We support agency leadership and lead strategic communications, public information and environmental outreach efforts. We develop and lead communications planning for high-profile, complex environmental issues affecting our entire state.

We’re leaders when it comes to sharing information via the news media, the web and through social media. We’re always looking for ways to improve how we share our interesting and challenging stories. Maybe you’ve seen some of our compelling stories on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog. If you haven’t, check us out.

As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, teamwork, professionalism and accountability.

To learn more about our agency, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov.

We work on some of the highest profile environmental challenges facing Washington. We need a Communications Manager who can provide clear, accurate and timely communications to explain our work, why it matters, and the science behind it to diverse audiences. Most of the issues and projects this communications manager works on involve air quality, public health and responding to climate change.  The communication manager partners with other federal, state and local government agencies as well as local communities to protect people and the natural environment.

As part of the Communications team, you’ll be joining a fast-paced, dynamic and strategic team. We create, innovate, lead, and foster partnerships inside and outside the agency. As a team:

• We average 1,000 media interviews annually.
• We average more than 8 million visits to our website annually.
• And our Facebook and Twitter accounts are verified.

The Communications Manager position plans, organizes, directs and manages integrated communications strategies for Ecology’s executive management and our Air Quality Program.

Some key work activities include:

Strategic communications, planning, and managing:

• Leads issues management and manages communications planning and strategy.
• Designs, organizes, develops and implements public information and public involvement plans and activities.
• Advises program management on communications goals and objectives, policy, public involvement, citizen engagement, media relations, social media, and stakeholder relations.
• Supervises the Communication & Outreach Unit in the Air Quality Program
• Writes for a variety of audiences and in a variety of formats: communication plans, news releases, websites, speeches, blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, videos and more.

News media and social media:

• Leverages news media and social media to share agency news broadly.
• Serves as media liaison and lead spokesperson for projects, issues and emergency responses.
• Plans, organizes and facilitates media briefings.
• Coaches and prepares executives, program managers and subject experts to succeed in interviews.
• Crafts news releases that dynamically blend the web, social media and graphics into enriching and compelling stories.
• Is proficient using all appropriate social media tools.
• Seeks to tell stories visually – incorporating photography, videography and graphics.

Web:

• Leverages the agency’s website as our greatest communications channel.
• Provides leadership on web content and strategy.
• Strategically writes for the web, as well as edits and organizes content.

Public relations and involvement:

• Represents Ecology in interactions with other governmental, business, and community organizations.
• Plans and organizes public involvement opportunities for communities – community meetings, public hearings, webinars, newspaper ads, social media ads and mailers.
• Writes and edits speeches, talking points, briefing papers and other strategic documents.
• Writes, edits, publishes, and distributes stories for Ecology’s internal website.

Emergency and after-hours response:

• Serves on the Spills program’s after-hours, on-call communications support team four weeks a year.
• Provides communications and media support for oil spills and other environmental emergencies as needed, including advising agency leaders on public information strategies and serving as lead media spokesperson.

Please Note: This recruitment is open to current Department of Ecology employees only. This includes employees working on temporary and project assignments at the Department of Ecology.

This recruitment will remain open until filled. The initial screening will be May 7, 2018.  In order to be considered for the initial screening, please submit an application on or before May 6, 2018. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.