Community Relations Associate Jobs in Columbia, SC

The purpose of the class is to support and maintain the mission of the County's Government and Community Services Department; to improve the quality of life for Richland County constituents through outreach, advocacy, strategic programming, and education. This position develops, promotes, and maintains professional, collaborative, and cooperative relationships with internal (County staff and Council) and external stakeholders (elected and appointed officials, business community, schools, and designated community agencies); engages and involves the public in policies and practices that directly impact communities; measures the impact of initiatives through surveys, reports, and involvement; effectively communicates accurate and essential information to all audiences in conjunction with other County departments' serves as an outlet between the County and its constituents, customers, and partners; and works to continuously improve public involvement in the government process. This position is also responsible for ensuring GCS programs and services delivered are consistent with the Richland County Mission to provide essential services, efficiently and effectively, in order to improve the quality of life for its citizens with minimal bureaucracy, with integrity, and within the parameters and power set forth in applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Essential Functions:

• Represents the Department and County in various meetings with boards, commissions, civic groups, and officials of other agencies; provides assistance to community agencies, community groups, and appointed/elected officials; and acts as a liaison between such groups/agencies and Richland County government.
• Works with other County departments to receive and respond to public inquiries, concerns, and complaints regarding the services, programs, and personnel of the County.
• Participates in Department marketing and public relations efforts; makes public presentations to inform the public about Department projects and programs; and receives public input.
• Assists co-workers with projects and assignments as necessary.
• Attends training, conferences, seminars, workshops, etc., as necessary to enhance job knowledge and skills; in-county travel is required.
• Performs general administrative duties as required, including: preparing reports and correspondence; entering and retrieving computer data; preparing spreadsheets; copying and filing documents; answering the telephone; etc.
• Assists in developing departmental policies and procedures.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Associate Degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration, Communications, Education, or a closely related field.
• Two (2) years of related work experience.

-or-

• Any combination of education and experience that meets the requirements for performing the essential functions of this job.

• Must possess a valid state driver's license.
• Must have demonstrated understanding of political processes (local, state, and federal); strong organizational skills; excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrated ability to work with multiple constituencies and demonstrate diplomacy; and demonstrated ability to research, analyze, and recommend strategies for program and policy development.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement: Requires synthesizing or integrating data or information analysis to discover facts or develop knowledge or interpretations; then recommending changes to policies, procedures, or methodologies based on new facts, knowledge, or interpretations.
• People Involvement: Requires collaboration, coordination, communication, negotiating, and exchanging ideas, information, and opinions with others to formulate policy and programs or arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions, or solutions; requires persuading or influencing others in favor of a service, point of view, or course of action as well as continuous interaction with general public concerns; requires giving information, guidance, or assistance to people to directly facilitate task accomplishment; and may give directions or assignments to helpers or assistants.
• Involvement with Things: Requires experience working with equipment such as computers for data entry, copiers, telephones, or similar equipment;
• Reasoning Requirements: Requires performing work involving the application of principles of logical thinking to diagnose or define problems, collect data, and solve abstract problems with widespread unit or organizational impact.
• Mathematical Requirements: Requires using addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and/or calculating ratios, rates and percentages.

• Language Requirements: Requires reading professional literature and technical manuals; interacting and speaking to diverse groups of employees and other public and private groups; and writing manuals and complex reports.
• Mental Requirements: Requires continuous, close attention to detail for accurate results and frequent exposure to unusual challenges.
• Computer Requirements: Requires at least beginner-level experience using MS Office Suite, email, online search, online survey, and file conversion software or applications.

• The work is sedentary work which requires the person in this position to occasionally exert up to 10 pounds of force to grasp, lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights and weekends. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee's physical presence at the workplace and requires frequent work in an office or similar indoor environment as well as in the community (offices, businesses, meeting facilities, etc.). The job may risk exposure to bright/dim light, dusts and pollen, extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, extreme noise levels, fumes and/or noxious odors, traffic, etc., during site visits.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.