Salary: $101,524.80 – $155,001.60 Annually
Location : Arlington, VA
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 1623-24B-CEM-EM
Department: Public Safety Communications & Emergency Management
Division: OEM Public Safety Communications & Emergency Mgmt
Opening Date: 10/13/2023
Closing Date: 10/26/2023 11:59 PM Eastern
Position Information
Please note: This is a re-announcement. If you have previously applied to this position on announcement 1623-24A-CEM-EM, there is no need to re-apply unless you are updating your application.
(DPSCEM) is seeking a skilled and creative communications leader to join our team! The Communications and Public Affairs Manager oversees communications, community engagement, volunteer management, and serves as the primary public information officer for the department. DPSCEM is responsible for handling emergency preparedness and response for the County, including operation of our Emergency Communications Center (9-1-1 Center).
This position supervises a team of communications and engagement professionals and provides matrixed leadership and guidance to other staff engaged in emergency management and communications, marketing, media relations, public affairs, social media, web content, public engagement, and/or outreach programs and activities.
Responsibilities include:
- Develops and executes communication and community engagement strategies for emergency communications programs and initiatives; identifies channels to inform and educate the public, news media, staff, partner agencies, and interest groups;
- Identifies creative and innovative digital strategies and manages the department’s social media presence, including content creation and analytics;
- Collaborates with cross-functional teams across the County and in the region on emergency preparedness and response initiatives;
- Supervises, hire, trains, and provides performance feedback to staff;
- Provides no-notice on-scene and virtual response to emergencies or events of public safety significance for the County;
- Performs Emergency Operation Center (EOC) activation duties; and
- Serves as a liaison to CMO-CAPE (the County’s centralized Communications and Public Engagement Office).
The ideal candidate is a creative team leader with strong interpersonal skills who builds partnerships across the region and in the community, embraces ambiguity, advances equity-driven work, and who possess considerable knowledge of communications strategies, crisis and emergency communications, writing, editing, graphic design, marketing, video creation, and social media management experience.
Selection Criteria
Minimum:
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, public policy, public administration, education, journalism, public relations, or a related field; and
- Significant and progressively responsible professional experience in one or more communications fields, such as marketing, public relations, speech-writing, community engagement, employee communications, journalism, social media management, or other related area.
Substitution: Additional professional-level experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.
Desirables: Preference may be given to applicants with experience in one or more of the following:
- Serving as a Public Information Officer in an Emergency Operations Center or similar setting and/or as a media lead in another fast-paced professional setting;
- Digital media content creator including shooting, editing, and disseminating video across web and social media platforms;
- Emergency or crisis communications, including on-scene response;
- Proven experience managing communications and engagement personnel and programs;
- Developing multi-year strategic program plans;
- Serving as an agency or organization spokesperson including on-camera media experience;
- Bilingual in English/Spanish; and
- Web and graphic design expertise.
Special Requirements
Please note: A complete application will include a completed application and three documents including a letter of interest, a resume that describe how your training, education, and experience have prepared you for this position, and a work sample that highlights your experience in a Communications position.
A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.
Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator’s license from the applicant’s place of residence. The applicant must authorize Arlington County to obtain, or the applicant must provide a copy of the applicant’s official state/district driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant’s driving record.
Certifications: Completion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Professional Development Series (PDS) Coursework; ICS 100, 200, 700, 800, and IS-29 within 6 months of hire and ICS 300, 400, and E/L0105 within 12 months of hire.
Additional Information
Work hours: Normal work hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a hybrid office policy. This position is not a full-time remote opportunity.
Candidates must be in the office a minimum twice weekly and respond on-scene to planned and unplanned events, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Due to the nature of the Department, this position is subject to emergency-related work. This position may be required to work outside of normal hours and during emergencies regardless of whether some or all County facilities are closed, or programs and services are canceled.
The official title of this position is Communications Manager.
Your responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are considered part of the selection process for this position. Please do not enter “see resume” as a response to the questions. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
#LI-Hybrid.
Applicants who have questions or need assistance with the application may telephone (703) 228-3500 or visit the Human Resources Department. Our staff will be happy to work with you to enter your application into the system. Public access computers are available at all County Libraries, and in the Human Resources Department.
The examination process for this position may include: (1) training and experience evaluation; (2) written and oral examination; (3) personal interview; (4) performance test/work sample; and/or (5) physical examination.
Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process. Please call the ADA Coordinator at 703-228-3559 (voice) or email .
Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled.
Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: www.arlingtonva.us/pers.
Permanent, Full-Time Appointments
All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available:
Paid Leave: Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year.
Health and Dental Insurance: Three group health insurance plans are offered – a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs.
Life Insurance: A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee’s age and smoker/non-smoker status.
Retirement: The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement: a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457). The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County. You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan. General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan.
For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan. The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit. New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay.
Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits.
Permanent, Part-Time Appointments:
Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week.
Limited Term Appointments:
Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status.
Temporary Regular Appointments:
Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above. They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.
Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments:
Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements.
01
A complete application will include a completed application and three documents including a letter of interest, a resume that describe how your training, education, and experience have prepared you for this position, and a work sample that highlights your experience in a Communications position. I have provided these three items.
- Yes
- No
02
Please check all that describe your background and experience.
- A Master’s Degree in one of the related areas
- Serving as a Public Information Officer in an Emergency Operations Center or similar setting
- Shooting, editing, and disseminating video across web and social media platforms
- Emergency or crisis communications, including on-scene response
- Bilingual in English/Spanish
- Working knowledge of alert and warning technology (e.g. Everbridge)
- Social media management including content creation and analytics
- Website and/or graphic design experience
- None of the above
03
Please describe any experience in emergency or crisis communications, including on-scene experience with media and public information.
Required Question