Public Information Officer 2-OCOS-Comm

State of Louisiana•Baton Rouge, LA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Office of Chief of Staff-Communications is seeking a Public Information Officer 2 to serve as a Communications Specialist within the Division of Communications, supporting the Office of Early Childhood and program offices across the agency. The role involves producing public-facing content across newsletters, social media, the LDOE website, and event-related communications, ensuring messages are clear, accurate, accessible, and consistent. This position will partner closely with the Office of Early Childhood to develop content, newsletters, and website updates, and will support public engagement tools like the LDOE call center and the Ask LDOE Zendesk portal. Success requires strong writing and editing skills, a focus on plain language and accessibility, comfort with digital content tools, and a collaborative, service-minded approach. This role offers an opportunity to transform technical information into usable content for families and educators statewide.

Requirements

Four years of experience in public relations, journalism, marketing, content creation, social media management, or graphic design; OR Six years of full-time experience in any field plus one year of experience in public relations, journalism, marketing, content creation, social media management, or graphic design; OR A bachelor's degree plus one year of experience in public relations, journalism, marketing, content creation, social media management, or graphic design; OR An advanced degree in public relations, marketing, communications, journalism, or English.
Every 30 semester hours earned from an accredited college or university will be credited as one year of experience towards the six years of full-time work experience in any field. The maximum substitution allowed is 120 semester hours which substitutes for a maximum of four years of experience in any field.
Experience producing public-facing communications such as newsletters, press releases, talking points, memos, and FAQs
Strong plain-language writing and editing skills, including translating technical or policy content for public and educator audiences
Experience managing organizational social media and creating platform-appropriate content
Proficiency with website content management systems and applying web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG)
Experience creating basic graphics, photos, and short video clips for digital outreach
Familiarity with customer-support or public-engagement tools (e.g., a call center or help-desk/ticketing platform such as Zendesk)
Proficiency with Google Workspace (Google Suite) and Microsoft Office
Proficiency with Constant Contact
Experience supporting communications in a government, education, or other public-sector environment
Accepting Direction: The ability to be open and willing to follow guidance or instructions.
Communicating Effectively: The ability to convey information, ideas, and emotions using structured communication methods that promote understanding and engagement.
Thinking Critically: The ability to analyze information objectively, identify connections across sources, and form logical, well-supported conclusions.
Driving Results: The ability to set and pursue goals, maintain focus amid competing demands, and deliver results.
Thinking Strategically: The ability to anticipate trends, understand context, and align actions with long-term priorities.

Responsibilities

Draft, edit, and distribute public-facing content — newsletters (including the monthly Early Childhood Connections newsletter), press releases, talking points, memos, FAQs, and internal updates
Create and update LDOE website content, ensuring it is clear, accurate, accessible (WCAG and LDOE standards), and well-organized
Develop, schedule, and publish social media content aligned with agency priorities, and monitor channels and engagement
Translate technical or policy content into accessible, plain-language materials for public and educator audiences
Partner with the Office of Early Childhood to identify messaging gaps and develop proactive outreach strategies
Provide support for the LDOE call center and the Ask LDOE Zendesk portal during high-volume periods, and summarize inquiry trends for leadership
Create basic graphics, photos, and short video clips for digital outreach
Coordinate with program offices, IT, and Communications leadership to keep content accurate, consistent, and on-brand
Perform routine website audits to identify outdated or missing content and post time-sensitive updates
Track and report on engagement metrics, flagging emerging topics or misinformation