Public Affairs Specialist - Public Relations

Public Affairs Specialist – Public Relations  

As a Public Affairs Specialist on the Public Relations team at Colorado Springs Utilities, your sights will be set on protecting and enhancing the organization’s brand through excellent visual and written communications, customer engagement, and support of operational objectives while maximizing the organization’s social media presence. You will focus on the messages most important to our customers and employees that support our business objectives in a way that builds an emotional connection, supports positive behavior related to the use of utility services, and commitment to building a utility of the future in a world-class city.    

In this role, you will lead the organization’s social media program. You must have a passion for engaging online and the know-how to creatively reach a wide audience through a variety of channels. Experience in creating impactful social media content and memorable campaigns is a must. We are looking for a person with the ability to tell stories and find ways to make utility messages exciting and relatable, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.  
 
Basic job functions:  

• Manage Colorado Springs Utilities' primary social media accounts and maintain a specific persona for each account and platform 
• Design and implement an overall social media strategy to align with the organization’s goals and communicate effectively to all customers and stakeholders 
• Generate, edit, publish, and share engaging content daily across multiple platforms that build brand awareness and trust 
• Manage interactions with customers through social media and communicate with followers by monitoring comments and responding to queries with accurate information in a timely and courteous manner 
• Analyze communications needs and develop strategic social media campaigns for programs and products 
• Promote the organization and its programs using videos, photos, infographics, memes, or text posts on social media platforms 
• Maintain organization’s social media policy, accessibility guidelines, and best practices and conduct training for social media contributors 
• Recommend and track social media engagement metrics and transform key data into actionable insights for all content stakeholders; proactively identify and make recommendations to improve content performance and social-channel engagements 
• Manage the organization’s social media management platform and train team members on its use 
• Stay up to date with current technologies and trends in social media, design tools, and applications 
• Lead social media response in crisis communications and participate in a 24/7 on-call emergency response team on a rotating basis 
• Collaborate with others both internally and externally, from immediate team members to other internal business units, to external vendors and stakeholders  

Who You Are: The ideal candidate will offer the experience of professional content curation and social media experience, a proven track record of growing and retaining a social audience, and sound knowledge of key tools, including Facebook Business, Facebook Ads Manager, and Sprout Social. An obsession with creating impactful social media and video content is a must!  
 
The military job codes/duty codes most closely related to this role are: 46A, 46Q, 46R, 46Z    35P1, 35P2, 35PX, 3N031, 3N051, 3N071, 3N0X1    1650, 1653, 1655, 1657    4301, 4302, 9674 
 
We are looking for a team player with a great attitude, strong work ethic, and excellent communication skills. A bachelor’s degree in public relations, mass communications, marketing, journalism, or a related discipline is preferred.    
 
We are particularly interested in your experience in the following areas, so be sure to highlight them on your resume and application:  

• Knowledge of best practices for social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, NextDoor, etc. 
• Proficiency in graphic design software, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Canva, and other visual design tools 
• Ability to take initiative, collaborate, and effectively balance stakeholder relationships 
• You are a strong writer; you know how to craft engaging social content and write for web platforms 
• Excellent communication and visual design skills 
• Creativity, openness to new ideas, and adaptability  

Who We Are...

• One of the largest four-service public utilities in the nation (over 500,000 customers)
• A national leader in reliability (power on an average of 99.991% of the time)
• Diamond Designation recipient from the American Public Power Association – a utility sector leader in reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvements
• Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains in the most desired city to live in the United States (U.S. News & World Report, 2022)

Our Commitment to Our Employees…  
Our people are the heart and soul of Colorado Springs Utilities. They keep the lights on, gas flowing, water coming in, and wastewater leaving. We do not just say people are important – we prove it! That’s why we are honored to invest in protecting the health and financial security of our employees and their families through our rich benefits program.

• Time Off – Because everybody needs time off to recharge
  • Vacation – New employees accrue 13 days of paid time off to start, while our more tenured employees accrue 24 days per year
  • Personal Leave –3 days per year of personal leave
  • Paid Holidays –12 paid holidays per year
  • Sick Leave – Accrue 12 days of sick leave annually for those days when you or a family member is feeling under the weather
  • Vacation Buy – Purchase up to 40 hours of additional vacation time
• Pension Plan – Looking forward to a comfortable lifestyle once you’re done working? The Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) provides you with retirement benefits and peace of mind when you retire 
• Medical – Select from three comprehensive medical plans, starting at $10.00 a month.  Employees also enjoy access to a Health Savings Account (HSA) and a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Wellness Program – Voluntary wellness program that allows you and your spouse to each earn up to $500 to use towards healthcare expenses, $100 in Visa gift cards, and up to $400 in gym membership reimbursements
• Dental – Select from two dental plans, with in-network PPO preventive care covered at 100% and access to orthodontia coverage
• Vision – A Voluntary plan that covers full vision care services and discounts on LASIK eye surgery
• Retirement Saving Programs – Supplement your pension plan with voluntary retirement programs such as the PERAPlus 401(k) and MissionSquare’s Roth IRA and 457 plans
• Disability Coverage – Short-Term (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurance available for purchase
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Makes the going a little easier by aiding with mental health, stress management, work-life balance, financial and legal matters, and much more
• Long-Term Care Insurance (LTC) – Whether it's due to an accident or a serious illness, LTC insurance is available for purchase to help you and your loved ones
• Life Insurance – Company-paid life insurance and supplemental coverage available
• Tuition Reimbursement – Employees are eligible to receive up to $5,250 annually for Tuition Reimbursement
• Qualifying Public Service Employer – Payments made towards student loans may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program