Manager, Communications and Public Affairs

Southern California Regional Rail Authority•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

The Communications and Public Affairs Manager supports Metrolink’s efforts to engage customers, stakeholders, communities, and the broader public. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Communications and Public Affairs, the Manager collaborates with Public Affairs and Customer Experience staff to develop and implement strategic communications and engagement programs that advance agency priorities, foster relationships with cities, counties, and other key stakeholders, and protect and enhance Metrolink’s reputation. The Manager also serves as the secondary spokesperson under the Southern California Regional Rail Authority’s (SCRRA) emergency communications procedures. This role has no formal supervisory responsibilities. It responds to public, community, and media inquiries; builds stakeholder relationships; supports crisis communications through a 24/7 on-call rotation; develops proactive communications and outreach; monitors project issues and coordinates strategic outreach; represents SCRRA at events and meetings; creates a range of internal and external communications materials; manages contact lists; oversees communications contractors; and supports departmental budgets, contracts, and procurements. Additional duties may be assigned as needed, and reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Communications, English, Marketing, or a related field.
At least five years of experience in communications, government relations, public relations, journalism, community outreach, or a similar field.
Knowledge of project management and coordination, principles of graphics and layout, transportation issues, communications in government agencies, political sensitivities, community relations, and media relations.
Skills in writing and editing, customer service, Microsoft Office, verbal and written communication, organization, and time management.
Ability to organize work and handle multiple requests and priorities; adapt to changing customer expectations; analyze data or trends related to stakeholder inquiries and comments; establish and maintain effective relationships; maintain composure under stress; and work weekends and extended hours.
Ability to meet the physical requirements of the role, including transporting equipment or boxes up to 25 pounds and performing movement and balance-related tasks in assigned working conditions or locations.

Nice To Haves

At least two years of experience in a public or governmental agency as an employee, contractor, or consultant with a Class 1, intercity passenger, major commuter railroad, or transit provider in a 24/7 operations environment.
A combination of training, education, and/or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered in determining minimum qualifications.
Advanced relevant coursework may substitute for a portion of the required experience.

Responsibilities

Respond to community, public, and media inquiries.
Build and maintain relationships with cities, counties, and other stakeholder groups in Metrolink’s service area, ensuring timely, appropriate, and accurate information is provided.
Serve on Metrolink’s 24/7 public affairs on-call team, providing crisis communications support and participating in a rotation that typically involves one week as backup and one week as lead each month.
Train new on-call team members to support a consistent, disciplined response during incidents.
Collaborate across departments, member agencies, and industry partners to develop proactive storylines and responses to inquiries about Metrolink services and projects.
Monitor emerging capital, state-of-good-repair, and maintenance project issues, including construction impacts, environmental concerns, and political resistance, and coordinate strategic outreach to mitigate risks to project delivery or public perception.
Represent SCRRA at special events and community group meetings.
Create presentations, community notices, communication plans, press releases, media advisories, talking points, fact sheets, video scripts, newsletter articles, board notices, and other internal and external communications materials.
Maintain, expand, and distribute current, targeted community databases and contact lists.
Direct and oversee contractors performing communications, public affairs, and community relations activities, setting expectations and ensuring quality compliance.
Support administration and oversight of departmental budgets, contracts, and procurements.
Maintain relationships with appropriate railroad or functional industry partners and stay current on relevant issues, practices, and procedures.