.00 – $6,870.00 Monthly
Location: Thurston County, WA
Job Type: Regular Full-Time Employee
Department: Public Works
Closing: 1/3/2021 11:59 PM Pacific

Summary of Duties

Thurston County Public Works is seeking a Communications Specialist. If you excel at developing outreach campaigns and communication programs for public works organizations, you may be the mid-career professional we’re looking for!

Thurston County Public Works is seeking a Communications Specialist to develop capital project outreach campaigns and support communication programs for the Office of the County Engineer (OCE). As part of the public works outreach team, the Communication Specialist also supports department-wide internal and external communication initiatives.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Working with other team members to develop outreach campaigns for public works capital projects and OCE communication programs including determining objectives, stakeholders, tools, timelines and budgets.
  • Producing visual materials, including maps, presentations, charts, reports, brochures, mailers, e-newsletters and web content for public works capital project outreach campaigns, OCE communication programs and overall department communication initiatives.
  • Preparing and making presentations to citizens and community groups, and acting as a liaison for public works capital projects and OCE communication programs.
  • Producing reports of public works capital project outreach campaigns and OCE communication programs including summaries of public meetings and other activities; evaluate and measure results to ensure objectives and goals are achieved.
  • Participating in internal and external events such as staff meetings, community forums, project tours, etc.
  • Serving as liaison to other departments and agencies for public works capital projects and OCE communication programs.
  • Researching and preparing responses to complaints and inquiries about public works capital projects and OCE programs from the public, elected officials, government agencies and special interest groups.
  • Working with other team members to ensure consistent branding of all outreach and communication materials. Keeping publications current and working with team leads from throughout the department to update and create new communication materials as necessary.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in education, public health, environmental health, environmental sciences, or other closely related field.
  • Must have four (4) years of experience working in public health, environmental issues, or other related field promoting education, outreach, media campaign, public relations or other comparable experiences to successfully perform duties and responsibilities of the classification.
  • Previous one (1) year of experience with budget management, grant writing and administration, and lead or supervisory experience.
  • Must have the ability to utilize a personal computer with related software to perform the essential functions of the position.
  • Current Washington State Driver’s License or have requested and obtained an appropriate accommodation.
  • May be required to possess a professional certification applicable to area of assignment (eg, Pesticide, Certified Health Education Professional, Hazardous Waste training, etc.)

Desired Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism or English and writing are considered other closely related fields.
  • Experience working in communication, marketing, journalism, or other related field promoting education, outreach, media campaigns, public relations or other comparable experiences to successfully perform duties and responsibilities of the classification.
  • Proficiency in software programs and applications commensurate with the position (i.e. Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Website CMS, Constant Contact.)
  • Proficiency in social media including the use of management platforms such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck, and other digital applications.
  • Experience writing press releases for department emergency situations (i.e. road closures, upcoming road closures and other public works activities.)
  • Experience writing and designing publications for government organizations including internal newsletters and external annual reports.

This position is:
– Represented by a Union
– Eligible for benefits
– Eligible for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Items required for consideration:
– Application
– Letter of Interest
– Resume
– Supplemental Questions

Other Position Related Information

Questions about this Position?
The contact person for this recruitment is April Leigh, (360) 867-2375