Address
Form of workSalary : $4,513.60 - $5,080.40 Monthly
Location : Grand Junction, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 202301394
Department: Parks and Recreation
Opening Date: 11/17/2023
Closing Date: 12/1/2023 5:00 PM Mountain
Description
Communications Specialist
Hiring Range: $26.04 - $29.31 hourly
New to the City of Grand Junction Team?
Receive 40 hours of Paid Time Off starting on your hire date!
About the Position:The City of Grand Junction is accepting applications for the Communications Specialist position in the Parks and Recreation Department. This position provides a number marketing, public relations and communications tasks to support the recreation programming and services, along with the parks operations services, of the City of Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department. The Department is under the larger City of Grand Junction umbrella, which is a home-rule municipality. Duties include fulfilling many complex communication as well as administrative tasks, many of which center around marketing, to support the delivery of recreation programs and services of the City including adult and youth sports, aquatics, leisure and recreational activities, youth camps, fifty-plus programs, fitness and wellness programs, outdoor and environmental programs, programs during out-of-school time, early childhood programs, special events and clinics. What We Offer:
We know that a healthy and happy workforce is a thriving workforce, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports quality work-life balance including 32 days of paid annual leave to be used for holiday, personal, and/or sick days, health insurance options, employer-matched retirement, a City employee health clinic, wellness program, and an Employee Assistance Program. Of equal importance, we offer an opportunity to serve the community you love and live in. Our employees find their work rewarding and fulfilling, knowing that their day job makes a positive impact. About the Parks and Recreation Department:
The Parks and Recreation Department is under the larger City of Grand Junction umbrella, which is a home-rule municipality. Our extensive system includes 45 parks, 25 playgrounds, 24 park shelters, 5 indoor recreation facilities including the Orchard Mesa Pool, Lincoln Park Hospitality Suite, the Bookcliff Activity Center, Lincoln Park Barn, and the Senior Recreation Center, and a multitude of outdoor facilities which include the Lincoln Park-Moyer Pool, 2 City Cemeteries, Amphitheater at Las Colonias and the Lincoln Park Stadium Sports Complex. Additional information about the Parks and Recreation Department can be found within our seasonal activity guide (gjpr.org/seasonalguide).
This recruitment is happening at a very exciting time, as the City of Grand Junction completed our Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan in January of 2021. This led to an election on April 6, 2021, where dedicated funding for parks and recreation was secured on taxation from sales of cannabis. The PROS Plan is the blueprint for the future of the parks and recreation system, and a dedicated source of funding for implementation is now in place. The number one item on the PROS Plan is a community recreation center (CRC). Through the summer and fall of 2022, a CRC feasibility study planning process was led by the council-appointed Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB). This robust community input process was conducted to develop recommendations about the new CRC to include the location, funding sources, and the size of the facility as well as the amenities. On April 4, 2023, the citizens of Grand Junction voted to approve the ballot question to build a new Community Recreation Center (CRC). Over the next few years, design and construction work will commence with an anticipated opening date of late 2025 or early 2026. The selected candidate will be a member of a team that is excited to continue to maximize the quality and quantity of services for the citizens and visitors of Grand Junction, to build the community and improve the quality of life on the Western Slope.
About Our Culture:At the City of Grand Junction, we lead the way with continuous improvement, collaborative partnerships, and exemplary service. Our core values are demonstrated by our willingness to challenge the status quo, our ability to work together using all areas of expertise to achieve a common goal, and our commitment to fulfilling the needs of our community through thoughtful interactions.
Duties
What You'll Do:
To view the job description, click
Qualifications
What We're Looking For:
Supplemental Information
Explore the Area:
Grand Junction, Colorado is the gateway to the mountains and canyonlands of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Centrally located between Denver, CO (250 miles east) and Salt Lake City, UT (270 miles west), Grand Junction is surrounded by 1.2 million acres of public land. Residents enjoy world-class whitewater rafting on the Colorado and Green Rivers, golfing, fishing, skiing and snowboarding, and exploring mountain bike and hiking trails through the Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa National Forest. Grand Junction has a robust downtown and hosts multiple art, music, food, and market events annually. With a population of over 150,000 in Mesa County (65,000 within the City limits) we have many of the big town amenities without the big town stresses such as traffic and trail congestion. With an average of 245 days of sunshine, Grand Junction is the perfect place to work and play.
