POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

 COMMUNICATIONS AND CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is accepting resumes for a Communications and Creative Services Manager.

 

Application Procedure:  Send a cover letter and resume to:

Donna Suca, Human Resource Coordinator

Forest Preserve District of Will County

17540 W. Laraway Road

Joliet, Illinois 60433

815.722.5667 (desk)

815.722.3608 (fax)

dsuca@fpdwc.org

The Forest Preserve District of Will County does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, or disability. In offering employment opportunities to the public, the Forest Preserve District will make reasonable modifications to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity.  To request this document in large print, audio, or Braille, contact the Superintendent of Public Affairs, Sugar Creek Administration Center, 17540 W. Laraway Road, Joliet, IL 60433; comments@fpdwc.org; 815.722.9383 (voice); 800.526.0844 (TDD).  Requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance. While the Forest Preserve District of Will County will make every effort to meet requests in a timely fashion, some requests may take longer than others to fulfill. Persons believing that they have been discriminated against by the Forest Preserve District of Will County may file a complaint alleging discrimination with the Forest Preserve District or the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.doi.gov    

FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF WILL COUNTY

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE:	COMMUNICATIONS & CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER
DIVISION:	OPERATIONS & PROGRAM SERVICES
FLSA STATUS:	EXEMPT	DATE:	2015
LOCATION:	SUGAR CREEK ADMINISTRATION CENTER

 

BASIC FUNCTION

This position is responsible for managing the District’s comprehensive communications program to create and promote a positive image for the District. This requires performing a complex collection of tasks in the fields of information and communication technology, communications, marketing, advertising, project management, customer service and graphic design.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

 

Reports to:

Superintendent of Public Affairs

Supervises:

Marketing Technical Specialist Marketing Assistant

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Accountable for the management of the District’s website content and design, working closely with the District’s IT Department related to functionality and site enhancehments.

2. Oversees the District’s external web presence, eight social media platforms, digital signage and print publications.

3. Oversees the operational budget for the print and digital communications program.

4. Responsible for developing and sharing messages in both digital and print formats that are highly visible to stakeholders and have a direct and immediate impact on public impression.

5. Ensures that content projects are consistent with District messaging and institutional goals. Coordinates with appropriate staff to maintain consistent copy/brand standards between digital and print publications.

6. Researches, develops, recommends and implements new initiatives to improve the quality of District communication activities and to maximize their potential.

7. Works closely with appropriate staff to provide prompt, accurate and courteous resolution to public inquiries and complaints submitted through digital forums, as well as track and internally report public comments and customer service issues.

8. Manages the District website in collaboration with the District’s IT Department: plans and coordinates site design; plans and coordinates site navigation; plans, writes, and codes textual content; plans, selects, and formats graphic content; plans, designs, and/or formats downloadable content; acquires, examines, and makes improvements based on website analytics; troubleshoots technical issues in partnership with IT.

9. Launches new web-related initiatives.

10. Monitors the District’s web presence on external, non-District-managed websites, and manages or provides input on the content of websites linking to or otherwise containing content relating to the District.

11. Manages the District’s social media networking sites: works with staff to plan, write, select, and post content to Facebook, Facebook Places, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare, Google+ and Pinterest; monitors public usage and responds to and tracks public comments and inquiries submitted or posted via social media/networking sites; acquires, examines, and makes improvements based on social media/networking analytics; troubleshoots technical issues.

12. Implements web-based advertising initiatives to promote the District’s website, social media, programming, recreational activities, and other offerings and initiatives.

13. Manages the District’s digital signage system by planning, designing, and uploading content for the system, and troubleshooting technical issues.

14. Performs extensive data collection and reporting to demonstrate return on investment for digital communication initiatives.

15. Researches, develops, recommends and implements new initiatives to improve the quality of District digital media and to maximize their potential.

16. Edits copy and reviews design for advertisements and other marketing initiatives.

OTHER DUTIES

1. Develops and maintains organizational policies and procedures for the digital communications program.

2. Participates as a member of various District teams to represent the Public Affairs Department’s interests in projects.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to make autonomous, immediate decisions based on the level of benefit to the organization as a whole and its stakeholders.
• Ability to facilitate and direct strategic planning. Considers long-range plans and sets development benchmarks, while keeping the end goal as the paramount priority.
• Strong leadership and project management skills.
• Effective analytical skills.
• Adept at creating new concepts and ideas.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Awareness of current industry trends in communication, marketing, and advertising.
• Excellent organizational skills to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to facilitate and direct strategic planning.
• Skilled at interpreting stakeholder needs.
• Ability to interact professionally with stakeholders in a public forum.
• Exceptional project management skills.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
• Practical knowledge of web development and web technologies.
• Solid understanding of basic information architecture.
• High-level understanding or ability to learn intricacies of social media/networking sites.
• Creative skill in writing/editing high quality digital and print pieces.
• Understanding of print media and graphic design.
• Ability to produce text-based solutions to meet the communication needs of the District.
• Ability to understand and analyze numerical data and trends.
• Ability to meet strict deadlines.
• Willingness to work greater than 40 hours per week, including nights, weekends and holidays, both in and out of the District office, and to be on-call 24/7 to address urgent communication issues.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in Communication, English, Journalism, or related disciplines required.
• Ongoing training and certifications to remain current with the evolution of the communications field.
• Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in communications, public relations, or marketing, preferably in the public sector, with at least three years at a supervisory level.
• Five years experience utilizing digital channels to communicate with and engage audiences.
• Extensive experience in communicating effectively in written, oral, and visual means for a diversity of audiences.
• Experience handling sensitive issues and confidential information.
• Macintosh proficiency with a high degree of accuracy.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite software programs.
• Photography skills preferred.
• Knowledge of marketing and public relations are also preferred.
• Ability to speak Spanish as a second language a plus.
• Must possess and maintain a current and valid Driver’s License.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND CONDITIONS          

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Active job; while performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger; handle, feel objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, lift objects, talk and hear.
• The individual in this position must be reasonably physically fit and ambulatory.
• The individual in this position may work evenings and weekends in a variety of weather conditions.
• The individual in this position must be able to stand on his/her feet for an extended period of time, and at times lift items weighing between 25 and 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distant vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in this job is usually moderate.
• The analytical and personal communications nature of this work also requires an individual who possesses good visual memory and discrimination, auditory memory and discrimination, and significant interactive communication skills.
• Person must be able to travel throughout the county.
• Minimum exposure to hazards.

OTHER INFORMATION

This job requires a sighted individual (i.e., vision corrected to 20/20) for extended computer usage and requires an individual with normal hearing (i.e., hearing corrected to normal ranges) for direct [or telephone] contact with the vendors, employees and the public. Typing duties require sufficient manual dexterity. The personal communications nature of this work also requires an individual who possesses good auditory memory and discrimination skills and significant interactive communication skills.

Applicants must possess excellent critical thinking skills, attention to detail and advanced knowledge of the English language, including spelling, punctuation, grammar, format and rules of correspondence and the variation of these rules when working within a wide range of communication media.

 

SALARY

 

Pay Range: Grade 23

Minimum:    $54,912

Starting Salary: Commensurate with Experience