Communications & Social Media Specialist (PIO I), Grade N21

About The Position

The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $70,556 per year to $88,255 per year, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

WHO WE ARE

The Montgomery County Council is the legislative body for Montgomery County, MD. Montgomery County, which shares a border with Washington, D.C., is one of the largest, most diverse counties in the United States. More than a quarter of its one million residents are foreign-born and speak over 100 languages. As one of the wealthiest counties in the country, it also holds the record for most post-graduate degrees per capita. The Council's synergy of talent, resources and support makes the Council an ideal employer for individuals who are looking to innovate and work on a diverse range of issues and create blueprints for bold thinking. The County Council's Communications Office is responsible for managing media relations, creating and disseminating content, and engaging with communities across the County to inform the public about the Council's work.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The Montgomery County Council is seeking a Communications & Social Media Specialist (Public Information Officer) focused on social media and public education campaigns related to public policy, community and government issues in Montgomery County, Maryland.

What You'll Be Doing

This is professional communications work in the Council's Communication Office developing, implementing, and evaluating social media strategies and collateral materials; developing public education campaigns about public policy, community, and Council issues; and drafting frequent press releases, digital content, and collateral materials.

• Developing a strategic plan for social media, maintaining and evaluating the Council's social media sites and providing impactful social media content.
• Drafting social media content to educate the public about the mission, operations, policies, programs, services and messages of the legislative branch of Montgomery County for dissemination to the public or County employees.
• Drafting press releases, remarks, and other collateral communications materials.
• Interpreting public policy issues into easily understandable written and/or graphic formats.
• Working with internal and external teams under tight deadlines to assist with digital media including informational graphics.
• Assisting with organizing media and community outreach events.
• Assisting with special projects as assigned by the Council's legislative information officer.

Things to note about this position:

• Offsite work may be required
• Weekend or evening hours may be required
• This position requires successful completion of a pre-employment medical evaluation.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience in journalism, communications, public relations, social media production, or related field.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or a related field.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated "Qualified," placed on the Referred List, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade or higher will be placed on the Referred List as a "Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Public Education Efforts: candidates should have a proven track record in developing and implementing high-quality and impactful public education campaigns using social media and collateral resources.
• Social Media: candidates should have experience managing social media accounts, developing strategies to increase engagement, and evaluating performance metrics and emerging trends.
• Social Astuteness: candidates should have experience communicating on behalf of government, nonprofit or private sector leaders that exhibits the ability to accurately understand and respond diplomatically to trends and norms.
• Graphic Skills: applicants should have experience working with others to create visually appealing designs using industry-standard tools.
• Experience drafting press releases, remarks, and other collateral communications materials.

If selected for an interview, applicants will be required to provide writing samples and/or share their portfolio.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at View email address on click.appcast.io . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference .

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law : Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.