Communications Specialist III
- Summary
- Public Health – Seattle and King County values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans.
As the only county in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nations' history, King County is a vibrant community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the artistic and social traditions of many cultures. Together, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence.
We continue to build on an enduring legacy of shared values of equity and social justice, employee engagement, innovative thinking and continuous improvement. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda aimed at advancing regional change and is developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all our residents, regardless of their race or income. All of these qualities make this King County one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Public Health's Digital Communications Lead will serve as part of Public Health - Seattle & King County's Communications Team, which is a unit of the Office of the Director. S/he will carry out a wide range of external and internal communications functions that support goals and activities that protect and improve our community's health.
The candidate selected for this position will be an outstanding storyteller, writer and editor, and a creative and innovative communications strategist with extensive experience using innovative and established social media tools to promote health. We are looking for candidates with interpersonal savvy, composure, and the ability to learn on the fly in a fast-paced environment. Integrity, trustworthiness, a commitment to countywide equity and social justice principles and quality peer relationships are important values we seek in our next Team member.
Who May Apply: This career service position is open to all qualified candidates.
Work Location: Chinook Building, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
Work Schedule: This is an 80% position (32 hours a week). The person selected for this position will be required to work 5 days a week, on a negotiated schedule. We are planning to expand this position eventually to Full Time (40 hours a week) if/when resources allow. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible.
Application Process (submit electronically):
- Job Application with completed supplemental questions.
- Copy and paste one or more documents into the text resume section of the application.
- Attach multiple documents/files in the resume attachment section.
Contact: For more information about the application process, please contact Erika Yanak, Human Resource Analyst, at erika.yanak@kingcounty.gov. - Job Duties
- Serve as our department's digital communications strategist to sustain and build the department's social media capacity, using tools such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Plan, write and edit for our public-facing blog, www.publichealthinsider.com. Solicit and develop content from program staff; write original content focused on current public health issues; utilize images, photos and videos to engage audiences. Analyze social media use and trends; promote social media tools to the public. Enhance and establish procedures, protocols, methods and metrics.
- Develop communication strategies and provide strategic communications advice for health policies and programs to improve communication with the diverse populations in King County. Work in cooperation with subject matter experts throughout the department and in other agencies. Create materials, including reports, newsletters, op-ed articles, news releases, fact sheets, education materials, policy messaging, website content and other formats. Use visual communications tools and techniques to increase the effectiveness of messages.
- Serve as a public information officer. Write news releases and speaking points, coordinate media events, field media inquiries and serve as spokesperson. Develop strategic messaging and approaches to address emerging media issues. Use innovative and traditional means to promote story ideas.
- Lead our website redesign. Provide strategic direction for department web pages (www.kingcounty.gov/health); In consultation with staff and department leadership, develop and manage website governance structure to assure that web content is properly written, updated, vetted, streamlined, and posted.
- Provide support for communications response activities during emergencies as assigned, participate in emergency exercises to prepare for public health events and participate in reviews of department responses to emergencies.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
- Considerable expertise in health promotion via social media, social marketing and strategic communications, including social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, blogs and emerging social media tools; demonstrated experience analyzing social media metrics;
- Skills in synthesizing and communicating health and science information in writing, orally, and visually to a variety of audiences including policy makers, communities of color and language communities;
- Demonstrated experience in working effectively with news media, including developing key messages and acting as a spokesperson;
- Demonstrated ability to identify and assess the communication needs of targeted audiences and determine the best communication methods and tools;
- Experience working in diverse communities; passion for public health and our mission to improve the health and well-being of our residents;
- Knowledge of communications principles, methods and materials;
- Demonstrated ability to use graphics and photography for story-telling and to effectively engage audiences in content; experience developing infographics;
- Skilled in producing reports, news releases, fact sheets and education material utilizing Microsoft Office Suite products, WordPress and/or other blogging platforms;
- Ability to act in a tactful and diplomatic manner on sensitive issues with diverse groups;
- Ability to build and foster collaborative relationships across many levels of personnel and disciplines.
Desired Qualifications:- Fluency in languages other than English;
- Audience research skills; user design (UX) experience; video production, experience working with elected officials.
- Background in education, communications, English, journalism, marketing, public health, public administration, or a related field or comparable experience. The most qualified candidates will have a master's degree in a related field or will have at least two years of public communications or journalism experience, preferably in a public health or health-related field.
- Supplemental Information
The selected candidate will be required to pass a thorough background investigation.
This selection process may include but is not limited to: evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, testing and interviewing. For more information on our selection process, please refer to http://www.metrokc.gov/health/about/hiring.htm
Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
Staff may be required to play an active role in the event of a public health emergency, which may include changes in responsibilities and working hours.
If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.
Union Affiliation: This position is not represented by a union.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Do you have experience in graphic design using programs such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign or other graphics program?
- Yes
- No
02If you answered yes to question #1, please describe your experience in graphic design using programs such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign or other graphics program. If you answer no, then type N/A.03Do you have experience with website organization, understanding website visitor preferences, and writing and producing content for large websites?- Yes
- No
04If you answered yes to question #3, please describe your experience with website organization, understanding website visitor preferences, and writing and producing content for large websites. If you answer no, then type N/A.05Do you have professional experience using social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other tools for strategic communication purposes?- Yes
- No
06If you answered yes to question #5, please describe your professional experience using social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other tools for strategic communication purposes. If you answer no, then type N/A.07Do you have professional experience communicating with public health audiences?- Yes
- No
08If you answered yes to question #7, please describe your professional experience communicating with public health audiences. If you answer no, then type N/A.Required Question