Communications Specialist (Communications & Outreach)

About the role

The Village of Schaumburg is seeking a strategic and creative Communications Specialist to support the village's mission by developing and executing effective public relations, public information, and community engagement programs. This role plays a key part in communicating the village’s services, initiatives, and priorities to the community.

Job Duties

• Develops strategies and provides leadership in the upkeep and advancement of the village’s communication efforts as determined by the Director and outlined in the strategic communications plan, specifically in communications best practices, website management, social media use, and policy development.
• Creates content, edits, and coordinates the design and production of the village’s print and digital publications, which include the quarterly newsletter, weekly e-newsletter, department and village marketing pieces, website, intranet site, scripts, and other collateral and media used to promote the village.
• Researches, develops, writes, and edits copy for press releases, and local newspaper website postings.
• Affords assistance with media inquiries and serves as a backup Public Information Officer (PIO) to the Director and during emergencies.
• Works with all departments to develop and execute public relations and public information programs to communicate information on village services, including subjects of a confidential or non-confidential nature.
• Provides strong project management, leadership, and guidance on communications matters for departments.
• Performs a mix of routine, complex, and confidential public relations tasks following the village strategic communications plan, which can include the coordination and creation of talking points, public relations events, and other tasks related to positively promoting the village.
• Utilizes social media and other technology to disseminate information and cultivate positive public relations with the community.
• Attends events and takes photos/videos of people, events, buildings, and other happenings in the village as needed to produce village materials and communications.
• Helps maintain and keep the village photo library current and organized.
• Coordinates with departments, develops, and edits content to produce flyers, brochures, newsletters, factsheets, inserts, posters, and other promotional material.
• Works with contracted graphic designers and other contracted professional resources as necessary to develop easy-to-understand high-quality communications that promote village services and programs.
• Acts as a brand steward for the village advising on appropriate brand guidelines for communications and documents.
• Works closely with village personnel to ensure departmental communication products meet appropriateness, quality, and consistency with the overall village message, branding, priorities, corporate goals, etc., and edits communications.
• Edits, monitors, and manages webpages relevant to promoting village events, news, and other information; ensures that content and website appearance conform to village website guidelines.
• Collaborates with various department liaisons who are owners of web content areas to ensure that standards are met, and that content is accurate and up to date.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field.
• A minimum of three years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field.
• Ability to demonstrate competency through verifiable portfolio and references.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license.
• Proficiency with current computer technology, job-specific software, and customer service systems.

Starting Salary Range

Starting salary range: $88,876.00 - $98,874.00 annually dependent on qualifications. The salary range for this position is $88,876.00 - $128,870.00.

Benefits

• Flexible benefit Section 125 plan including health, dental, vision, and life insurance as well as medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, and a retirement plan through the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
• Paid holidays, paid vacation, sick leave, tuition reimbursement, succession development, and more.

About the Village of Schaumburg

The village employs approximately 600 employees in 12 departments, including police, fire, engineering and public works, communications, community development, cultural services, economic development, finance, general government, human resources, information technology, and transportation. Our employees work to serve the residents and strive to make Schaumburg the best community it can be. Our Core Values are the heart and soul of how we operate. Customer service, integrity, respect, teamwork, and trust are the values we dedicate ourselves to with the goal of providing excellent services and programs to meet the needs of our community and those within our organization. Each member of the Schaumburg team is valued, belongs and provides essential services to the residents, visitors, and businesses of Schaumburg. We are proud of the rich diversity of the Schaumburg community, and we want employees to bring their own unique capabilities, experiences, and characteristics to their work in serving the community. The characteristics of humility, empathy, respect, and open-mindedness are cornerstones of our organizational culture. The success of the village depends on our employees, and we are committed to helping employees continue growing and developing in their careers.

Selection Process

• The candidate screening process may consist of an application review, skills testing, employability assessment, interviews, and other job-related testing or verifications.
• Chosen candidates will be subject to background checks and a criminal history investigation.
• The top candidate will need to successfully complete the post-offer qualifying pre-employment medical examination and drug screen (including cannabis).
• Individuals requesting reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to complete the application process should contact the Human Resources Department at 847-923-3900.
• The Village of Schaumburg is an Equal Opportunity Employer.