Job Summary

Make an impact:
The City of Salem is seeking a talented individual who thrives in a fast-paced and exciting environment to fill our Public Information Officer (PIO) position. At the City of Salem, we are dedicated to providing high-quality, responsive, and equitable services that meet the needs of our community. Communication is about building an engaged community. We believe everyone benefits and is best served through open, honest, frequent, and meaningful dialog. If you are ready to make an impact then we invite you to join!

Learn and grow:
We are committed to growing the capabilities of our people, where you can work with diverse individuals, explore new ways of thinking, and expand your capabilities. We pride ourselves on proven track record of providing opportunities for innovation, career development, flexible work schedules, and great work-life balance.

What you will do:
At the City of Salem, our PIO works in as part of a highly collaborative team, serving as spokesperson for the City, with responsibility on a daily basis for developing, coordinating, and evaluating content, community engagement and educational programs to share the City's story with a broad range of audiences using diverse platforms. The team provides recommendations and support to the City Manager's Office, Mayor and City Council, and departments, divisions, and workgroups across the City, to foster resident participation and interest in City government, by using a comprehensive suite of communications tools, including public relations, branding, media relations, and digital media, as well as other engagement activities.

The Public Information Officer works under the direction of the Strategic Initiatives Manager to plan, develop, implement, facilitate, and oversee the City’s information and media platforms. Providing staff support to the City Manager, City Council, and Departments on city-wide activities and functions; performing analytical and administrative duties pertaining to public outreach and communications; promoting City services and providing related information.

Learn more about the City Manager's Office at: https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/departments-agencies/city-manager-s-office

Additional information on job responsibilities:

• 
  Conducting on-camera interviews and maintaining effective working relationships with the media.
• Creating multimedia content for integration across multiple platforms, including managing and measuring performance of messages and campaigns to encourage public engagement, including working knowledge of new media, social media and web-based methods of communication and engagement.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with all levels of management, elected officials, and community to best represent the organization effectively in public settings and with the media.
• Preparing and presenting reports and presentations on matters pertinent to City Council, City Manager, and various boards, committees, organizations, and community groups.
• May provide direction or training, and evaluate the work of subordinate members of the communication team; and
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Paid vacation and sick time in accordance with City policies.
• Competitive pay.
• Employer-paid PERS contribution of 6%.
• Opportunity for voluntary pre-tax contributions to a 457b account.
• Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Voluntary long-term care.
• Employee wellness program.
• Employee assistance program.
• Employee health clinic.
• Position schedule is Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with some evening and weekends required.
• Parking at the closest structure (Pringle Park) is free.

What are the minimum qualifications?

• Must pass the pre-employment background check.
• Must have an Oregon Driver license and a driving record that meets the City of Salem's driving standards.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, public administration, non-profit management, public relations, digital media, communications, or a related field, and five years of progressive experience in a related field, or any combination of education, experience, and training that demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed, and ability to perform the essential job functions.
• Public sector or local government experience setting strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Four (4) years of supervisory or program/project management experience in customer engagement, marketing, communications, or media relations; public sector or local government experience setting.
• Two years working in public sector communications roles
• Course work in public engagement and communication with emphasis on the public sector.
• Training in public information for emergencies.
• Spanish language communication skills is highly desired.

What you will bring along:

• A strong foundation in the principles and practices of public administration, communications, public information, emergency, or crisis communications.
• Knowledge of Crisis and risk management communication techniques and best practices.
• Excellent Communication.

About us:
The City of Salem is the second largest City in the State of Oregon, located in the heart Willamette Valley, and is the capital city of Oregon with a population over 170,000. Centrally located, Salem is 47 miles south of Portland and an hour from the Cascade Mountains to the east and an hour from the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is an exceptional community for living and working with exciting new and comfortable well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings.

A full-service City, Salem has eight primary departments:
Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community and Urban Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City has five labor unions and employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members. The Urban Renewal Agency and the Salem Housing Authority are separate municipal corporations. The Agency contracts with the City for services and the Authority is led by the Housing Administrator within the Urban Development department.

Where can I find out more about the position?

How can I apply?
The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to include how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification in your application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

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