We’re hiring a Senior Communications Specialist for child well-being in Hennepin County Human Services. The person hired will create content across internal and external channels, offer communications consultation and planning, and help shape strategic messaging and storytelling. As the dedicated communicator for Children and Family Services, this person will provide communications support to child welfare programs including prevention services, child protection, foster care and adoption, as well as the county’s Child Well-Being Advisory Committee.
Our vision for child and family well-being means reducing racial disparities so Hennepin County families can thrive. Candidates with strong writing and formal communications skills and experience, as well as experience supporting programs for children and families, and who bring a racial equity lens to their work are encouraged to apply.
Location and hours:
This position is hybrid and will be performed both on-site at various Hennepin County locations, in the Hennepin County Health Services Building, 525 Portland Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415, and remotely as job duties require. Work hours will typically be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with occasional evenings and/or weekends. While this position is designated as hybrid, based on current requirements hires must reside in or relocate to Minnesota or Wisconsin.
In this position, you will:
Partner with other communicators and subject matter experts to develop, write, edit, and publish content that connects staff and county residents to the programs, services and information they need, while elevating the department’s profile in the community.
Provide communications consultation and planning to Children and Family Services staff to help them document and meet program goals, requirements, and audience information needs.
Support employee engagement and workforce development by assisting with internal department communications.
Assist with foster care and adoption recruitment communications and marketing across digital, print, and media channels.
Coordinate communications across Human Services departments to support services for children, youth, and families, driving a countywide child well-being communication strategy.
Provide messaging and data gathering support in preparation for media interviews.
Approach storytelling and information sharing with the goal of reducing disparities, and in a manner that resonates with and accurately represents marginalized populations.
Need to have:
One of the following:
A bachelor's degree or higher in journalism, English, communications, mass communications, marketing, media studies, graphic design, photojournalism, telecommunications, visual communications, public administration, or related field and two or more years of professional communications experience in the public sector and/or related to services for children and families.
Two or more years of college in one of the fields listed above and four or more years of professional communications experience in the public sector and/or related to services for children and families.
Six or more years of professional communications experience in the public sector and/or related to services for children and families.
Nice to have:
Experience:
Working with a variety of communities such as African American, Indigenous, Latin, and Asian, immigrants or refugees, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, adolescents, and others.
Developing content strategy, key messages, and communications plans for distinct programs and initiatives; writing and editing content for mass distribution; interviewing people for articles or other content development; converting technical information into plain language; evaluating the effectiveness of communication efforts for various audiences.
Using Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, GovDelivery and Sitecore or other web editing tools.
Taking and processing photographs for publication on a professional platform.
Strong verbal and written communication skills using business correspondence format and style.
Ability to:
Understand diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and principles.
Build and maintain trusting, collaborative, and effective relationships with employees at all levels, residents, and external partners.
Public video/link: https://youtu.be/KgakMQ4qTJA
Website to apply: Communications Specialist, Senior – Child Well-Being | Job Details tab | Career Pages (governmentjobs.com)
Opening Date: 09/07/2023 Closing Date: 9/21/2023 11:59 PM Central
PHN: 612-348-7855