Summary
Description
It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.
Why Work for Aurora?
- Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
- Diverse community
- Competitive total compensation package
- Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
- Light rail station minutes away
- On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
- Access to innovation workspaces
PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Salary to be commensurate with experience
The hiring range for this position is $74,854.63 – $93,568.29/annually
The deadline to submit applications is December 17, 2024. Please note, The City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first come, first-serve basis; as soon as we determine to have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice.
OVERVIEW OF POSITION / DEPARTMENT
Aurora Water is responsible for enhancing and protecting the quality of life for Aurora citizens by providing quality water, sewer, and stormwater services in a manner that balances social, environmental, and economic needs. Responsibilities and roles within the organization include: operation and maintenance of the water, sewer, and stormwater systems; water purification and reuse water treatment; utility financial monitoring, planning, customer billing, and revenue collection; infrastructure planning and engineering, inspections, and management of the capital improvement program; public information and water conservation; water resources planning, acquisition, and development; permitting, watershed protection, and water and wastewater regulatory compliance; and administration.
Under the direction of the Manager of Water Public Relations, the Senior Communication Strategist will help with planning, development and implementation of public involvement and outreach programs for capital construction projects.
PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Writes, edits and assists in developing collateral such as project related fact sheets, meeting announcements, presentation materials, newsletter articles, traffic advisories and more
- Coordinates with Capital Project Delivery Services (CPDS) project managers to develop community outreach plans appropriate for individual capital projects
- Identifies stakeholders and utilizes GIS to and other data resources to develop contact lists
- Plans and executes community outreach to stakeholders impacted by capital projects utilizing mailings, community meetings, phone calls, and individual in-person meetings
- Assists in monitoring capital projects from the design and planning phase through construction
- Attends capital project construction meetings onsite or remotely
- Assists with internal coordination and communication related to capital projects
- Prepares monthly status reports on capital projects
- Works with interdepartmental offices to prepare graphics, maps, translations, and responses to customer questions and concerns
- Helps streamline and manage workflow processes
- Participates in maintaining accurate and updated information on website and SharePoint
- Helps ensure consistency with the city brand cultural identity
- Provides courteous, high-quality service to members of the public by personally responding to inquiries and project related concerns
- Performs additional duties as assigned
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS
An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communication, project management, business, construction management, engineering or directly related field
Experience:
- Minimum four (4) years of professional experience in community/stakeholder engagement, public relations, and/or communications
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bilingual (Spanish)
- At least 1 year experience in a public sector environment
- A general knowledge of construction issues and municipal government
Knowledge:
- Knowledge in Project management
- Knowledge in SharePoint
- Experience working with engineers and contractors on large construction projects
Skills:
- Hands-on experience with social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and NextDoor.com) and cloud-based social media manager platform
- Experience with web-based content management system for website content editing
- Excellent interpersonal, presentation, writing and oral communication skills
- Excellent computer/technology skills, especially in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint. Adobe Creative Suite a plus
Abilities:
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, customers and the media
- Handle sensitive or stressful situations with tact and diplomacy
- Ability to anticipate stakeholder needs and develop proactive strategies to meet those needs
- Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
- Prepare and participate in public presentations as needed
- Ability to meet tight deadlines
Licenses and Certifications Required:
- Colorado Driver’s License with good driving record
Essential Personnel:
- When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the city, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel
Physical Demands:
- Light physical work lifting at least 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds with or without assistance.
- Occasional lifting, carrying, walking and standing
- Frequent hand/eye coordination for operation of office equipment
- Vision for reading and interpreting reports and data analysis and preparation
- Frequent speech communication, hearing, and listening to maintain communication with employees and citizens
- Speech communication to give instructions and provide technical direction
Work Environment:
- Works primarily in a clean, comfortable environment; sometimes works nights and weekends
- Occasional work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions and some evening meetings
Equipment Used:
- Frequently uses standard office equipment including computer, calculator, multi-line telephones, and copy/fax machines
- This position may require the incumbent to occasionally use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment
For Veterans preference: Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer. We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants. It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace. A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.
Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check and drug screening. Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.
