Public Affairs Specialist

Public Affairs Specialist

The Public Affairs Specialist serves as the county's primary point of contact to disseminate current and accurate information to stakeholders, media and the public regarding county operations and initiatives. The position is responsible for developing strategic communications plans, standardizing communications procedures and protocols, and communicating effectively verbally and in writing to various stakeholder groups. The position supports the County Manager's Office by planning outreach and public engagement events and developing briefings, presentations, and other communications collateral to increase public awareness and governmental transparency. As a liaison with the community, the position monitors media and social media to keep leadership apprised of public sentiment. The position also serves as the county's public information officer during emergency and disaster response.

Essential Functions

• Develops strategic communications plans and standard operating procedures for the submission, review, and clearance of official county messaging.
• Plans and implements stakeholder engagement and outreach events including community meetings, listening sessions, town halls, etc.
• Communicates official county messaging through various channels – including but not limited to speaking engagements, news releases, social media, website, newsletters, etc.
• Maintains relationships with county staff and remains apprised of developments within departments to provide public affairs and communications support.
• Maintains relationships with external partners and the media to effectively communicate items of relevance to various audiences.
• Establishes and enforces vetting protocols for all public-facing digital content to ensure brand consistency, unified messaging, accuracy and compliance across departments.
• Manages the county website and develops approval protocols for the design and posting of official information. Ensures website is accurate and up to date through regular revision process.
• Manages official county social media accounts and coordinates social media posting and campaigns across departments. Ensures consistent branding and messaging.
• Drafts and designs flyers, presentations, talking points, and official county messaging to be disseminated to the public.
• As directed, serves as the county's official spokesperson on matters approved by the County Manager's Office.
• Drafts memos, speeches, presentations, talking points, and background and briefing materials for county leadership.
• Supports internal communications from the County Manager's Office to county staff, the Board of County Commissioners, and the County Leadership Team.
• Monitors media and social media and provides trend reports to the County Manager's Office.
• In collaboration with the Office of Emergency Management, serves as the county's Public Information Officer during times of disaster or emergency response.

Requirements Compensation will be determined by the applicant's full skillset with consideration of the below:

• APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT 3 WRITING SAMPLES WITH THEIR APPLICATION PACKET
• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, public affairs, public administration, political science, public policy, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• 3+ years experience in public affairs, government relations, communications, advocacy, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience running communications or social media campaigns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience designing communications collateral to disseminate messaging to various audiences.
• Ability to break down complex subjects into plain language to brief superiors and/or stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Travel to conferences or events within and outside of the state of Colorado may be required.
• Must be available to respond to urgent county communications needs at any moment, including working evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred.
• FEMA Public Information Officer certifications, or the ability to obtain certifications, is preferred.