Senior Public Information Officer

Quest Corporation of America, Inc.

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

Quest Corporation of America, Inc. (Quest) is seeking a self-motivated, Senior Public Information Officer / Sr. Community Outreach Specialist to join our Statewide Tollway Services division. Selected candidate must have 5-10 years of experience serving as a lead communications professional supporting large-scale, transportation planning, design, and construction projects. This role is responsible for planning and executing public involvement, stakeholder outreach, media relations, and project communications for high-profile roadway and expressway projects throughout Central Florida. Candidate must know and ensure compliance with the FDOT Public Involvement Handbook, FDOT PD&E Study Manual and other agency, state and federal public involvement requirements, while proactively managing public issues and inquiries, and community relationships. The candidate must reside in one of the following counties: Lake, Orange, Osceola or Seminole.

Requirements

Must have a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, planning, public administration or related field, or equivalent experience.
Must have 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in public information, community outreach or strategic communications.
Demonstrated experience supporting transportation, infrastructure, or public-sector projects.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.)
Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
Talent for understanding, simplifying, and effectively communicating complex information to diverse audiences.
Ability to perform responsibilities with a significant degree of independence, initiative, creativity, and expert judgement.
Deadline and detail oriented.
Familiarity with digital communications, including websites and social media.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual, multi-lingual considered a plus.
Transportation knowledge / government background.
Project Management certification considered a plus.

Responsibilities

Display a high-level of organization, advance planning, solution-oriented thinking and other project management skills in developing and executing Public Engagement and Community Awareness Plans for transportation improvement projects.
Lead and execute public involvement and community outreach activities for Concept Study, Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study, Design, and Construction project development phases in accordance with the aforementioned FDOT public engagement manuals and requirements, as well as other applicable standard operating procedures.
Expertly plan, promote, and facilitate in-person, virtual, and hybrid public meetings, workshops, and public hearings. Includes drafting and distributing all notification documents (letters, ads, etc.).
Employ high-quality writing and QA/QC skills in preparing project materials including handouts, scripts, reports, presentations, displays.
Coordinate with creative design and multimedia teams to produce visual content to promote project understanding.
Present project information clearly and confidently at community meetings, officials’ briefings, special events, and field meetings.
Media relations experience including organizing media events; conducting or supporting interviews; drafting talking points, media releases and kits, and distributing updates to news organizations.
Manage project hotlines, emails, websites and social media to document and respond to project-related inquiries from the public within the required timeframe.
Plan, promote and execute special events including planning briefings, site selection and agency coordination, vendor coordination, speech writing and other event management details. Also represent the projects at community-sponsored events.
Attend and report on public interactions at project progress meetings, other internal or agency meetings.
Proactively support quality control processes to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance with agency standards.
Work in a hybrid manner, both remotely and attending meetings in person at the agency, in the community, particularly public meetings and events.
Build positive relationships with stakeholders affected by or interested in projects.
Lead communications on multiple projects, ensuring quality deliverables and services on deadlines.
Customer-service focus required.
Able to work in a constantly evolving, confidential environment.
Able to travel by use of a vehicle to multiple locations.
Comfortable working in the field, attending evening meetings or weekend events, and supporting urgent issues as needed.