Communications and Community Engagement Manager
Group: City of Cornelius
Location: Cornelius, OR
Salary Range: $ 79,056 Annually
Deadline Information:
Deadline Date: 08/07/2023
Posted Date: 07/24/2023
Website: http://corneliusor.gov
Contact Information for Applicants
Debby Roth
debby.roth@corneliusor.gov
5039925305
Summary Description:
Under general direction, provides direct, high-level communication and community engagement oversight and strategic planning support to the City Manager with the purpose of keeping city council, city employees and the public informed, and increasing city visibility in the community. Plans and implements a communications program, including development and maintenance of a brand that promotes the City’s vision, mission, and values, and that provides important and useful information about the City’s service delivery. Continually reviews communication tools and processes and recommends improvements. Works with City departments to plan, coordinate, and disseminate information about City services, programs, projects, issues, and events. Serves as the City’s Public Information Officer (PIO), and in contact with the media, and surrounding jurisdictions, partners with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Police matters and the PIO from the City of Forest Grove on Fire service matters. Coordinates certain City-led events. Supports City department creation of outreach materials. As capacity allows, seeks, and supports grant writing for City departments.
Supports City departments in community engagement in order to enhance and maintain community input that informs City programs, projects and policies, and deepens connectivity between the City and community members. Maintains up-to-date knowledge about leading community engagement methods, informs key City staff on such, and advises the City Manager on new methods to consider. Oversees the City’s Community Vision Plan implementation. Plays a core role in managing and tracking responses to customer inquiries.
Key Distinguishing Duty:
This is a single-position classification responsible for performing communications and community engagement in support of all City departments. Responsibilities include developing and implementing a City-wide communications plan, understanding, and implementing best practice communication and engagement methods, developing and implementing a communications plan, leading a City branding project, coordinating City events, serving as the City’s Public Information Officer (PIO), and supporting grant writing opportunities. Performance of the work requires the use of independent initiative, and discretion requires regular public contact and engagement, frequent use of tact and judgment, sound understanding of City operations, and the ability to coordinate independent projects. The nature of the work performed requires that an employee in this class establish and maintain positive, cooperative and team working relationships with representatives of community members, organizations, state and local agencies, media, City management and staff, and other stakeholders on an ongoing basis.
Essential Functions:
The following tasks are typical for this classification. Any single position may not perform all of these tasks and/or may perform similar related tasks not listed here:
• Plan and coordinate City-wide communications and marketing strategy.
• Coordinates communication activities with Department Managers, City staff, and elected leadership to ensure timely and effective dissemination of internal and external outreach.
o As directed develop stories and help identify projects or issues that require public involvement.
o Support SLT members to report regularly to administrative and elected leadership.
o Attend and report on City Council meetings and outcomes for internal and external reporting.
o Review staff Council memos and presentations to ensure consistency and quality.
o Coordinate and report on City special events.
o Identify challenges and opportunities with various community engagement methods, in order to ensure that City engagements are accessible, effective, credible, and well utilized.
o Review and update the City’s brand.
• Develop and implement social media strategy and policy.
• Develop and manage City social media content.
• Lead development of City newsletter and website. Contribute editorial content, manage quality control and consistency.
• Serve as City PIO, manage City media relations, as well as relations with key local government and community partners.
• Write press releases, speeches, official statements, brochures, and other outreach collateral, and make presentations as needed.
• Serve as lead point of contact during emergencies.
• Coordinate media events for City projects.
• Manage City website as managing editor, work with staff to develop and maintain content that is timely and useful to the community. Review and recommend updates to the City website platform and functionality.
• Receive and coordinate timely responses to inquiries and complaints from community members and other interested parties. Liaise with all City departments in tracking follow up to inquiries and complaints.
• Maintain positive relations with customers and respond to customer needs.
• Develop and maintain a City style guide that helps ensure City-wide consistency of internal and external engagement collateral. Style guide should include updated templates for memos, PowerPoint presentations, and other commonly used documents.
• Oversee cross-departmental graphic design by supporting departments in designing and producing outreach material.
