Communications Specialist: Writer - Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler (Commissioner's Staff Rep)

Communications Specialist: Writer - Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler (Commissioner's Staff Rep)

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Communications Specialist: Writer - Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler (Commissioner's Staff Rep)

Salary

$57,117.00 - $104,416.00 Annually

Location

1221 SW 4th Ave, OR

Job Type

At Will

Bureau

Office of the Mayor

Job Number

2022-00824

Closing

7/4/2022 11:59 PM Pacific

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

The Position

This position is exempt from Civil Service and is an "At Will" position. It serves at the discretion of the hiring authority, subject to City of Portland Human Resources Administrative Rules and Portland City Charter and Code.

The office of Mayor Ted Wheeler is seeking an experienced Communications Specialist with a strong background in political communications to provide writing support to the Mayor's Communications team. The specialist serves as an integral member of the Mayor Wheeler's communications team, guiding our messaging to stakeholders, the community, and press.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Specialist manages speechwriting and drafting talking points for press conferences, speaking events, messaging, and media relations. The Specialist also assists with long-form writing projects like Op-Eds. The right candidate will be available to work closely with Mayor Wheeler and the team to effectively share information about the office's values, priorities and work with the broader community. The Specialist is expected to have a working knowledge of active policy issues, and of the administration's values and position on a wide variety of topics.

The Specialist will have a strong understanding of the political environment we're in. Cities are at the center of urgent nationwide conversations about justice, institutional accountability and climate action, and are the leading edge of decisions that will shape the future of this country. Candidates for this job should have experience communicating about diversity, equity and inclusion, and a commitment to advancing these important values.

The Specialist position is highly independent, requires a large volume of writing, and works closely with the Mayor Wheeler's staff who specializes in subject areas to ensure that the administration's work is effectively being shared with the community, and that Mayor's position and values are accurately and thoughtfully reflected in official materials and statements.

Successful candidates should bring demonstrated leadership, with experience developing a communications strategy and messaging. This work requires adherence to City and Mayor's office policies and procedures, and the ability to independently produce accurate, high-quality work under sometimes extreme time pressure. The right person for this position will be organized, efficient and nimble, with the ability to juggle long-term strategy and current events. Knowledge of our community, and of the City of Portland, is a must.

Duties and Responsibilities

+ Write prepared remarks for press conferences, events, Town Hall addresses, letters, ad-hoc video scripts, blog posts, council meetings, external meetings, and more. + Assist with messaging and quotes for media that are tailored to the respective audience, often under short timelines. + Engage with the administrative leadership on a regular basis to plan speech messaging, content, and structure, and to strategize on event output. + Working with policy staff to identify and highlight work of interest to the community + Working collaboratively with City bureaus and staff from partner jurisdictions + Ensuring clarity and consistency in office communications across a wide variety of platforms + Other duties as assigned

City of Portland Core Values: Anti-racism | Communication | Collaboration | Equity | Transparency | Fiscal Responsibility

These values guide our actions as we serve the community and engage our workforce. To learn more about the City's core values, please click here (https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bhr/article/763427) .

Why work at the City of Portland? The City of Portland workforce serves a population of over 650,000. We are culture- and solutions-driven, viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn, improve, and share our expertise. We are committed to removing systemic barriers to resources, access, and opportunity. The City is a believer in ALL people and continues to actively recruit and retain diverse top talent every day. If you are open-minded, motivated, community-focused, and self-aware, please apply yourself at the City of Portland today.

As of October 18, 2021, all City employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. This is required for all positions at the City of Portland. You will have to show that you are fully vaccinated by the date of hire. If there are health or religious reasons, you may fill out a form at the time a position is offered to request an exception (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/covid19-exception-request) from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Work Location

Currently, many positions with the City of Portland are being performed remotely due to COVID. In the future, current positions classified as "full-time remote" will: 1) become a remote/onsite mix or 2) revert to full-time at a city work location.

To Qualify

Applicants must provide details in their resume and cover letter that demonstrate how their education, training and/or experience, meets each of the following minimum qualifications:

+ Experience specialized in political communications and long-form writing. + Preference in speechwriting and experience in developing talking points. + Demonstrated excellent copy-editing and proofreading skills. Must have editorial experience with excellent knowledge of correct English usage, spelling, and punctuation. + Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to a wide variety of audiences; + Experience in project management with a variety of stakeholders and involving multiple projects of high complexity. + Knowledge of the many communications platforms available to an elected office, and the value/limitations of each.

Applicants must also possess:

+ Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 per City/State mandate. If unvaccinated, exception process must be completed by date of hire. Exception guidelines/process can be accessed here: Exception Request Process for COVID-19 vaccine (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/covid19-exception-request)

The Recruitment Process

An evaluation of each applicant's training and experience, as demonstrated in their resume and cover letter, weighted 100%. Do not attach materials not requested.

Only candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list. You have 14 days from the notice of the examination results to let us know if you disagree with your results. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 for complete information. Additional evaluation for required certifications may be required prior to the establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.

** PLEASE NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies**

Recruitment Timeline:

Applications Reviewed: week of 7/04

Eligible List: week of 7/11

1st Round of Interviews: week of 7/18

2nd Round of Interviews (if needed): TBD

Job Offer: late July

*Timeline is approximate and subject to change

Application Instructions Applicants must submit a professional resume and cover letter online specifically focused on your qualifications for this position as identified in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement in accordance with the following Application Instructions:

Your resume and cover letter will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position.

+ Your cover letter should include details describing your education, training, certification and/or experience, and where obtained which clearly reflects your qualifications and ability to meet the minimum requirements listed in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement. + Your resume should support the details described in the cover letter. + Salary Range/Equity Pay Analysis:

Please note per the Oregon State Pay Equity Law your salary is determined based on the experience and education listed in your resume/application. It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all directly related and equivalent experience. + If you are requesting Veterans' Preference, as identified below, please describe in your cover letter any transferrable skills obtained during your military service and how they relate to each of the required minimum qualifications under the "To Qualify" section above. + Do not attach documents not requested.

Please note, all completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment. All applications must be submitted via the City's online applicatio...