Communications Specialist IV

If you are interested in helping the public and employees have their say and make a difference in the services we offer, we have opportunities for you!


King County Metro Transit’s General Manager division has an exciting opportunity for multiple Communications Specialist IV positions! The GM group seeks strong communicators who can translate complex facts and figures into understandable messages. The Senior Community Engagement Planner will design and facilitate processes that engage people in shaping decisions and transforming policies and practices, allowing Metro to continue to build a system and deliver transportation services that matter to our customers and the region. These actions are key to delivering more equitable outcomes.

This recruitment will be used to fill two (2) Communications Specialist IV. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future career service vacancies that may occur in this classification within this workgroup. The eligibility pool will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.
 
 
As the Communications Specialist IV, you will:
 

• Build, strengthen, and manage collaborative and constructive relationships with our customers, stakeholders, and the diverse communities we serve to achieve important customer, community, and agency outcomes.
• Design and facilitate inclusive outreach and involvement efforts that increase public participation, influence decision-making, and transform our policies and practices.
• Ensure the diverse voices of King County's marginalized populations are equitably heard and considered in capital, service, and program planning.
• Facilitate members of the public and employees, historically underrepresented people and organizations, and stakeholders in one-on-one conversations, small and large group settings, and through various participatory methods to provide meaningful feedback to decision-makers and make collaborative decisions.
• Use conflict management skills to manage diversity and understand others; deal effectively with all races, nationalities, cultures, disabilities, ages, and sexes; and understand why groups do what they do.
• Use intellectual ability and political savvy to help develop communication and engagement approaches to maneuver through complex political situations, deal comfortably with senior managers and the public 
• Use listening, facilitation, planning, and organizing skills to both receive and deliver the creative ideas of others to the forefront; relate well to all kinds of people and get messages across in a variety of communication settings and styles.
• Use strategic agility to anticipate future consequences and trends accurately and articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods.
• Transform complex information into simple, understandable words, digital and print media to help people understand issues being considered, how their input will make a difference, provide informed feedback, and reflect how their participation influenced outcomes.
• Lead teams of communication and technical professionals to design and implement engagement plans that involve the community in decision-making.
• Provide day-to-day guidance and mentorship of Community Engagement Planners II and III.

We are looking for candidates who have the following: 
 
Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience in public engagement and community relations, Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience that provides the skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform the key roles and responsibilities of the position.

Must also be skilled people leaders who are/have: 

• Demonstrated experience building effective cross-functional teams in diverse work environments while creating strong morale, instilling vision and purpose, and fostering dialog.
• Skilled in dealing with paradox and are very flexible and adaptable when facing tough calls.
• Knowledge of know how to build relationships and treat all employees and customers equitably, with respect and dignity, as well as solve problems for the good of all.
• Demonstrated experience with leading others on community engagement projects. 

The following skills are desirable (not required):

• Fluency in one of King County's top languages – referred to as Tier 1 or Tier 2 languages in the County's Executive Order on Translation (Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Ukrainian, Amharic, Punjabi).
• Knowledge of local community issues and/or relationships with community-based organizations, community leaders, and government agencies in the Puget Sound Region.
• Knowledge of transportation issues and projects and experience involving the public in shaping transportation and capital planning.

Application & Selection Process

• A completed Job Application (employment history should go back at least 10 years if you have 10 years of employment (or more to include all relevant experience). Resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed job application.
• Cover Letter detailing your background and describing how you meet or exceed the requirements (No more than 2pages).
• Answer the supplemental questions

All the application materials will be screened for qualifications, competitiveness, completeness, attention to detail and written communications kills. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews. Final offers are contingent on successful completion of reference checks.

Work Schedule
This position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay. The workweek is normally Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, with additional hours as necessary, including evenings and weekends.

Union Representation/Job Code/Grade
PROTEC17/Jobcode252405/Grade64

Work Location
This position will be located in the King Street Center Building - 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104

Teleworking Requirement
The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly in a hybrid work environment working in the office and at home. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Who May Apply
This position is open to King County employees only.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact: Manal Tirhi, mtirhi@kingcounty.gov

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team
dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work, and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way, and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ , people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer.
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Salary : $113,922 - $137,717