Are you looking for a career where you make a difference and have an impact? Are you a go-getter with skills in media interaction, social media engagement, and website management?

Do you want a meaningful spot on our team that allows you to work with the public, the media, and engage frequently on social media?

We want YOU to join our team!

The Weld County Sheriff's Office is recruiting for a Public Relations Officer to join the team. The primary media link between the agency and the citizens of Weld County.

The Public Relations Officer duties include serving as a liaison with the public and media outlets, website management, and social media management for the Sheriff's Office. The Public Relations Officer seeks out opportunities for engaging with the public, creating positive media attention, performing outreach work, and making and maintaining connections with media network professionals.

Supervision received:

Works under supervision of the Sheriff and Undersheriff or administrative superior.

$32.51 - $41.19 per hour plus benefits (see benefits tab on the job posting). The position will normally start at $32.51 per hour.

As an applicant for this position, you should be aware of Senate Bill 19-085, the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The act requires employers to announce the pay range for job openings. This range encompasses the nine pay steps available should you receive the position and demonstrate satisfactory performance over time.

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

To perform this job successfully, an individual must meet the qualification requirements and be able to perform each essential, and additional, job duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned. Any one position may not include all the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all duties which may be found in positions of this class.

Media Communication

Responsible for all communication, proactive and reactive, with media outlets, including weekly case highlights, press releases, booking photo releases, and other media requests.

The Public Relations Officer will need to be able to do the following :

• Work with the Sheriff, Undersheriff, and Administrative Support Manager on responses to CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) requests.
• Schedule press conferences upon request of the Sheriff.
• Coordinate and schedule media interviews with agency personnel, upon request and with approval of the Sheriff.
• Be available to take after-hours calls to coordinate press releases for significant events, and occasionally respond to the scene or office to coordinate in-person interactions with the media.
• Develop and write talking points for radio, television, and print interviews.
• Participate in local and statewide PIO (Public Information Officer) groups.

Website and social media

Responsible for administering the website and social media accounts for the Weld County Sheriff's Office, to include, but not limited to:

• Post press releases to social media and ensure the releases link to the news section of the Sheriff’s Office website.
• Update and maintain social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, or other appropriate platforms.
• Create content, not aimed necessarily for media outlets (i.e., feature stories on the office or employees, feature videos, sentences on cases that are not high-profile, etc.).
• Post weekly case highlights.
• Maintain and refresh department pages on the website.
• Assist in developing informational brochures for the community.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Satisfactory completion of a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, communications, criminal justice, political science or related field.

Preferred Work Experience:

• Employment experience in similar field such as, journalism, public relations, communications, criminal justice, political science, preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Valid State-issued driver’s license

Physical Demands

• Must have the ability to stand, sit, and walk.
• Specific vision abilities, and/or corrected vision abilities, are required, including; dual vision, close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Hearing sufficient to converse via telephone or in person Language Skills

Must have the ability to read, write, and speak English.

Mathematical Skills

Basic math skills, including; addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; and the ability to count, sort, and categorize inventory items.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables, in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Other necessary requirements

Ability to operate telephones, computer terminal, keyboard, photocopier, and printer/scanning instrumentation.

Work Environment

Work is performed in office and outdoor environments with extended periods of sitting, standing, or walking. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.