Communications Specialist

Teacher Retirement System of Texas • Austin, TX

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The Communications Specialist performs editorial, media monitoring activities, and departmental support work. The incumbent will edit agency publications; identify, monitor, distribute and archive media publications; contribute to social media, and provide administrative and technical support. This position will work proactively with the Communications team, Executive staff and agency employees.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, public relations, advertising, communications, or a closely related field.
• High school diploma or equivalent and additional full-time experience in editing and publication design in the field of journalism, public relations, public information, communications, or media relations or related experience may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Four (4) years of full-time directly related, progressively responsible experience in editing and publication design in the field of journalism, public relations, public information, communications, or media relations or related experience.
• A master's degree or doctoral degree in a closely related field may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Concepts and practices of proofing, editing and preparation of informational materials.
• Associated Press (AP) style.
• Techniques and methods of planning and organizing projects as well as for writing/editing/proofreading various types of material.
• Multimedia communications.
• Effectively translating complex laws, regulations, policies, and other program technical information into lay language understandable by persons of varying education level and technical knowledge.
• Planning and project management, including planning, organizing and coordinating work assignments to effectively meet frequent and/or multiple deadlines, in handling multiple tasks simultaneously, and in managing conflicting priorities and demands.
• Effective written and verbal communications.
• Using a personal computer with word processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, graphics design, video editing, and presentation software and applications.
• Establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with co-workers, agency staff, vendors, contractors, and external contacts.
• Work effectively in a professional team environment.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, public relations, advertising, communications, or a closely related field.
• Experience with multimedia communications to include video production, web content development, and user-experience (UX) research and design.
• Application of artificial intelligence tools to support communications.

Responsibilities

• Performs writing, proofreading and editing of agency brochures, manuals, web content, videos, forms, newsletters, reports and other materials in accordance with agency and other legal requirements to help communicate agency-related information to members, employees and the general public.
• Develops the layout and design of brochures, manuals, forms, newsletters, emails, reports, and other materials in accordance with agency and other legal requirements to help communicate agency-related information to members, employees, and the general public.
• Contributes to the production of multimedia content to include videos, infographics, interactive web pages and podcasts.
• Contributes to social media for agency channels.
• Performs media research to identify TRS-related news articles and other communications from local, state and national media sources.
• Helps monitor and collect daily news clippings for distribution to TRS Board and executives.
• Maintains and monitors an electronic archive of clippings.
• Maintains an agency publications library/archive which reflects official printed agency information for historical purposes and for referral by agency staff in legal, benefit and other agency matters.
• Monitors records retention activities and ensures departmental compliance with records management policies, procedures, rules and statutes; takes corrective action(s) as necessary.
• Assists with video production, photography, graphic design, writing and editing for Communications materials.
• Helps coordinate board and town hall meetings and webcasts.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Benefits

• Service, Respect, and Connection are core to the individual and collective TRS experience.
• Great service rests on a foundation of relationships that connect us all to an empowering and rewarding career.
• Inspired by our community who bring authenticity and commitment to our mission to improve the retirement security of public education employees and retirees throughout Texas.
• A group of achievers, we tap collaboration and innovation to raise the bar in performance, administering and counseling pensions and healthcare benefits to ensure certainty for the future of our members.
• Personal and career growth are respected.
• Make a difference in our members’ lives every day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level