Social Media/Digital Engagement Lead

Position Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Over 900,000 people in the Seattle area rely on Seattle City Light every day to keep their homes comfortable, businesses operating, and communities vibrant. It is our responsibility and privilege to provide our customers with power that is reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible. As a public utility, our goals are defined by our customers and the communities we serve. We strive to deliver reliable energy to customers while also working to advance equity, achieve excellence, operate sustainably, and take care of our employees.

City Light’s Communications Division plays a key role in furthering the utility’s mission, vision, and values. It provides corporate communications on behalf of the utility, including all internal and external communications, media relations, community outreach, and marketing for City Light.

Seattle City Light is seeking a Social Media/Digital Engagement Lead (Senior Public Relations Specialist) to develop the communications strategy for City Light's social media platforms. The person in this role will find meaningful and creative ways to communicate with the public so that anyone seeking information or following City Light will quickly be able to find what they need. In this role, you will research, learn, build trust, and respond to the needs of City Light and the public. You will be the in-house social media lead who will create and share engaging on-brand content; capture our audience’s attention through social sharing; and highlight the scope and scale of City Light’s work. You will collaborate with subject matter experts across the utility to build content that balances the goals of City Light and the information needs of the public.

This position will report to the External Communications Manager.

Job Responsibilities

Here is more about what you’ll be doing:

• Develop the communications strategy for City Light's social media platforms (X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, NextDoor, YouTube).
• Lead City Light’s social media team, update the utility’s social media plan and policy, and coordinate the social media editorial calendar.
• Manage the front- and back-end functions of Seattle City Light’s social media accounts.
• Create attention-grabbing content that delivers useful, easy-to-skim, visually engaging, and concise information that everyone can understand.
• Write, edit, schedule, and publish posts and recommend editorial opportunities.
• Develop short-form videos and video reels for multiple channels.
• Work with subject matter experts from the communications team and across the utility to gather information and generate ideas for content and storytelling.
• Monitor social media platforms and respond promptly to customer inquiries and concerns while exercising tact and diplomacy.
• Develop creative visuals to show the audience instead of telling them through photographs, images, graphics, and video reel production.
• Work with City Light’s graphic designer to develop graphics as needed.
• Participate in the City of Seattle’s digital outreach group.
• Amplify City of Seattle, regional, and industry messages as needed.
• Recommend new techniques and ideas for content with an emphasis on increasing brand identity, design consistency, readability, usability, accessibility, and search optimization.
• Include translated content to communicate with and build relationships with diverse community members.
• Support community outreach events and public meetings as needed.
• Participate in the on-call outage duty rotation, which may require independent interaction with the media, managing social media, and responding to requests for information.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in English, Journalism, Communications, Marketing, or related fields (or a combination of equivalent education and/or experience).

Experience: Requires two years professional experience in public relations, marketing, journalism, or related field involving the preparation and distribution of public information materials.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

Most work is performed in a normal City work/office environment. License, Certification and Other Requirements Current Washington State driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility.

Desired Qualifications - You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:

• 3-5 years of experience performing the required job duties with demonstrated experience writing for a variety of audiences and for multiple channels.
• Previous experience using a social media management platform (such as Hootsuite).
• Previous experience developing short-form videos and reels using a video editing tool (such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Premiere Rush).
• Previous experience editing photos using photo-editing software.
• Experience using industry best practices and sharing knowledge through the creation of guides, tutorials, etc.
• Proven ability to effectively manage and implement communications campaigns.
• Proven track record of success in building strong relationships with employees at all levels across an organization (leadership and workforce).
• High degree of personal initiative and excellent interpersonal, listening, written, and verbal communication skills with a dedication to honesty, accuracy, and transparency.
• Ability to efficiently organize, prioritize, and manage multiple projects in an evolving, deadline driven environment while balancing the needs of various projects and stakeholders.
• Ability to research and compile information for the purpose of recommending solutions.
• Ability to work independently, as well as on a team, while using discretion in decision-making and sound judgment in problem-solving.
• Think outside the box to be innovative with digital communication trends.
• Make recommendations for improvements and enhancements.
• Promote diversity and social justice by ensuring that communications are conducted through an equity lens.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Additional Information

The full salary range for this position is $45.74 to $53.27 per hour.

Application Process

Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

*Incomplete applications will not be considered*

Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA , people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3 (Download PDF reader). A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans.

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.