Salary: $36.53 - $38.94

Job Overview

Performs professional and strategic public relations duties, including strategizing the timely development, administration, and dissemination of information regarding a wide range of programs and services to foster and improve education, media, and community relations throughout Hillsborough County, while protecting and building Hillsborough County’s reputation.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate:

• Is detail-oriented, with a sound knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proofreading.

• Has considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of public relations/media relations strategy development.

• Is able to create quality content and/or public relations collateral including brand journalism.

• Has a thorough understanding of the local, regional, and national media market.

• Has the ability to use considerable initiative, think independently, and exercise sound judgment.

• Is able to handle extremely delicate/sensitive relationships and complex situations, information, and materials.

• Has comprehensive knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and target audiences.

• Is able to manage content and program development end-to-end.

• Has the ability to meet with County departments and/or attend County events with regularity at a location outside of County Center. This could be outside of typical work hours, such as in the early morning, evening or weekends.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree; AND
• Two years of experience planning, implementing or managing public relations, internal communications, community relations, marketing, or integrated communications programs; OR
• An equivalent combination of education (not less than possession of a High School diploma/GED), training and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-related competencies noted above.
• Possession of a valid Florida Driver's License.

Core Competencies

• Customer Commitment - Proactively seeks to understand the needs of the customers and provide the highest standards of service.
• Dedication to Professionalism and Integrity - Demonstrates and promotes fair, honest, professional and ethical behaviors that establishes trust throughout the organization and with the public we serve.
• Organizational Excellence - Takes ownership for excellence through one's personal effectiveness and dedication to the continuous improvement of our operations.
• Success through Teamwork - Collaborates and builds partnerships through trust and the open exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives to achieve organizational goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

Note: The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform one or more of the activities described below:

• Develops and strategizes public relations and marketing campaigns related to special events, digital programs and County initiatives (both internally and externally).
• Develops proactive media outreach strategies including news releases, pitches, talking points, web content/brand journalism, and overall messaging.
• Conducts media and community relations to foster a positive informative relationship between County government and the community.
• Provide public relations management to departments, including counsel related to public relations strategies, communications plans, social media, and events. This includes developing strategic public relations plans with tactics such as collateral development, talking points, web content/brand journalism, intranet management and content and messaging to include media strategy.
• Provides media relations and expertise guidance to departments. Responds to media in an efficient and timely manner.
• Prepares recommendations involving special community matters, public meetings, events and/or programs.
• Develop well-informed advice and strategies that are sensitive to the various needs of multiple county departments, reflect the strategic direction of the department and position the organization for success.
• Offers advice to department leaders and creates plans based on analysis of issues and trends, and how these link to the responsibilities, capabilities, and potential of their organization.
• Assist with and/or plan organizational meetings.
• Attends department and county events or meetings at offsite locations throughout the county with regular frequency (up to several times per week).
• Collaborates with internal and external public as needed to ensure effective, well-executed public relations and marketing programs.
• Assist and/or leads helping manage the County’s intranet.
• Keeps current with technology and trends for communications.
• Assist in creating and maintaining organizational/external communications promotional/content calendar.
• Track, monitor and evaluate activities, placements and accomplishments.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Job Specifications

• Critical Thinking - Knowledge and understanding of the Public Relations profession Code of Ethics. Ability to use initiative, think independently, and exercise sound judgment in order to protect the County’s reputation. Ability to handle extremely delicate/sensitive relationships and complex situations, information, and materials.
• Decision Making - Ability to use negotiation skills and adaptability to encourage recognition of joint concerns, collaboration, and to influence the success of outcomes. Ability to provide expert counsel on effective public relations strategies to produce effective outcomes.
• Communication - Knowledge of writing and editing press releases, positioning stories, pitches, articles and other communications materials. Knowledge of proper English grammar, spelling, and proofreading. Strong copywriting and editorial skills. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, including presentations. Ability to deal courteously and effectively with others while maintaining a positive, proactive attitude. Ability to mobilize teams, building momentum to get things done by communicating clearly and consistently. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with others within and outside own organization.
• Strategic Planning - Knowledge of the principles and practices of public relations/media relations strategy development and how it relates to positive public/media relations. Ability to think strategically in order to develop and execute public relations programs and provide counsel to client departments on the best way to communicate information.
• Managerial/ Operational Skills - Ability to manage content and program development end-to-end, providing direction, working integrated across departments and within the Communications & Digital Media team. Ability to engage a diverse team of professional employees and partners in developing goals, executing plans, and delivering results. Basic knowledge of photography and an understanding of visual standards, and knowledge of storytelling through photos and the applications of visual standards.
• Leadership - Ability to mobilize teams, building momentum to get things done by communicating clearly and consistently. Ability to engage a diverse team of professional employees, and partners in developing goals, executing plans, and delivering results.
• Analytical Ability - Thorough understanding of the local media market. Knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and target audiences. Ability to think strategically in order to develop and execute public relations programs and provide counsel to client departments on the best way to communicate information.
• Managing Complexity – Ability to handle extremely delicate/sensitive relationships and complex situations, information, and materials. Ability to use negotiation skills and adaptability to encourage recognition of joint concerns, collaboration, and to influence the success of outcomes. Ability to travel to and from various locations throughout Hillsborough County and occasionally beyond for department events, meetings, or other necessary functions. This could involve working nights, early mornings, weekends, or holiday.

Physical Requirements

• This position takes place in an office environment.
• Requires sitting for an extended period of time.
• Requires traveling to and from various locations throughout Hillsborough County. The frequency varies, though it could be up to several times per week.

Work Category

Sedentary work - Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Emergency Management Responsibilities

In the event of an emergency or disaster, an employee may be required to respond promptly to duties and responsibilities as assigned by the employee’s department, the County’s Office of Emergency Management, or County Administration. Such assignments may be for before, during or after the emergency/disaster.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree; AND
• Two years of experience planning, implementing or managing public relations, internal communications, community relations, marketing, or integrated communications programs; OR
• An equivalent combination of education (not less than possession of a High School diploma/GED), training and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-related competencies noted above.
• Possession of a valid Florida Driver's License.