Communications Specialist I

Important Notice: Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Arlington County's Department of Environmental Services (DES) is seeking a Communications Specialist to provide strategic communications support to our stormwater program, including our ‘Flood Resilient’ initiative to help improve flood resiliency by investing in infrastructure, stormwater management, flood mitigation, and more. The employee will be a member of the DES Communications and Public Engagement Team and will work closely with the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management.

The mission of DES is to make Arlington County a vibrant, accessible and sustainable community through strategic transportation, environmental and capital investment projects, while providing excellent customer service, operations and maintenance in a safe and healthy environment for all. The DES Communications and Public Engagement section of the Director’s Office manages all external communications with the public and media. Responsibilities include strategic communications, media relations, social media, websites, crisis communications, civic engagement, marketing and events management support.

To learn about our stormwater program, click here .

Specific duties include:

• Assisting with communications and supporting engagement efforts for the Stormwater Utility Fee study;
• Designing, implementing and managing internal and external communications and outreach materials;
• Writing and/or editing press releases, news and special feature articles, fact sheets, talking points and more;
• Marketing program services and projects to the public, media and other stakeholders through the development of listservs, websites, videos and more;
• Managing DES project and interdepartmental websites, including primary responsibility for generating content, developing and updating webpages;
• Coordinating with the County Manager’s Office and DES communications teams regarding programs, projects and communications strategies and tactics; and
• Planning and implementing stormwater-related outreach activities such as community meetings, forums and events.

Minimum:

Education: Bachelor's degree in communications, public policy, public administration, education, journalism, public relations, or a related field; plus
Experience: Some experience in communications, journalism, public relations, or public information.
Substitution: Additional qualifying experience can be substituted for the educational requirement. A Master's degree may be substituted for some of the experience requirement.

Desirables: Preference may be given to candidates that possess experience in the following:

• Environmental/Stormwater background
• Event planning and community outreach

Special Requirements

Employee must travel occasionally to visit other departmental sites in Arlington. The selected candidate must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid driver license, and must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of official driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon favorable review of the applicants driving record.

A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.

Additional Information

Work Hours: Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week with flexible scheduling. Occasional evening and weekend meetings expected. Some telework may be approved, contingent upon supervisor approval and department workload.

Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the selection process. Please do not enter "see resume" as a response to the questions. Each section of the application must be completed. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for the completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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