Public Affairs Specialist

Job Title: Public Affairs Specialist
Department: County Manager’s Office
Reports To: County Manager’s Office 
Classification: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
Compensation Range: $65,000 to $75,000
Benefits: Employee Benefits | Lake County, CO 

Why join our team?
Join a workplace where public service meets opportunity. At Lake County Government, employees are empowered to grow, collaborate, and make a meaningful impact every day. We offer a supportive environment that values innovation and connection, with reliable compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a commitment to helping you succeed both professionally and personally.

Cultural Expectations

• Assume Good Intent: Approach each interaction with positive mindset and openness to understand others.
• Model Professionalism: Maintain high standards in behavior and communication that reflects our values.
• Apply County Wide Lens: Consider the broader impact of decisions on our community and organization as a whole.
• Be Solutions-Oriented: Focus on finding constructive solutions rather than dwelling on problems or challenges.
• Practice Servant Leadership: Prioritize the needs of others, fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Support Meaningful Work-Life Balance: Encourage boundaries that support personal well-being while achieving professional responsibilities.

Position Summary
The Public Affairs Specialist serves as the county’s primary point of contact to disseminate current and accurate information to stakeholders, media and the public regarding county operations and initiatives. The position is responsible for developing strategic communications plans, standardizing communications procedures and protocols, and communicating effectively verbally and in writing to various stakeholder groups. The position supports the County Manager’s Office by planning outreach and public engagement events and developing briefings, presentations, and other communications collateral to increase public awareness and governmental transparency. As a liaison with the community, the position monitors media and social media to keep leadership apprised of public sentiment. The position also serves as the county’s public information officer during emergency and disaster response.

General Duties and Responsibilities
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Essential Functions

• Develops strategic communications plans and standard operating procedures for the submission, review, and clearance of official county messaging.
• Plans and implements stakeholder engagement and outreach events including community meetings, listening sessions, town halls, etc.
• Communicates official county messaging through various channels – including but not limited to speaking engagements, news releases, social media, website, newsletters, etc.
• Maintains relationships with county staff and remains apprised of developments within departments to provide public affairs and communications support.
• Maintains relationships with external partners and the media to effectively communicate items of relevance to various audiences.  
• Establishes and enforces vetting protocols for all public-facing digital content to ensure brand consistency, unified messaging, accuracy and compliance across departments.
• Manages the county website and develops approval protocols for the design and posting of official information. Ensures website is accurate and up to date through regular revision process.
• Manages official county social media accounts and coordinates social media posting and campaigns across departments. Ensures consistent branding and messaging.
• Drafts and designs flyers, presentations, talking points, and official county messaging to be disseminated to the public.
• As directed, serves as the county’s official spokesperson on matters approved by the County Manager’s Office.
• Drafts memos, speeches, presentations, talking points, and background and briefing materials for county leadership.
• Supports internal communications from the County Manager’s Office to county staff, the Board of County Commissioners, and the County Leadership Team.  
• Monitors media and social media and provides trend reports to the County Manager’s Office.
• In collaboration with the Office of Emergency Management, serves as the county’s Public Information Officer during times of disaster or emergency response.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Not Applicable

Requirements
Compensation will be determined by the applicant’s full skillset with consideration of the below:

• APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT 3 WRITING SAMPLES WITH THEIR APPLICATION PACKET
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public affairs, public administration, political science, public policy, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 3+ years experience in public affairs, government relations, communications, advocacy, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience running communications or social media campaigns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience designing communications collateral to disseminate messaging to various audiences.
• Ability to break down complex subjects into plain language to brief superiors and/or stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.  
• Travel to conferences or events within and outside of the state of Colorado may be required.
• Must be available to respond to urgent county communications needs at any moment, including working evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred.
• FEMA Public Information Officer certifications, or the ability to obtain certifications, is preferred.

Hazard Notice
Not Applicable

Physical Activity & Work Environment

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Prolonged periods of standing or walking.
• Occasionally pushing, pulling, or moving objects.
• Use of hands for repetitive motions such as typing, writing, or operating equipment.
• Operation of standard office equipment (computers, phones, copiers, etc.).
• Visual acuity to read and produce accurate documents and materials.
• Hearing ability sufficient to respond to spoken communication.
• Standard office environment with controlled temperature and lighting.
• Interaction with the public, sometimes in high-pressure or emotionally charged situations.
• Occasional travel to offsite locations or satellite facilities.
• Work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, or high-volume environment.
• May be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, or be on-call during emergencies or breaking public affairs situations.

Applicant Notice
Lake County Government posts all official employment opportunities on its careers page linked here. Positions may also appear on external job boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter through our applicant tracking system.

Please be aware that unauthorized third parties may repost or imitate job listings. The most accurate and up-to-date information will always be available on our official website. Applicants are recommended to apply directly through our career page and should not provide personal information outside of the official application process.

EOE Statement

Lake County is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. Assistance or accommodation during the application process due to a disability is available upon request.

Notice of Work Authorization Requirement

Applicants must be authorized to lawfully work for any employer in the United States. Lake County is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa.

Notice of Emergency/Disaster Responsibilities

All Lake County Employees may be required to work as a Disaster Service Worker when a local declaration of emergency or disaster is declared by the Board of County Commissioners. To be prepared for this role, all employees and emergency service function (ESF) leads will attend emergency management trainings and exercises as requested by the Director of Emergency Management. With advanced notification from OEM, employees will make reasonable efforts to attend training events in coordination with other employees and supervisors.

Other Duties

Please note that this job description does not intend to cover or contain a full comprehensive list of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Expected Duration of the Application Process

Due to the nature of the application and selection process for Lake County full-time positions, applicants can reasonably expect the application process to take a significant amount of time to complete before a decision is made to hire or not to hire. Typically, it takes approximately two (2) to four (4) weeks from the date of application to complete the entire selection process. The length of time it takes to complete the process can vary depending on a variety of factors. Please note that this is an estimated duration of the selection process.