Learn more about on Visit Grand Junction's and !
At the City of Grand Junction, we proudly operate as an Equal Opportunity Employer, purposely building an inclusive workforce representative of various cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We believe in respect for all and do not discriminate based on hair, race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law is not allowed.
If you have any questions or need assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources office at 970.244.1512.
Employees of the City of Grand Junction receive compensation in a number of ways for the work they do. In addition to their paychecks, these benefit programs represent a significant contribution toward their total compensation package.
Health Insurance: Employees may choose between two medical insurance plans offered through Cigna. Coverage can help pay doctor and hospital bills and can include employee, spouse and dependent children.
Dental Insurance: Coverage is offered through Delta Dental to help with dental and orthodontic needs.
Vision Insurance: Voluntary coverage is available through VSP to help with glasses, contacts or other vision needs.
Cigna MDLIVE Virtual Care: Members can access doctors and licensed counselors and psychiatrists for minor medical and behavior/mental health virtually.
City of Grand Junction Employee Childcare Facility:We know finding a quality childcare provider can be challenging, that's why the City of Grand Junction is proud to offer its employees affordable childcare through the City of Grand Junction Childcare Facility (GJCCF). GJCCF offers childcare for children ages 6 weeks (infants) to 6 years of age (preschool). With flexible scheduling and highly trained Early Childhood Education professionals, know that your little one will be in good hands while you support your community.
Pre-Tax Premiums: This advantage allows employees to pay medical, dental and vision premiums with pre-tax dollars.
Flexible Spending Accounts: Allows employees to pay for health and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Life and AD&D Insurance: City-paid policies provide security for you and your family. Additional voluntary plans are available to supplement City-paid plans for employees and their spouses and dependents.
Disability Coverage: Provides short-term and long-term income replacement when you cannot work.
Retirement Programs: Mandatory pre-tax employee contributions of 6% are matched by the City to provide income during retirement years. Various additional voluntary retirement plans, not employer-matched, are available as another way to save for retirement with or without pre-tax dollars.
Paid Time Off: Employees accrue general leave to be used for vacations, illness and paid holidays. There is no waiting period for new employees to use their PTO once it is accrued. The accrual rate starts at 32 days per year and increases at every additional 5 years of service up to 16.
Paid Holidays: The following holidays are observed by the majority of City Offices:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
President's Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day After Thanksgiving
Christmas Day
Employee Assistance Program: Confidential, short-term counseling and referral system for employees and their eligible family members. Among other topics, EAP offers legal, financial and work/life advice and counseling.
Parks & Recreation Benefits: Employees are eligible for Golf and Aquatics discounted passes. The Golf pass is $35 per year and allows employees (immediate family are not eligible) to play golf rounds at Tiara Rado and Lincoln Park for a reduced green fee. The Aquatics Pass is $25 per employee and/or immediate family members living in the same household and allow unlimited use of Lincoln- Park-Moyer Pool and Orchard Mesa Pool.
Grand Junction Federal Credit Union: Offers checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, etc.
Health Club: Discounted health club membership through our Active & Fit Program, for employees on our Cigna plan. In addition, Crossroads Fitness Center and Mesa Fitness offer discounted corporate club rates.
An Award-Winning Wellness Incentive Program: Provides an on-staff Wellness Coordinator to provide health and exercise coaching, an opportunity to earn savings on health insurance premiums, monthly education, challenges and more!
Employee Health Clinic: Provides access to adult and pediatric acute, chronic, preventative and sick care, health and behavior coaching, biometric screenings and much more! The employee health center is available to all employees insured on a City health plan.
01
Please describe your marketing and public relations experience.
02
Please describe your administrative experience.
03
Why are you interested in working for the parks and recreation department?
Required Question
Location : Grand Junction, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 202301394
Department: Parks and Recreation
Opening Date: 11/17/2023
Closing Date: 12/1/2023 5:00 PM Mountain
Description
Communications Specialist
Hiring Range: $26.04 - $29.31 hourly
New to the City of Grand Junction Team?
Receive 40 hours of Paid Time Off starting on your hire date!