• Support City Manager in reviewing all materials prepared for City Council to ensure consistency and quality.
• Attend and participate in public meetings.
• Employ current best practices in implementing culturally responsive community engagement methods. Advise all departments in how to apply methods to engagements.
• Support SLT members and other staff to determine when City projects or policies require or could benefit from community input/engagement.
• Develop and coordinate community partnerships for coordinated, long term engagement strategies.
• Develop safe work habits and follow all required safety policies, procedures and techniques. Contribute to safety of self, co-workers and the public.
• Provide project assistance to the City Manager as needed.
• Perform other directly related duties consistent with the role and as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum Education/Experience Requirements:
Any combination of training and experience, which would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities, to perform the essential functions of the position, may be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications, public relations, public administration, or related field.
• Three years of professional experience in journalism, broadcast media, marketing, public relations, or closely related field.
• Experience working with a culturally diverse population.
• Written and spoken Spanish Language fluency highly desired.
Licensing/Special Requirements:
• Possess a valid state driver’s license, and a safe driving record.
• Spanish language proficiency preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:
Knowledge of:
• Principles, practices, techniques, and equipment of journalism, broadcast media, social media, public relations, and graphic design.
• Principles of project and event planning and coordination.
• Grant writing, preparation, and management.
• Informational media for the dissemination of various kinds of information and publicity material, including video, radio, photography, print, and social media.
• The requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation, editing and proofreading techniques. Spanish language knowledge preferred.
• Record keeping principles and procedures.
• Techniques for effectively representing the City in contacts with governmental agencies, community partners, businesses, and other stakeholders.
• Customer service techniques.
Skill in:
• Verbal and written communications, interpersonal relations, policy and politics, and customer service.
• Creative and effective writing, editing, and design.
• Public speaking.
• Learning and application of relevant laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, principles, and techniques.
• 24-hour emergency response.
• Use of personal computers, computer hardware and software applications, including Microsoft Office applications and special software applications. Experience and proficiency in one or more common graphic design programs.
• Use of standard office equipment and software, and specialized graphic design software.
• Organization and time management to organize and follow through on work, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Filing, record keeping, and tracking systems for issues and case work.
Ability to:
• Work as a member of a team and groups of teams.
• Effectively facilitate groups.
• Effectively problem solve.
• Critical evaluation of subject matter from various points of view, including reader interest, appropriateness, organization of content, style and language use.
• Describing, interpreting, and evaluating ambiguous situations.
• Maintain composure under stressful or conflict conditions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Coordinate medium to large public events.
• Effectively represent the department and the City in meetings with governmental agencies, community groups, and various business, professional, and regulatory organizations and individuals.
• Comprehend and use English, and as appropriate Spanish, effectively including producing all forms of communication in a clear, concise, and understandable manner to intended audiences.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.
• Establish and foster positive and effective working relationships with internal and external partners and stakeholders.
Working Conditions
Work Environment:
The duties for this job will be performed primarily in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature and ventilation conditions, and rare to no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. The work environment varies between a combination of a standard office setting and various outdoor settings where the employee is occasionally exposed to loud noise levels, cold and hot temperatures, inclement weather conditions, road hazards, vibration, mechanical and/or electrical hazards, and hazardous physical substances and fumes. Employee may interact in difficult interpersonal situations with staff, public, and external representatives.
Physical Demand/Manual Dexterity:
The duties for this job require mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; to operate a motor vehicle; and to work at irregular sites such as construction sites; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person, before groups, and over the telephone. This is primarily a sedentary office classification, although the job involves work requiring walking at outdoor sites to coordinate events; standing in work areas and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator and to operate standard office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 40 pounds as well as stand, sit, use hands for fine manipulation, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee may occasionally climb stairs or ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, and peripheral vision.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Management is receptive to receiving requests from employees for accommodations related to disability, will engage in the interactive process with employees who make such requests and, where accommodation is needed and reasonable, is committed to providing accommodation, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the City.
July 2023