Description

What this job is about
As the Media Relations Consultant you will assist the Assistant Director of Community Relations and Communications in leading the division on outreach, strategic messaging, branding, and high-profile issues impacting the Office of Independent Investigations (OII), the community, law enforcement and legal professionals, and stakeholders.

Working with the Assistant Director you will coordinate public and community involvement, graphic design, branding and marketing efforts, social media, bilingual language communications, and other internal and external communication activities. Also, you may represent the agency to the Governor’s press and policy offices, Legislative public information staff and in multi-agency communication efforts. This position is integral for the strategy, design, and content of the agency’s external facing web site in coordination with Information Technology staff within OII and OFM who maintain both the internal and external web sites.

What is OII?
In 2021, the Washington State Legislature created the Office of Independent Investigations (OII), captured in RCW 43.102. This is in response to the demand for change from the community over citizen deaths resulting from encounters with law enforcement. The law requires these use of deadly force investigations to be truly independent of the involved law enforcement agency.

OII will define a new approach to investigating use of deadly force incidents by removing conflicts of interest and improving accountability, transparency and the public’s confidence. Doing so will strengthen the relationship between police and the community while building public trust and promoting effective policing.

While the agency is not yet conducting investigations, extensive work is currently being done on developing communication-related policies and protocols, engaging with community groups and law enforcement agencies, and establishing external communication tools, such as an agency website and public affairs materials.

Duties

What you’ll do

• 
  Monitor media coverage of OII activities and prepare briefing materials and public/media statements for the OII director or communications director in response to public or media reactions to issues.
• Respond to media inquiries, and serve as the OII spokesperson, granting interviews when needed.
• Manage the day-to-day media requests during or after critical incidents, and provide summaries of media reports to the Investigations unit.
• Organize and coordinate press conferences as necessary, both in-person and remotely.
• Draft and implement communication plans related to the release of investigative findings or when any other case decision is made that is likely to be of public interest.
• Write news releases, blog articles, and other materials for public outreach.
• Backup to the Assistant Director at briefings and other events and shares responsibility for media response during the day, after hours and on weekends.
• Primary spokesperson for Spanish-language media, as well as the main spokesperson at events occurring in locations that the Assistant Director is unable to reach in a timely manner.
• Identify and execute outreach opportunities to communicate with non-English speaking or Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities.
• Identify media outlets for non-English speaking communities.
• Translate all agency news releases and announcements.
• Serve as the communication consultant for messaging to LEP communities.
• Identify key agency documents that require translation into any language and arranges for their translation and dissemination.
• Facilitate planning and outreach statewide for the Office of Independent Investigations.
• Organize, promote, and conduct public and stakeholder meetings.
• Prepare presentation materials, including slides, talking points, and graphics.
• Manage the development, coordination and oversight of statewide communications to ensure materials are consistent with agency identity and strategic mission, vision and goals.
• Manage content of the external website, and the social media accounts. Develops and implements social media and engagement plans as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree with major study in journalism, communications, public relations, or closely allied field. *
• Three years of communications experience in public affairs, news media, community outreach or related field.
• Ability to read, write, translate and converse with fluency in both Spanish and English.
• Excellent English/Spanish writing and editing skills.

• Additional years of experience may substitute year-for-year for the education.

Desired

• Demonstrated ability working with writing and editing fundamentals, and conventions of a wide range of document styles and formats (backgrounders, annual reports, service plans, newsletters, briefing notes, position papers, websites and complex legal decisions).
• Demonstrated knowledge of general communications principles, concepts, and methodologies, including media relations, media production and issues management.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative and self-motivation; ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing conditions and priorities.

Supplemental Information

Conditions of Employment

• Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated effective November 4, 2022. Providing proof of being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment and your vaccine status will be verified prior to starting work. Being fully vaccinated means two weeks after you have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use, licensed or otherwise authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. Please reach out to the HR Office if you need information on medical or religious accommodation.

Application Process

How to Apply
Interested? We would love to hear from you. Click “Apply” at the top of this page to start your application (you can save the application and come back to it, if needed). Please include the following:

• A letter of interest that describes your specific qualifications, and elaborate on any experience and knowledge noted in the required qualifications section of this announcement.
• A current resume that details your applicable experience and education.
• A list of at least three professional references with current telephone numbers.

We will directly contact the top candidates to interview for this position. Because we base our selection on the information you provide, it is in your best interest to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities that address the required and desirable qualifications we described above.

Questions?
For questions about this recruitment or to request reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email William Penzo at TalentAcquisition@ofm.wa.gov. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

The Office of the Governor is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply. If you need accommodations or help in the application process, or who wish to receive this job announcement in an alternative format, you may call 360-725-0158 or dial 711 to reach the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf system.