Communications Specialist - Human Resources Employee Engagement

Summary

The Office of the Director’s, People Operations, Human Resources team within Public Health is seeking a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT)/Special Duty Assignment (SDA) Communications Specialist III to manage employee communications and support employee engagement and human resources campaigns. The role includes working closely with HR, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (EIB), Department and Division leadership teams, as well as directly with our department-wide Employee Intranet Collaborative.

Our communications specialist will engage our workforce with stories and resources that support their well-being, growth and development and overall engagement. They will support employee engagement and tell the story of the People Services on multiple platforms through the voices of leadership and employees.

The successful candidate understands racial justice and why racism is a public health crisis, has a high degree of integrity and trustworthiness, and has a commitment to quality relationships. They will be skilled at working with directors and other leaders, as well as passionate about representing the voices and interests of employees. Our workplace is highly collaborative and we welcome applicants with the ability to work independently along with the capability to learn on the fly in a fast-paced environment.

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate excellent writing skills, along with a variety of communications experiences. Writing for websites and newsletters will be a primary emphasis and demonstrated experience with digital publishing tools is essential, particularly SharePoint. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate significant professional experience with some or all of the additional skills and qualifications: Written storytelling and editing skills; developing and implementing communication plans; graphics and design skills; creating e-newsletters; experience working in communications in the government or non-profit sectors, and ability and comfort with oral and written presentations.

Background

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary positions are "at-will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last one year. However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels. As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity. For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial County probation. You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice
Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule Monday through Friday, 40 hours a week, FLSA Exempt

Work Location: primary work location is the Chinook Building, located at 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104. Telecommuting will be available.

Some of the work associated with this position will be performed through teleworking, and will report to office location and to meetings as needed. Travel to other work locations may be necessary. 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.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.

Job Duties

The Communications Specialist III will bring exceptional writing and editing skills, creativity and enthusiasm, and strong interpersonal skills to:

• 
  Create written content: Research, plan, write, edit and design various documents in draft and final form, including reports, newsletters, factsheets, slide presentations, talking points, education materials, website content, blogs, correspondence and other materials. Help develop graphics as needed.
• Manage publishing and distribution channels: Manage HR’s internal communications hubs and pages on our Public Health intranet in SharePoint; create a consistent HR e-newsletter, coordinate content with Public Health’s Communications Team.
• Implement communication strategies: Work with HR analysts and subject matter experts to develop communications plans and strategies for various audiences, staff and hiring managers, and lead implementation of those plans.
  • Growth & Development opportunities and training content
  • Recruitment, hiring process, and leave policy content
  • Onboarding and New Employee Orientation content
  • Online spaces for groups of staff to engage
  • Annual Employee Engagement Survey
• Coordinate resources for in-person employee engagement: Provide support for creating flyers, posters, brochures and other content related to special events or new services.
• Collaborate and partner with our department-wide Employee Intranet Collaborative to align and prioritize weekly content to be pushed out to staff on a regular basis and ensure we are integrating best practices and new tools into our SharePoint environment.
• Identifying and assessing communications needs:
  • Research and develop strategy for implementation of potential Public Health’s LinkedIn profile
  • Support budget communications as related to HR
• Co-facilitate/co-lead the PH intranet committee to ensure good governance along with communications and admin staff
• Provide technical assistance for divisional and program level SharePoint sites related to their HR content

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have some combination of:

• An understanding of and passion for health equity and racial justice, with a commitment to ending racism as a public health crisis, and experience writing about racial equity.
• Background in education, communications, journalism, English, marketing, public health, public administration, or a related field or comparable experience, ideally in the government or non-profit sectors.
• Skilled in writing, producing and publishing e-newsletters, fact sheets, blogs, presentations, and/or educational materials utilizing Microsoft Office 360 products (including SharePoint and Teams), GovDelivery and/or similar e-newsletter platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and assess the communication needs of targeted audiences and determine the best communication methods and tools; skills in developing short- and long-range communications plans and/or strategies.
• Knowledge of communications principles, methods and materials.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse groups in ways that earn trust.

• Experience with websites - creating, maintaining, and or updating pages and creating content designed for web templates;
• Significant demonstrated ability to create and use graphics and/or photography for storytelling and to effectively engage audiences in content;
• Experience developing infographics;
• and experience and/or education in public communications or journalism or in a related field

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

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.

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 the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

• NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process to evaluate your written communication skills.)

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.