<p>The Law Enforcement Public Information Officer primary responsibilities include the following:</p> <ul> <li>Create and implement a proactive and robust media relations strategy that produces a positive public awareness for the Washington County Sheriff's Office </li><li>Serve as the public relations contact for the Sheriff's Office </li><li>Working with the sheriff to determine appropriate spokesperson from the department to effectively convey information based on the nature of the issue to foster transparency and public trust </li><li>Ensure consistent and effective messaging across multiple modes of communication (i.e., TV, radio, email, flyers, social media, etc.). </li><li>Develop and implement creative and impactful public relations strategies to engage and inform the community about the Sheriff's Office's initiatives, programs, and events </li><li>Lead in the creation and implementation of public relations and communications programs that promote strategic objectives set forth by the Sheriff's Office </li><li>Monitor social media platforms and engage with the public, addressing questions, concerns, and providing accurate information </li><li>Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in public relations and community engagement </li></ul> <p>DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE:</p> <ul> <li>Experience in mass media, communications, public relations, or journalism </li><li>Prior experience working in a criminal justice-based setting (e.g. law office, police officer, paralegal, para-profession) </li><li>Previous experience in handling government social media accounts and public relations messaging </li><li>Proficiency in graphic art design and mass media material production </li></ul> <p>  </p> <p>SELECTION TECHNIQUE: Your training and experience will be rated based on the required application material submitted and the top-scoring candidates will be forwarded to the hiring department for further consideration.</p> <p>HOURS / DAYS: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday.  Work schedules (hours and days) and location are subject to change based on department needs.</p> <p>ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $93,017.60 - $110,011.2 annually </p> <p>E-Verify Participation: Washington County participates in the federal E-Verify program. This means that Washington County will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Washington County is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact DHS and/or the SSA before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants and may not limit or influence the choice of documents you present for use on the Form I-9.</p> <p>E- Verify Participation Poster</p> <p>Right to work Poster</p> <p>The Law Enforcement Public Information Officer strategically plans the creation and dissemination of information about the County Sheriff's Office, advises the County Sheriff and their staff on public relations efforts and serves as the primary contact person for County Sheriff related media inquiries.</p> <p>MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires a Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, marketing, mass communications, political science, public administration or a related field of study plus five years of experience in public relations or communications.</p> <p>CORE COMPETENCIES, JOB SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE</p> <p>Core Competencies outline essential business and professional traits necessary to perform this job.</p> <ul> <li>Support and prioritize a welcoming and respectful workplace that fosters diversity and encourages contributions from all individuals. </li><li>Provide inclusive and equitable service to all members of the community with dignity and respect. </li><li>Demonstrate support for the County's diversity, equity and inclusion program. </li><li>Promotes a culture of continuous quality improvement in the workplace. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of, or ability to learn, quality/continuous improvement. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of communications strategies and techniques. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of publication production. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of AP writing style. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of effective use of digital communications and social media. </li><li>Demonstrates knowledge of business and political implications of decisions. </li><li>Demonstrates ability to coach others to be effective with media relations. </li><li>Demonstrates ability to work well in group problem solving situations and gains cooperation through respect and competency. </li><li>Demonstrates ability to produce and judge photographic content. </li><li>Demonstrates ability to present ideas and information in a manner that gets attention without sending unintended messages, uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. </li></ul> <p>This job description is intended to describe the kinds of tasks and level of work difficulty being performed by people assigned to this classification. The list of responsibilities is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The County retains the discretion to add or change the contents of this job description at any time.</p> <ul> <li>Lead Public Information efforts for the County Sheriff and their staff. </li><li>Develop overall Public Information strategy and plan for the Sheriffs Office. </li><li>Manage multiple projects at once and consistently meet deadlines. </li><li>Provide strategic messaging support. </li><li>Provide accurate information to the public as needed. </li><li>Write and oversee design of County Sheriff internal and external newsletters. </li><li>Develop communication plans before and during large events, trials, crises or emergencies. </li><li>Write press releases. </li><li>Serve as the first point of contact for the media. </li><li>Works directly with reporters on a variety of projects. </li><li>Identify story elements and photographs for release to the media. </li><li>Review printed materials for the County Sheriff to ensure accuracy and consistency. </li><li>Assist in the development of presentations for the County Sheriff. </li><li>Oversee the web and social media postings for the County Sheriff. </li><li>Provide presentation information and coaching to the County Sheriff. </li><li>Prepare County Sheriff for interviews. </li><li>Coordinate the Community Engagement efforts for the County Sheriff. </li><li>Develop strategies, lead projects or develop initiatives to increase the public awareness of services, activities, resources and accomplishments. </li><li> Update County Sheriff websites. </li><li>Recommend and coordinate paid and unpaid media to publicize events. </li><li>Assist in planning news conferences or events including the message to convey, the time and location for the event, staff support, materials needed, and audio-visual support. </li><li>Photograph events as needed. </li></ul> <p>Performs other duties as assigned.</p> <p>Essential functions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.</p> <p>WORK ENVIRONMENT  </p> <p>Work performed is sedentary in nature and typically performed within the Government Center or satellite office. Lifting requirement of up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis. Equipment used may include, but is not limited to, computer, typewriter, calculator, telephone, camera, and copy and fax machine. Work interruptions are frequent.  There is some pressure associated with dealing with individuals who may be emotionally charged and with project or activity deadlines and details. Driving or riding to work at a service center, attend meetings, participate in or lead training sessions, etc. may be required. May involve exposure to environmental conditions.</p>