Assistant Communications and Community Relations Director- Intergovernmental Focus

Salary : $98,328.00 - $119,520.00 Annually
Location : City of Bellingham, WA
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 24- Asst Comm/CR Dir. Intergov
Department: Executive
Opening Date: 02/20/2024
Closing Date: 3/11/2024 8:30 AM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: Eteam
Nature of Work
Are you a professional communicator with experience advising elected officials or business, non-profit, or government agency leaders? Interested in informing and engaging community members about the multi-faceted opportunities and challenges of a growing municipal government, using your range of planning and hands-on skills to develop strategies and execute them? We are looking for an experienced, dynamic, creative communications professional to join our team at the City of Bellingham, to create and implement Communications and engagement strategies, foster relationships, and streamline communications for and between branches of government.
The Assistant Communications and Community Relations Director- Intergovernmental Focus assists in establishing, managing, and implementing effective communications, Community Relations, and public involvement strategies to achieve Citywide goals of fostering meaningful public engagement and providing timely, accurate, understandable information to the residents of Bellingham and others. Serves a unique role in fostering relationships and streamlining communications for and between branches of government. Provides guidance and assistance as an internal consultant to the City Council, as well as the Mayor, Deputy Administrator, department heads, and other staff in effective communications strategies, policies, procedures, and issues. Works in tandem with another Assistant Director and the City's communications team to develop communication strategies and implementation methods based on internal and external communication goals, policies, needs, and best practices. Assists the Communications Director in developing and managing the City's Communications and related policies and procedures and overseeing communications Citywide, including both external and internal mass communications, public information and outreach, public involvement, public opinion research, and media relations. Develops and facilitates strategic approaches to emerging issues. Serves a direct role in emergency response within the incident command system. Participates in ensuring the City's commitment to Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) is incorporated in Communications and public involvement initiatives and actively contributes to an inclusive City government. A high level of discretion and sensitivity is required in performing the work, as well as extensive collaboration with elected officials and staff throughout the City.
The current full salary range for this position is $8,194/month - $9,960/month. For external candidates, placement within the range is based on qualifications and professional experience in accordance with City policy. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the and City policy.
City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to enroll in supplemental retirement plans; 457 deferred compensation savings plan, and 401(a) retirement savings plan.
Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. Upon hire, employees are provided a sick leave bank of 40 hours in addition to accruing 8 hours of sick leave per month in accordance with the handbook and Washington State Law.
At the time of hire, employees will accrue 13.33 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require an employee to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.
For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:
Closing Date/Time: Mon. 3/11/2024 8:30 AM Pacific Time
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

1. Serves as an advisor to the City Council, Mayor and executive management staff on communications strategies, policies, procedures and issues. Consults with department directors, program managers and other staff on communications, Community Relations, public engagement and related needs.
2. Fosters relationships and streamlines communications for and between branches of government.
3. Under the guidance of the Communications Director, establishes, manages and implements effective communications, media relations and public involvement strategies in assigned areas of responsibility to foster meaningful public engagement and provide timely, accurate, understandable information to the residents of Bellingham and others. Responsible for the organization, scheduling and production of community information activities.
4. Develops, recommends, facilitates and implements strategic approaches to emerging issues.
5. Develops, recommends, and implements plans to increase awareness of City programs and participation in the City's decision-making processes. Works with other City staff in the development of outreach programs to encourage public engagement and participation in City government and to encourage use of public programs and facilities.
6. Participates in strategic planning and manages content and scheduling for City web pages, television programs, social media, newsletters and other mass communications, according to City policies, procedures, and communications best practices.
7. Convenes City communications staff teams, interdepartmental project teams, and other internal stakeholder groups to support and inform policy development, strategies and projects.
8. Represents the City's communications, Community Relations and public engagement interests in interagency and/or partner efforts.
9. Plans, develops, coordinates and produces public information products including brochures, fact sheets, news releases, audio/visual and television programs, website and other informational, educational and promotional materials using current communications technologies.
10. Serves as a public information officer and disseminates prompt, accurate public information during emergency and disaster situations.
11. Actively participates in ensuring accessible and inclusive communication and public engagement strategies are utilized Citywide.
12. Assists with forming, convening and facilitating advisory boards, commissions and other stakeholder groups.
13. Plans and coordinates and/or supports the planning and coordination of events such as celebrations, public forums and Community activities.
14. Serves as backup to the other Assistant Director position, when needed.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

1. May be assigned special project work.
2. May prepare requests for proposals and scopes of work for solicitation of consultants and manage consultant contracts and intergovernmental agreements.
3. May oversee public opinion research efforts.
4. Performs related duties of a similar nature and level.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Generally works in an office environment with extensive time spent at a computer workstation. Work involves frequent interaction with City staff and the public. Duties are frequently performed under the stress of information deadlines, pressure from the public, and/or the press for information on sensitive issues. The conditions encountered will vary depending on the sensitivity and complexity of the information to be disseminated. Requires attendance and participation in evening and weekend meetings and events. May require occasional travel to professional seminars and meetings.
Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the position including:

• frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone and fax machine;
• ability to communicate accurate information and ideas to City employees and the public;
• move between work sites
• ability to transport objects weighing up to 25 lbs.

Experience and Training

• Bachelor's degree in communications or related field required. Master's degree preferred.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in communications, Community Relations, public engagement or related fields, with responsibility for advising senior management staff, is required. Significant government experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work with cross-functional teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously required.
• Demonstrated excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills required.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing Communications and outreach strategies to achieve defined objectives required.
• Demonstrated experience in working with print, broadcast and digital media is required.

A combination of experience and training that provides the candidate with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the responsibilities of this position will be considered.
Necessary Special Requirements

• Employment is contingent upon passing a criminal background check (See Fair Hiring Practices).
• Valid Washington State driver's license and good driving record. Candidates must submit a three-year driving abstract prior to hire.
• Requires evening and weekend work to attend meetings, respond to emergent issues, and meet time-sensitive deadlines.
• Certificate of completion from Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) /Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Independent Study Courses within 12 months of hire: IS-29.A Public Information Officer Awareness; E/L0105 Public Information Basics.

Selection Process
As part of the application process, a cover letter is required (No more than 2 pages). Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:

1. Please indicate why you are interested in the City of Bellingham's Assistant Communications and Community Relations Director position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career.
2. Provide a brief summary of your education, experience, and qualifications for this position.

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.
Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for the week of April 8, 2024. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around March 22, 2024.The top candidates from the initial interview will be invited to attend the final interview process in Bellingham tentatively scheduled for the week of April 22, 2024.
Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.
Equal Opportunity:Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.
Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our for additional information.
This position is unrepresented. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the
This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the for more information on PERS.
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As part of the application process, a cover letter is required (No more than 2 pages).
Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:
-Please indicate why you are interested in the City of Bellingham's Assistant Communications and Community Relations Director position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career.
-Provide a brief summary of your education, experience, and qualifications fo...