Communications Advisor

City of Seattle•Seattle, WA

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Mayor and City Council are striving to bring Seattle to the top of the list of cities known for positive change, innovation, and sound financial management. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is charged with improving the lives of Seattle families by helping children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed, providing support so students achieve academically and the achievement gap is reduced, and making sure students graduate from high school prepared for college or career. The use of data and personal narratives to tell the story of the DEEL’s impact toward achieving education equity for Seattle children, youth, and families is central to our work. The Communications Advisor will report to the Communications Manager and work in partnership with key department leadership, staff, and the Mayor's Office to broaden awareness of the Department's investments, public programs, and priorities. We seek a well-rounded contributor to our team with a broad set of capabilities ranging from social media, media relations, photography, video, graphic design, marketing strategies, to project management. The use of data and personal narratives to tell the story of Department of Education and Early Learning's (DEEL) impact toward achieving education equity for Seattle children, youth, and families is central to our work.

Requirements

Experience in social media
Experience in media relations
Experience in visual content creation
Experience in marketing strategies
Experience in project management
Commitment to listening, creating space for diverse perspectives, and the pursuit of inclusive and just outcomes
Ability to communicate at all levels tactfully and effectively
Communicating clearly and effectively in person and through written communication, preferably in cross-cultural contexts
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to meet tight deadlines
Ability to work with Microsoft Suite, Adobe Suite, Indesign, Powerpoint, GovDelivery, Ingenuix/CMS platforms, WordPress, WebEx, Zoom, and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter)
Ability to generate creative solutions to problems by identifying available resources and working collaboratively
Ability to navigate and adapt to dynamic political environments

Nice To Haves

Race and social justice issues, content expertise, or prior experience in education-related fields a plus
Photography, videography, or graphic design

Responsibilities

Media relations
Social media management
External affairs event scheduling and presentation preparation
Working as an integral member of the DEEL communications and external affairs team to highlight work done by DEEL’s service divisions and share program information with the public
Leading the department’s media relations strategy, including relationships with key media outlets, advertisement buys, and coverage of DEEL work in print, web, video, and other formats
Managing and maintaining DEEL’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter)
Managing department listserv (GovDelivery) and producing quarterly newsletter
Developing and managing communications plans for key department activities such as funding opportunities, program enrollment, investment announcements, and legislation
Supporting regular communication functions such as website maintenance (CMS/Ingenuix, blog), email inbox monitoring, media monitoring, SharePoint site construction, stakeholder engagement meetings (in-person and virtual), photography, videography, and graphic design
Convening and facilitating community engagement meetings (in-person, virtual, and webinars)
Representing DEEL as spokesperson in meetings and media interviews
Supporting major projects, including the preparation of Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy Oversight Committee (LOC) and City Council presentations
Developing a Language Access Plan to promote equitable access to Department resources cradle-to-career
Cultivating of the Department’s relationship with community-based, in-language, and ethnic media outlets
Providing customer service to City colleagues and the general public on matters related to department business