Outreach & Communications Specialist

Goodhue County is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Outreach & Communications Specialist. The Outreach & Communications Specialist is responsible for working with Emergency Management, Health & Human Services (HHS) Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and HHS Communications Staff, Department Heads, Managers and County Administration to provide clear and consistent communications to the public. Beyond working on items such as press releases, social media, website and news flashes this position will also work on various special projects of the County Board and County Administration such as sustainability, equity, economic development and housing, webinars, subcommittees, community branding, state and federal projects, county events, and communications policy.

Types of work:

• Collaborates with the County Administrator, Board of County Commissioners, and County executives to provide strategic leadership to the Public Information and Communications function of Goodhue County Government.
• Develops communications goals, identifies appropriate audiences, develops messages and recommends appropriate communication tools and venues to accomplish goals with internal clients.
• Researches, develops, writes and implements strategic communication and outreach plans.
• Copywrites and edits internal and external correspondence including news releases, listservs, social media, talking points, speeches, external and internal web content, letters, communication plans and presentations for a broad range of audiences including elected officials, general public and internal staff. Updates external website.
• Participates in strategic and operational decisions and implementation in order to achieve department goals in the areas of processing, production and distribution of publications, websites and other work products.
• Manages events including planning, coordination and execution of special events, legislative workshop and county fair to raise the profile of Goodhue County.
• Assists with planning and supports emergency and disaster communications.
• Assists with researching, writing, securing and monitoring Federal, State, Local and Foundations grant proposals with departments.

This is a summary of job duties. Please review the job description below for more information including the physical, mental and environmental requirements.

Primary work location is the Goodhue County Government Center.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, English, communications, mass communications, marketing, media studies, graphic design, photojournalism, telecommunications, visual communications, public administration or a closely-related field
• Two years of college plus two years of related professional experience

Note: Experience can be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred knowledge and skills include:

• Demonstrated knowledge of marketing and public relations techniques and social media trends.
• Expertise in prioritizing and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; ability to write in a variety of formats and to a wide array of audiences,
• Demonstrated ability to effectively develop, implement and evaluate communication plans.
• Ability to promote a diverse, culturally competent and respectful workplace engaging as a team member or contributing independently in a professional setting.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, SharePoint), HTML and web content publishing and management applications.

Compensation & Benefits

County employees receive competitive pay and a generous benefit offering. The Outreach & Communications Specialist is compensated at salary grade 113 ($73,132 - $113,339) and staring annual compensation is $73,132 - $76,772, depending upon qualifications.

The County's comprehensive benefit package includes: medical, dental, vision and accident insurance; health savings account; employer paid life insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; pre-tax flexible spending accounts; retirement plan; tax-deferred compensation; vacation and sick leave; and 13 paid holidays per year. County employees are eligible for the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Open the 2024 Benefit Overview below to learn more.

Application Deadline

Interested candidate must submit a Goodhue County employment application, resume and cover letter. This posting will remain open until filled with preference given to applications received by Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

At Goodhue County we embrace diversity and equality in a serious way. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Creating a culture of Equality isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the smart thing.