General Summary

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Director of Community Engagement (Communications Specialist II) joins a prosecutors office committed to transformative justice for victims and defendants alike – and one committed to enhancing public education and transparency. The Director, a newly created position, will independently lead and implement community outreach, public engagement, public relations, internal and external communications, and other efforts to provide information to the public and the media concerning the work of the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney for Arlington and the City of Falls Church (CA), a national leader in criminal justice reform.The Director will develop communications strategies, manage the implementation of these strategies, coordinate and guide community and public engagement efforts, and assist with managing communications in urgent matters.The Director will drive efforts to proactively update the community on office activities, investigations, and upcoming cases as appropriate.

Responsibilities

Specific Duties Include:

• Maintain and develop office website and run office social media accounts;
• Write and distribute Justice Matters newsletter on a quarterly basis;
• Manage Community Advisory Board, including organizing monthly meetings and recruiting new members as needed;
• Coordinate the Commonwealth’s Community Academy (a contemplated 6-10 week course to familiarize members of the community with the work of the Office and stakeholders);
• Facilitate office presence at community events, attend civic association meetings; and coordinate periodic town halls;
• Organize office-led community events such as our biannual Expungement Clinics and gun buyback, as well as spearheading additional events and initiatives;
• Lead on office media interaction, including, responding to media inquiries; coordinate media outreach and interviews; develop talking points;
  
  

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Considerable knowledge of communications strategies development, survey development, writing, editing, graphic design, marketing, and/or social media.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations that govern the release of public information (e.g., FOIA).
• Knowledge of how to plan, design and implement communications projects.
• Working knowledge of County Board and County Manager priorities and initiatives and departmental changes and issues.
• Knowledge of new and emerging public relations/communication methodologies.
• Writing skills to create and edit high-quality reports, news releases, talking points, newsletters, internal communications, and marketing materials
• Problem solving skills to gather relevant information to solve vaguely defined practical problems.
• Interpersonal skills to resolve complaints, coordinate with other departments, and speak in public.
• Ability to balance multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Ability to develop and implement community engagement strategies and events.
• Ability to interpret and communicate policy decisions.
• Ability to develop or create web content.
• Ability to use computer programs and applications to complete work.
  
  

Education: Bachelor's degree in communications, public policy, public administration, education, journalism, public relations, or a related field.

Experience: Considerable experience in public engagement, communications, governmental policy, community organizing, journalism, public relations, or public information.

Substitution: Additional qualifying experience can be substituted for the educational requirement. A Master's degree or higher may be substituted for some of the experience requirement.

Licenses/Certifications: None.

Considerable experience in public engagement, communications, governmental policy, community organizing, journalism, public relations, or public information is a plus.

Working Conditions

• None. The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (such as in typical office or administrative work).
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
  
  

Note that the salary offered will not exceed the mid-range of the posted salary range.