About the Position:The City of Grand Junction is accepting applications for the Communications Specialist position in the Parks and Recreation Department. This position provides a number marketing, public relations and communications tasks to support the recreation programming and services, along with the parks operations services, of the City of Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department. The Department is under the larger City of Grand Junction umbrella, which is a home-rule municipality. Duties include fulfilling many complex communication as well as administrative tasks, many of which center around marketing, to support the delivery of recreation programs and services of the City including adult and youth sports, aquatics, leisure and recreational activities, youth camps, fifty-plus programs, fitness and wellness programs, outdoor and environmental programs, programs during out-of-school time, early childhood programs, special events and clinics. What We Offer:
We know that a healthy and happy workforce is a thriving workforce, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports quality work-life balance including 32 days of paid annual leave to be used for holiday, personal, and/or sick days, health insurance options, employer-matched retirement, a City employee health clinic, wellness program, and an Employee Assistance Program. Of equal importance, we offer an opportunity to serve the community you love and live in. Our employees find their work rewarding and fulfilling, knowing that their day job makes a positive impact. About the Parks and Recreation Department:
The Parks and Recreation Department is under the larger City of Grand Junction umbrella, which is a home-rule municipality. Our extensive system includes 45 parks, 25 playgrounds, 24 park shelters, 5 indoor recreation facilities including the Orchard Mesa Pool, Lincoln Park Hospitality Suite, the Bookcliff Activity Center, Lincoln Park Barn, and the Senior Recreation Center, and a multitude of outdoor facilities which include the Lincoln Park-Moyer Pool, 2 City Cemeteries, Amphitheater at Las Colonias and the Lincoln Park Stadium Sports Complex. Additional information about the Parks and Recreation Department can be found within our seasonal activity guide (gjpr.org/seasonalguide).
This recruitment is happening at a very exciting time, as the City of Grand Junction completed our Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan in January of 2021. This led to an election on April 6, 2021, where dedicated funding for parks and recreation was secured on taxation from sales of cannabis. The PROS Plan is the blueprint for the future of the parks and recreation system, and a dedicated source of funding for implementation is now in place. The number one item on the PROS Plan is a community recreation center (CRC). Through the summer and fall of 2022, a CRC feasibility study planning process was led by the council-appointed Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB). This robust community input process was conducted to develop recommendations about the new CRC to include the location, funding sources, and the size of the facility as well as the amenities. On April 4, 2023, the citizens of Grand Junction voted to approve the ballot question to build a new Community Recreation Center (CRC). Over the next few years, design and construction work will commence with an anticipated opening date of late 2025 or early 2026. The selected candidate will be a member of a team that is excited to continue to maximize the quality and quantity of services for the citizens and visitors of Grand Junction, to build the community and improve the quality of life on the Western Slope.
About Our Culture:At the City of Grand Junction, we lead the way with continuous improvement, collaborative partnerships, and exemplary service. Our core values are demonstrated by our willingness to challenge the status quo, our ability to work together using all areas of expertise to achieve a common goal, and our commitment to fulfilling the needs of our community through thoughtful interactions.
Duties
What You'll Do:
- Coordinate, establish and maintain two-way communication between assigned department, staff and its various external and internal customers.
- Provide strategic leadership in media relations and crisis communications in addition to communications advice and counsel to department leadership and personnel.
- Manage the department's websites and portals to ensure users receive consistent, current, accurate, and engaging content; collaborate with department staff to create and maintain web content on the department's public and employee websites.
- Conduct quality assurance checks and content audits to verify accuracy, standardization, functionality and compliance with ADA accessibility.
- Prepare written material to include blog and social media posts, press releases, newsletters, presentations, and public service announcements.
- Take photographs of various events and occasions; oversee writing, design and printing functions.
To view the job description, click
Qualifications
What We're Looking For:
- Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in communications, public relations, and marketing experience or other related field.
- Bachelor's degree in communications, business or public administration, journalism, or related field from an accredited college or university.
- Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado driver's license.
