Salary
$99,008.00 - $125,507.20 Annually

Location
Seattle, WA

Job Type
Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week

Department
DPH - Public Health

Job Number
2023AO18355

Division
Administrative Services

Closing
4/2/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Summary

We are seeking a Communications Specialist 4 to be the community communications lead within Public Health - Seattle & King County's Communications Team, which is a unit of the Office of the Director. The person selected for this position will work with staff in the Communications Team, other staff across all divisions of Public Health, other government agencies, and with community-based organizations and community members. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

The person selected for this position will 1) develop and implement systems to assure the health communications needs of King County residents are centered; 2) build and foster strong relationships with staff throughout the health department, other government agencies, and community partners to create and disseminate health information to community; and 3) document, build on and help institutionalize lessons learned during the pandemic regarding equity-focused health communications, particularly around co-creation of health education materials; and 4) In addition to creating health communications materials using traditional approaches, will lead health materials co-creation with community members from historically under-reached populations in order to address health inequities in these communities.

Commitment to Equity and Social Justice:
Our department has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies and policies that promote fairness, justice and opportunity for all. Our communications staff are entrusted to address institutional and other forms of structural racism through communications work. We ask that applicants be committed to social justice and anti-racism principles, have a strong commitment to integrity, transparency and accountability to our collective work and to personal growth and development.
The selected candidates will integrate King County's Equity and Social Justice principles into the daily functions of this position.

Work Schedule: This is a 100% FTE position (40 hours a week). The person selected for this position will be required to work 5 days a week, on a negotiated schedule, with some nighttime and weekend work required on occasion. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible.

Work Location: This position is currently mostly remote, but the person selected for this position must be willing to work frequently in the downtown Chinook Building on a schedule that best serves team needs throughout 2023 and beyond. The person selected for this position is expected to live in the Puget Sound area, be able to attend community events in King County, and be able to report to downtown Seattle reasonably quickly if circumstances require it.

Job Duties

• Be the team lead in building, maintaining, and enhancing systems to communicate with and hear from community partners about health information needs;
• Create communications materials, including but not limited to co-created health materials, utilizing expertise from other communicators if/when available;
• Expand partnerships for developing co-created materials by identifying new and building on existing department relationships with individuals and groups in priority communities;
• Research, expand on and document dissemination channels for the distribution of health materials in King County communities and use these channels to share materials;
• Track and share information about projects with impacted communities and with other health communicators locally and statewide;
• Develop an advanced conceptualization and understanding of health material co-creation and be our department's subject matter expert in this important, emerging area of public health communications;
• In consultation with staff and community, develop and share a written description of various approaches to co-creation, and a protocol for determining the circumstances for one approach versus another. This description and protocol are likely to be iterative as more experience is acquired;
• Train relevant staff in the department and potentially in other local health jurisdictions in aspects of co-creation, and create a "community of learning" for communicators across Washington state;
• Participate in the day-to-day operations of the Communications Team, taking on projects that fall outside of normal scope of the role (e.g., media management, social media work, administrative work, etc.) as needed by the Team;
• Evaluate projects where appropriate and feasible;
• Supervise communications staff; and
• Be available to respond to emergencies, including reporting to the King County Emergency Operations Center.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

We are looking for an individual who has a deep appreciation for and skills in active listening and who values and practices collaboration. The most successful candidate will have a high degree of integrity, trustworthiness, a commitment to quality peer relationships, as well as a passion for the health and well-being of King County residents.

Our team is highly collaborative and we welcome applicants with the ability to work independently along with the capability to learn on the fly in a fast-paced environment. In addition, the successful applicant will have:

• An understanding of and passion for public health and our institutional mission to improve the health and well-being of our residents;
• A deep understanding of underlying racial and health/social/economic inequities and a demonstrated commitment to dismantling racism and developing pro-equity systems;
• A high level ability to create messages and health education materials, presentations, handouts and other materials (written, social media, video) and a willingness to improve these skills and learn new skills;
• Skills in synthesizing health and science information to communicate to a variety of audiences including policy makers, communities of color and language communities;
• A demonstrated ability to identify and assess the communication needs of specific audiences and determine the best communication methods and tools;
• Skills in bringing community members together to reach mutually defined goals around health communications;
• Knowledge of and experience with dissemination of communications products, including but not limited to channels that include community/multi-lingual media, social media sites, community influencers, and community-based organizations;
• Project management skills;
• Supervisory skills; and
• Background in communications, education, English, journalism, public health, public administration, or a related field or comparable experience.

The most competitive applicants will also have some or all of the following desired experiences and qualifications:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish, or another language spoken by significant numbers of King County residents;
• Significant experience working with community-based organizations, including sharing information to and from the government sector and community; and/or
• An advanced degree in a related field, preferably in public health or a related discipline, or a combination of significant experience / education in public communications or journalism.

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North" , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Required application Materials

• Resume
• Cover letter describing relevant skills and experiences related to the job qualifications.
• ATTACH/UPLOAD Writing sample or health education product example you have personally created (e.g., brochure, graphic, flyer, video)
• Responses to supplemental questions

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not answer every question on the application or include relevant information only on the resume or cover letter, or if you reference "see resume" on your application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application, but all are required.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

• You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring . For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en .
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• Staff may be required to play an active role in the event of a public health emergency, which may include changes in responsibilities and working hours.
• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Union Membership: Non- Represented

Contact:
If you have questions about the position, please contact, please contact Alexis Owens; Alowens@kingcounty.gov .

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite gyms and activity centers
• Employee giving program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits please visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.