Communications Specialist
Division
Administrative Services
Starting Salary
$80,000 - $102,000 (depending on background and experience)
Key Responsibilities
- Translate real-time opportunities, technical information, and strategic cues from the Auditor General into clear communication assignments, issuing direction to appropriate team members and following through to ensure timely, high-quality execution.
- Assisting the Auditor General and the deputy auditor general with all media and press communications, and assisting with communications between the Office and external stakeholders such as legislative members and staff, representatives and officials from State and local governments, community groups, and staff from various media forms, as designated.
- Establish the communication infrastructure required to support the role’s long-term success, including defining workflows, intake processes, review protocols, and coordination points.
- Developing, implementing, and routinely evaluating a multifaceted approach for communications to best reach stakeholders, including creating a strategic communications plan to advance the Office’s brand identity and broaden community awareness, and evaluating that plan and modifying when necessary.
- Recommending communication strategies related to employees, including recruiting, retention, and employee engagement, and developing communications for approved strategies.
- Assisting with drafting annual report, certain report highlights, monthly legislative report issuance email, internal monthly e-newsletter and employee engagement messages, presentations, speeches, and messaging related to Office policies and procedures.
- Planning and executing the Office-wide annual meeting, including creating content and printed and visual materials.
- Tracking and managing communication deliverables and timelines, ensuring accountability across multiple stakeholders and proactively identifying gaps, overlaps, or missed opportunities in Office messaging.
- Illustrating concepts by designing rough layouts of art and copy regarding arrangement, size, type size and style, and related aesthetic concepts that convey accurate messaging and undertones as dictated by the project.
- Creating compelling and informative content from start to finish, including using formatting, layout, and print specs, and gathering information and materials through research and interviews.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, English, journalism, public affairs/relations, or similar field plus 5 years of experience in communications, media and public relations, or similar fields; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.
- High emotional intelligence, discretion, and judgment, especially in handling confidential and sensitive information.
- Ability to make quick and independent decisions, solve problems, work under pressure, and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Commanding yet collegial communication style with the ability to issue direction and follow-through effectively across teams and levels of leadership.
- Excellent writing, editing, research, critical thinking, time-management, verbal communication, message development, proofreading, layout and design, professional printing/publishing software skills, and interpersonal and negotiation skills.
- Proficiency in use of computer hardware and software including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, email (e.g. Microsoft Word, Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.).
- Proven ability to build systems, workflows, and communication infrastructure from the ground up.
- Strong interest in public service and improving State and local governments.
- Willingness to work in-office daily.
- Must possess and maintain in good standing a valid Arizona’s driver’s license.