Supplemental Information
Explore the Area:
Grand Junction, Colorado is the gateway to the mountains and canyonlands of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Centrally located between Denver, CO (250 miles east) and Salt Lake City, UT (270 miles west), Grand Junction is surrounded by 1.2 million acres of public land. Residents enjoy world-class whitewater rafting on the Colorado and Green Rivers, golfing, fishing, skiing and snowboarding, and exploring mountain bike and hiking trails through the Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa National Forest. Grand Junction has a robust downtown and hosts multiple art, music, food, and market events annually. With a population of over 150,000 in Mesa County (65,000 within the City limits) we have many of the big town amenities without the big town stresses such as traffic and trail congestion. With an average of 245 days of sunshine, Grand Junction is the perfect place to work and play.
Learn more about on Visit Grand Junction's and !
At the City of Grand Junction, we proudly operate as an Equal Opportunity Employer, purposely building an inclusive workforce representative of various cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We believe in respect for all and do not discriminate based on hair, race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law is not allowed.
If you have any questions or need assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources office at 970.244.1512.
Employees of the City of Grand Junction receive compensation in a number of ways for the work they do. In addition to their paychecks, these benefit programs represent a significant contribution toward their total compensation package.
Health Insurance: Employees may choose between two medical insurance plans offered through Cigna. Coverage can help pay doctor and hospital bills and can include employee, spouse and dependent children.
Dental Insurance: Coverage is offered through Delta Dental to help with dental and orthodontic needs.
Vision Insurance: Voluntary coverage is available through VSP to help with glasses, contacts or other vision needs.
Cigna MDLIVE Virtual Care: Members can access doctors and licensed counselors and psychiatrists for minor medical and behavior/mental health virtually.
City of Grand Junction Employee Childcare Facility:We know finding a quality childcare provider can be challenging, that's why the City of Grand Junction is proud to offer its employees affordable childcare through the City of Grand Junction Childcare Facility (GJCCF). GJCCF offers childcare for children ages 6 weeks (infants) to 6 years of age (preschool). With flexible scheduling and highly trained Early Childhood Education professionals, know that your little one will be in good hands while you support your community.
Pre-Tax Premiums: This advantage allows employees to pay medical, dental and vision premiums with pre-tax dollars.
Flexible Spending Accounts: Allows employees to pay for health and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Life and AD&D Insurance: City-paid policies provide security for you and your family. Additional voluntary plans are available to supplement City-paid plans for employees and their spouses and dependents.
Disability Coverage: Provides short-term and long-term income replacement when you cannot work.
Retirement Programs: Mandatory pre-tax employee contributions of 6% are matched by the City to provide income during retirement years. Various additional voluntary retirement plans, not employer-matched, are available as another way to save for retirement with or without pre-tax dollars.
Paid Time Off: Employees accrue general leave to be used for vacations, illness and paid holidays. There is no waiting period for new employees to use their PTO once it is accrued. The accrual rate starts at 32 days per year and increases at every additional 5 years of service up to 16.
Paid Holidays: The following holidays are observed by the majority of City Offices:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
President's Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day After Thanksgiving
Christmas Day
Employee Assistance Program: Confidential, short-term counseling and referral system for employees and their eligible family members. Among other topics, EAP offers legal, financial and work/life advice and counseling.
Parks & Recreation Benefits: Employees are eligible for Golf and Aquatics discounted passes. The Golf pass is $35 per year and allows employees (immediate family are not eligible) to play golf rounds at Tiara Rado and Lincoln Park for a reduced green fee. The Aquatics Pass is $25 per employee and/or immediate family members living in the same household and allow unlimited use of Lincoln- Park-Moyer Pool and Orchard Mesa Pool.
Grand Junction Federal Credit Union: Offers checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, etc.
Health Club: Discounted health club membership through our Active & Fit Program, for employees on our Cigna plan. In addition, Crossroads Fitness Center and Mesa Fitness offer discounted corporate club rates.
An Award-Winning Wellness Incentive Program: Provides an on-staff Wellness Coordinator to provide health and exercise coaching, an opportunity to earn savings on health insurance premiums, monthly education, challenges and more!
Employee Health Clinic: Provides access to adult and pediatric acute, chronic, preventative and sick care, health and behavior coaching, biometric screenings and much more! The employee health center is available to all employees insured on a City health plan.
01
Please describe your marketing and public relations experience.
02
Please describe your administrative experience.
03
Why are you interested in working for the parks and recreation department?
Required Question
