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Senior Communications Officer

Employer
City Of Alexandria Virginia
Location
Alexandria, VA
Salary
$62,657.92 - $102,994.90 Annually
Closing date
May 18, 2021

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Job Details

Senior Communications Officer

The City of Alexandria is located in Northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh-largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City's square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Senior Communications Officer position.

An Overview
A Senior Communications Officer is responsible for performing journalistic and media relations work, outreach, and disseminating public information in a large department to residents, clients, the public, and employees. Communication Managers assist the Director of Transportation & Environmental Services and supervise public information staff to publicize, promote, and assist the Office of Communications with City-wide public and employee emergency communications, as required. Work is performed under the Director or designee's general supervision with considerable latitude for independent judgment and decision-making in completing work assignments.

What You Should Bring
In-depth knowledge of public relations and communications methodologies for disseminating information and publicizing programs, project, and events; knowledge of strategic communications metrics and measurement methodologies; negotiation skills; ability to assume responsibility and ownership of work product; ability to perform public relations and public affairs work in a lead role; ability to coordinate and implement strategic outreach and objectives; ability to leverage external and internal media.

The Opportunity - Examples of Work
  • Researches, writes, edits, and proofs (sometimes on tight deadlines) copy for a variety of media including websites, social networks, press releases, brochures, newsletters, annual reports and other publications;
  • Responds to routine media inquiries for information about T&ES programs, services, activities, and issues. This will involve serving as a representative for the department, Director or other T&ES staff;
  • Maintains an awareness of City Council, City Manager, and City government policies, procedures, and positions on issues;
  • Collaboratively assists the T&ES Director and his staff with communicating important information about departmental programs, projects, events, initiatives, services, and issues to residents, the business community, employees, and the media;
  • Schedules, prepares, and assists in coordinating the production of regular, periodic publications and other materials such as newsletters, reports, and brochures;
  • Assists the Director and his staff with internal and external emergency communications, including on-call work;
  • Prepares materials for use in presentations to the public, including speaking points, video scripts, and PowerPoint presentations;
  • Researches and maintains an awareness of public relations, communications, and media relations techniques and strategies to provide advice and assistance on appropriate and effective publicity and information campaigns;
  • Performs related work as required.
About the Department
The Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) is a community partner in shaping a livable, green, and prospering Alexandria. We plan, build, operate, and maintain transportation systems and infrastructure that improve mobility and provide people and businesses with core public services. The work we do keeps Alexandrians moving, growing sustainability, and thriving.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in communication; five years of experience in communications, public relations, public information and graphic production or publications editing work, including experience with desktop graphic; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. The employee must possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of their residence.

Preferred Qualifications

A Master’s Degree, or enrollment in a Master’s Degree program with approximately 50% completion; five to seven years of experience as a press officer or community outreach specialist with emphasis on strategic communications planning, supervision, strategy and tactical communications products and dissemination; five years of progressively responsible work experience in the field of communications, journalism, marketing, or public relations; strong communications, writing and editing skills; media relations experience. Additionally, an ideal candidate will have experience with new media platforms (particularly social media platforms such as Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social), email marketing (such as Salesforce, Mailchimp or Constant Contact) and Content Management Systems (such as Drupal, SharePoint). Ability to handle multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks.
Please submit two writing samples of previous, related work (e.g., an authorized press release or journalistic style piece).

Company

The City of Alexandria is an award-winning, innovative, and progressive local government that brings together elected leaders, residents, businesses, and staff to foster a thriving community.  We are an independent, full-service city, providing the services typically operated by both counties and cities in areas such as public safety, transportation, human services, parks and recreation, planning, and administration. We offer a wide range of exciting career opportunities in a variety of fields, with the resources and expertise to succeed.  In Alexandria, employees are our most important asset, and we work hard to create and support a culture that delivers excellence through the shared values of respect, integrity, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Our employees have access to excellent medical, dental, vision, life insurance and other benefits.  Alexandria provides a defined-benefit pension and offers six weeks of paid parental leave to employees who become parents through birth, adoption or foster care.

We offer a robust wellness program, interdepartmental rotation program, tuition assistance funding and professional development program that helps employees obtain the knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience to enhance their professional and personal growth.

With a population of approximately 160,000 and a land area of 16 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located on the Potomac River across from Washington, D.C., Alexandria is known for its beautifully preserved 18th- and 19th-century architecture, charming waterfront, high-tech economy, vibrant retail and restaurant corridors and diverse neighborhoods. We are a unique and historic community, and we continue to innovate for the 21st century.

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