Communications Consultant 4 - Bilingual Storyteller

State of Washington•Multiple Locations Statewide, WA

1d•Remote

About The Position

At the Department of Commerce, we are reimagining what’s possible in government. We are builders, thinkers, and change-makers, working at the intersection of innovation, community, and impact. From unlocking critical funding to fueling inclusive economic growth, we’re turning big ideas into real-world solutions that uplift people and places. Our agency’s strength lies in the diversity of our workforce and the breadth of the lived experiences and perspectives employees bring to the work. We believe equity is not just a value but a practice, which is reflected in how we design programs, engage communities, and deliver outcomes. We foster a workplace culture where curiosity is encouraged, bold thinking is welcomed, and collaboration drives our impact. Let’s build what’s next, together. The Communications Division provides comprehensive communications services for the agency, including media relations, digital communications, graphic design and branding, agency reports, website services and internal communications. The team contributes to the agency’s mission of strengthening communities by ensuring communication is clear, concise, written in plain language and accessible to all. The Bilingual Storyteller reports to the Communications Director. The position is a visual storyteller and videographer that contributes to the agency mission by writing and producing rich and compelling video, social media and web stories about the work we do, centered around the voices of the communities we serve. This position is a videographer, writer, video editor and translator rolled into one, who collaborates with employees across the agency to identify story opportunities, engages with community voices, and describes impacts and outcomes of Commerce programs and investments. The Bilingual Storyteller will travel with the Commerce Director as they visit communities around the state and build engaging content for our social media channels and website. We will also depend on the Bilingual Storyteller to translate press releases and record voice overs in Spanish.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s Degree in communications, marketing or related field.
Any combination of four (4) total years of experience in the communications field. This could be gained by a combination of relevant education beyond high school equivalency and/or professional-level experience in journalism, communications, public relations, English literature or related field.
Minimum of three (3) years of substantial professional-level experience that must include the following: Professional experience as a Multi-Media Journalist or professional videographer in a broadcast or print newsroom or other creating short and long form videos for consumption on social media, web or other platforms OR Government communications experience that includes videography, writing and editing for digital and social media.
Proficiency in Spanish – Speaking, writing and translating from English to Spanish.
Minimum of four (4) years of substantial professional-level experience that must include the following: Professional level editing – broadcast, on-line media or production house - of short and long form videos for consumption on social media, web or broadcast platforms.
Advanced skill level in editing on Adobe Premier, Adobe After Effects and Canva video editing platforms.
Voice-over experience in video production and storytelling.
Minimum of one (1) year of substantial professional-level experience that must include the following: Project management skills tracking multiple deliverables and multiple deadlines across multiple teams.
Knowledge and understanding of plain language principles, AP Style and copy-editing principles.
In-depth knowledge and understanding of plain language principles.
Advanced skill level in editing on Adobe Premier, Adobe After Effects and PlayPlay platforms.
Advanced knowledge of AP style and experience copy-editing and fact-checking content.
Must be able to represent the agency with professionalism in all interactions.
A complete and detailed online application.
A cover letter (enter online).
At least three professional references (enter online).

Nice To Haves

Live in the greater Puget Sound area as this employee will be assigned to either our Olympia or Seattle office and be expected to travel with the director on the West side of Washington state.

Responsibilities

Develop, write and produce professional quality, bilingual videos and visual designs for social media, website and internal audiences.
Serve as a visual storyteller and content creator, videographer, and producer of engaging and compelling content for Commerce digital assets, including but not limited to: Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Instagram, Vimeo and YouTube.
Collaborate with employees across the agency to identify story opportunities and conduct on camera interviews, (in English and in Spanish when appropriate) with subject matter experts, stakeholders and community members.
Operate agency-issued video camera, microphones, lighting and other equipment with proficiency while producing compelling video stories.
Write and edit short and long-form video stories about Commerce programs and, in concert with the Digital Content Manager, publish them to Commerce social channels.
Produce compelling visual graphics and info graphics for stories, using programs such as Adobe Creative Suite and Canva.
Staff the agency director at public events and do the following: Serve as on-site liaison with media if necessary, Ensure director has briefing information and materials needed for the event, Serve as videographer, shooting video and taking still photos of the event for Commerce social channels, dissemination to media and internal use, Prepare, edit and release video to media, within an hour, after the event, Write and edit a video story about the event for Commerce social channels and/or website.
Write and post daily social media content using an external publishing platform (HeyOrca).
Write long form stories for the Commerce website and publish to our news section.
Ensure all content produced meets brand guidelines and accessibility standards, adheres to AP style, uses plain language and is error free.
Plan and produce digital communications campaigns and content for the following Commerce divisions/teams: Housing, Community Services Division and Energy.
Work in concert with the Digital Content Manager on long-term planning and timely execution of content campaigns for your assigned divisions.
Meet weekly with coordinators/representatives from your assigned division to develop content ideas and upcoming content needs.
Design content campaigns or initiatives that maximize reach to targeted audiences for a specific program or communications needs, particularly underserved and English as second (ESL) language Spanish-speaking communities.
Generate new and innovative ideas to deliver Commerce news and information to new audiences, raising Commerce’s profile in the community.
Track performance metrics for social posts and adjust strategy as needed to maximize audience and reach.
Stay current on social media updates and strategies to help strengthen the agency’s digital presence.
Coordinate with the internal communications team to ensure external stories are shared with agency staff.
Voice over external-facing educational or social media videos, written by others, into Spanish informing communities about our language access services.
In coordination with the Community Communications Manager and Language Access Coordinator, produce internal training videos and tutorials for Commerce program managers to assist them in determining language access needs for their programs.
Assist the Media Relations Manager by translating Commerce press releases from English to Spanish for publication by the Communications Division.
Translate GovDelivery mass emails from English to Spanish for publication by the Communications Division.
Assist the Digital Communications Manager on how to better reach and serve Spanish speaking communities with our digital communications efforts.
Represent Commerce in Spanish-speaking interviews in tv, radio or print media, with the approval of the Communications Director.