FCOED – Communications Specialist

• Communications Specialist – Economic Development
• Frederick County Office of Economic Development
• Location: 118 North Market Street – Frederick, MD
• Salary: $53,475.00 – $85,560.00
• Job Number: FY25-00210
• Filing Deadline: 9/13/2024 at 4 PM

JOB INFORMATION

Exempt; full-time; 40 hours per week; Monday-Friday; 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with some evening and weekend hours; full benefits

Join the Frederick County Office of Economic Development (FCOED), a part of the Frederick County Division of Economic Opportunity, where we drive economic growth and community development in Frederick County, MD. We are committed to fostering a diverse, sustainable, and thriving economy by supporting local businesses, attracting new investments, and enhancing the quality of life for all residents. The Communication Specialist is a full-time, exempt position that plays a crucial role in our efforts to market Frederick County as a prime location for business and innovation.

This position is responsible for the execution and coordination of marketing promotional materials and comprehensive communications support to the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. Supervision is received from the Senior Business Development Manager, Business Intelligence and Promotion for Frederick County Division of Economic Opportunity.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members. If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full time benefited Frederick County Government employee.

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid scheduled holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County HSA contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and AD&D benefit
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Other employee paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, etc.

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and produce design content for press releases and a wide range of collateral including newsletter, signage, events, flyers, posters, infographics, brochures, flyers, etc. by working with FCOED staff and stakeholders
• Create graphics and draft text for social media posts; coordinate the review and approval of posts prior to sharing on various platforms
• Track and report analytics for marketing initiatives (websites, social media channels, YouTube, etc.)
• Draft blogs, articles, success stories, press releases, etc.; design print or online marketing collateral using appropriate online or print tools; update website content for FCOED
• Coordinate and support FCOED team projects, to include traditional and digital marketing campaigns, marketing materials, events, sponsorships and market research
• Provide communications support with outside vendors and across internal departments
• Organize meetings, maintain notes, and track deadlines for FCOED projects; entry data into different tools
• Research, track and distribute inventory of promotional items
• Assist and maintain consistency of FCOED’s branding
• Write and edit content for different platforms such as social media, websites, blogs and social media for approval
• Monitor and respond to customer inquiries submitted through online, email and via phone calls
• Maintain contact lists for e-marketing tools
• Assist, organize and coordinate special events for FCOED; assist with preparation of materials and arrangements for events such as name badges, registration materials, signage, speaker correspondence, rooming lists, food and beverage, promotional materials and travel arrangements
• Oversee the design and distribution of certificates for special events
• Attend events and take photographs; edit images and archive for future projects
• Represent the County at meetings and conferences; provide reports on information and action items discussed
• Perform other duties as assigned

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed above, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 2 years marketing and/or communications work experience
• Minimum 1 year of customer service work experience working directly with the public
• Intermediate skills in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
• NOTE: Additional years of work experience may reduce the education requirement

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES

• Knowledge of design, marketing, communication and social media software, tools and platforms
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills with ability to prepare and present clear, accurate reports
• Strong writing skills to support a range of content, including website copy, social media, email communications and reports
• Strong collaborative and teamwork skills
• Knowledge of marketing software (Constant Contact, Canva, etc.) Ability to accurately compile, analyze and present statistical reports and data
• Ability to effectively organize work, establish priorities, manage time effectively and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to use graphic principles to create original online/print marketing materials
• Ability to be flexible, act as a team player and provide quality internal and external customer service
• Working knowledge of the principles, practices and methods of informational and public relations writing, and of related media relationships, marketing and graphic arts design and production
• Ability to work independently, and complete assigned duties on deadline with minimal supervision
• Ability to solve problems and to develop solutions and strategies
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, business representatives, elected officials, other governmental agencies and personnel, media representatives and members of the public

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR

• Experience or training in Canva, Survey Monkey, etc.
• Experience or training in Adobe Creative Cloud software (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator)
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or related field

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS

• While working in this position, the employee is required to frequently sit and walk; occasionally lift up to 20 pounds, push up to 40 pounds, and reach; rarely climb or stoop.
• While working in this position, the employee required to frequently work indoors, work outdoors; and rarely walk on uneven ground, works in dirty and dusty environments, works in hot temperatures above 100 degrees and works cold temperatures below 32 degrees.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / EXAMINATION PROCESS

• Ability for varied working hours when needed for evening meetings and trainings
• Ability to provide own transportation to meetings and other commitments as needed

EXAMINATION PROCESS (may include)

1. An evaluation of training and experience
2. One or more interviews