Public Information Officer - Parks And Recreation

ABOUT THIS POSITION

As a Public Information Officer for the City of Phoenix, you'll work in a vibrant, growing city that is now the 5th largest in the county alongside a dynamic team of talented communications professionals. The Parks and Recreation Department provides residents and visitors more than 41,000 acres of desert parks and mountain preserve land with more than 200 miles of trails; 186 parks; 33 community and recreation centers; eight golf courses; 29 pools where thousands cool off and learn to swim each summer; and classes, programs and sports leagues where kids and adults learn, stay active and have fun!

This engaging role is responsible for the communications needs of the Parks and Recreation Department and assists other departments as assigned. This position focuses heavily on public relations for high-profile media inquiries and the creation of video content and marketing collateral that advances Phoenix Parks and Recreation mission.

Responsibilities include media relations, researching, writing, and editing public relations and marketing materials, creating marketing campaigns, social media, and web content creation and management, video production, internal and external collateral creation and more, with high importance placed on reaching Spanish-speaking residents. This position is part of the City of Phoenix Communications Office reporting directly Deputy Communications Director and oversees a Public Information Specialist.

This job is eligible for hybrid teleworking options and generally works traditional business hours, with occasional evenings and weekends based on City needs. Bilingual candidates with fluency in either written and/or conversational Spanish are encouraged to apply.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Possesses the ability to take complex government and procedural processes and put them into a written or visual form easily understood by residents, business owners, visitors, or others.

• Strong writing skills and the ability to write in a various styles - composing reports, articles, presentations, talking points, speeches, press releases, media responses, social media posts, etc.

• A storyteller who can identify engaging people-focused community stories to promote City services and share important safety messages with the community.

• A self-starter who excels at producing content including shooting, editing, writing, designing, etc. from conception to execution.

• Understands digital engagement data and analytics and will use strategic judgement to deploy content.

• Ability to shoot, edit and produce video content with a variety of equipment, interviewing subjects on a wide variety of topics, and strong storytelling skills in both written and verbal scripting.

SALARY

Pay Range: $78,540.80 - $110,510.40 annually.

Hiring Range: $78,540.80 - $105,248.00 annually.

Pay Range Explanation:

• Pay range is the entire compensation range for the position classification.

• Hiring range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.

BENEFITS

A comprehensive benefits package is offered which includes:

• Traditional pension with employer and employee contributions, click here for more details: Pension Information.

• 401(a) and 457 plans with employer contributions.

• Choice of generous medical HMO, PPO, or HSA/HDHP plans.

• Medical enrollment includes a monthly $150 City contribution to a Post-Employment Health Plan.

• Wellness incentive of up to $720 annually.

• Dental, vision, and life insurance options.

• Employer paid long-term disability.

• Free Bus/light rail pass.

• Tuition reimbursement program up to $6,500 per year.

• Paid time off includes 13.5 paid holidays, 12 vacation days, and 15 sick days and personal leave days.

• Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees up to 480 hours (12 weeks) of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child during a 12-month period.

• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness offered through Savi.

For more details, visit: Unit 007 Benefits

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Four years of responsible experience in journalism, mass media communications, or public relations.

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, mass media communications, public relations, advertising, marketing or a related field.

• Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.

• The City job description can be found here.

• All finalists for positions are subject to a criminal background check applicable to the department or position.

• This position requires the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.

• For information regarding pre-screening and driving positions, click here.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum qualifications listed above, plus:

• Experience with high-profile or crisis communications/media relations.

• Experience with creating digital media content for web, social, etc.

• Experience with Canva or similar software is preferred as well as basic graphic design capabilities.

• Bilingual (Spanish) professional communication proficiency.

• Experience being a supervisor.

• Experience working in or with traditional media.

• Experience capturing, interpreting, sharing, and using web or social analytics to make decisions.

RECRUITMENT DATES

Recruitment closes July 12, 2024. All materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on this date.

This is a position-based recruitment and will not result in any ongoing eligibility list. This recruitment and any selection processes resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill other related vacancies within the organization now or in the near future.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online by completing the required information and attaching, as one document, your cover letter and resume. Please include your experience as it relates to the qualifications stated above. Only the highest qualified may be posted to the eligible to hire list. The results of the resume screening process will be sent to your primary email address.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

• Job interviews may be held by video or audio conference.

• If you are in need of computer resources, click here for free options.

• Arizona at Work has frequent classes to help with resume writing, interviewing skills, and general career guidance. Click here for more information.

• Explore other Employment Opportunities with the City of Phoenix.

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• If you need assistance applying for this job, please contact our HR Connection Center at (602) 495-5700.

REFERENCE

Public Information Officer, JC:06370, ID# 54799, 06/28/24, USM, MR, Benefits:007

Building the Phoenix of tomorrow.

#DoWorkThatMakesPhoenixWork

City of Phoenix is an equal opportunity employer. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni who meet the required qualifications are encouraged to apply.