ECMC - Public Information Officer (Marketing & Communications Specialist IV)

Full Job Description

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Are you interested in investing in a career that makes a difference? Consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

It’s our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today – and tomorrow.

That means we have to balance development with conservation so the state we all love provides similar opportunities for our children and their children.

We invite you to explore our website at https://dnr.colorado.gov/about-us to find out more about the work we do to manage Colorado’s natural resources for today – and tomorrow.

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

In addition to offering rewarding, meaningful work, we offer:

• Medical, Vision and Dental plans

• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax and Roth 401K and 457 plans

• Paid life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability coverage

• Employee Wellness programs

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Savings Accounts

• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave

• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options

• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system

• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

• Engagement with all external stakeholders ranging from the coalition of Local Government Designees to community members to DI communities to the public-at-large to ensure that the most complete and inclusive qualitative social information (in the form of public and stakeholder input) is available to inform decision-making and planning processes at ECMC.

• ECMC Commission communications including:

• Integrated public relations and media engagement strategy with clear channels for all key decisions and actions

• Engagement with the Governor's Office and legislature

• Response to and interaction with information received through the public complaint process

• Internal ECMC communications regarding the work of the Commission

• ECMC digital communication strategy, including the website and social media

• ECMC Public Information Program and media relations

• ECMC crisis communications planning

• ECMC executive written communications

Requirements

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

This position plays a key role in coordinating, implementing, and evaluating external communications across the ECMC’s 13 units to improve environmental and public health outcomes and build trust and mutual understanding among external audiences, particularly members of the press, and including disproportionately impacted communities (e.g., those experiencing higher cumulative environmental impacts).

This position works closely with ECMC subject matter experts and leadership to implement and strategize ECMC’s communications and works across a variety of areas, including but not limited to: media relations, SME communications plans, event outreach promotion, news releases, and digital communications (web, email marketing, social media, video), branding, and more.

The position supports public outreach/engagement promotion given that SB 24-229: Ozone Mitigation Measures requires ECMC to perform community engagement. This position supports ECMC’s community engagement promotion in areas where environmental justice is a concern and priority.

Under supervision from the Community Relations Manager, the position leads external communication messaging and works closely with subject matter experts, DNR and ECMC Communications team, ECMC Digital Accessibility Program Manager, and others as appropriate.

This position serves as an ECMC subject matter expert and resource on external communications and media relations best practices.

This position monitors and evaluates communications, objectives, data and analysis, and ensures implementation, evaluation, and reporting on those goals and objectives.

Furthermore, the position makes recommendations to modify communication methodology based on that assessment. The position evaluates the ECMC’s current communications strategies and practices.

In coordination with the unit manager, the position provides expertise and recommendations for continual improvement to ECMC leadership and program staff.

As a Public Information Officer, this position acts as an external facing spokesperson with the media and with other external constituents.

This position develops and supports partnerships between the ECMC with media organizations, state agencies, federal and local governments, and others to ensure alignment with and advancement of ECMC communication goals and objectives.

This position coordinates ECMC’s successful strategic implementation of communications requirements, best practices, and recommendations, such as plain language and language justice.

• The position serves as a dynamic, collaborative, and adaptive Public Information Officer and communications professional who builds trust with media outlets; disproportionately impacted communities; public and private partners, including NGOs and industry as appropriate; local, state, and federal partners; digital audiences; and ECMC, DNR, and state agency staff.

This position establishes networks for more extensive, strategic, and effective communications with media outlets, reporters, producers, bloggers, feature writers, TV/radio/film producers, disproportionately impacted communities, digital audiences, public and private partners, and other target audiences.

The position implements relevant best practice and requirements, such as the Colorado Environmental Justice Act and digital accessibility, into day-to-day activities and communications/marketing products.

• This position coordinates and supports multiple, simultaneous communications projects and processes to ensure they are on track, achieving the intended purpose, and that information is conveyed in a timely, appropriate manner to inform target audiences.
• In partnership and support from unit colleagues and IT colleagues, this position serves as the division’s digital communication lead by developing, implementing, evaluating, improving, and maintaining a digital strategy and conducting day-to-day content management in relation to web, email marketing, social media, visual communications/graphics, branding, video, and more.
• Lead and implement ECMC social media community of practice calls/meetings and lead division-wide social media community of practice calls/meetings to stay informed of, advise on, and educate colleagues and leadership about relevant policy, guidance, requirements, and best practices for social and digital media.

Serve as a translator, taking complex, technical information and turning it into clear, concise, and user-friendly content for lay person audiences and the media.

This includes planning, creating, and maintaining various forms of documentation, from instruction manuals to online help systems in close coordination with ECMC Community Liaisons, particularly regarding outreach to disproportionately impacted communities and community complainants.

Serve as complaint program auxiliary for Community Relations Liaison who is the Complaint Program Manager.

In this capacity, monitor incoming complaints, gather information required to assign complaints to the appropriate technical staff, and complete staff assignment form.

The Complaint Program requires 48 hour responsiveness; this position will only be responsible for this task at times when the Community Relations Liaison is on leave or unavailable; all other times this task remains primarily the responsibility of the Community Relations Liaison.

• Support Unit Manager in developing data for presentations about unit’s compliance with statutory requirements.

Oversee use of tools to track, assess, and evaluate outreach and communication initiatives for the Unit.

Use Google analytics, Siteimprove, dashboards, and other digital metrics/evaluation tools to identify and assess trends, challenges, and opportunities with ECMC content. Interpret data.

Make recommendations for improvement as needed in coordination with Unit colleagues and Manager.


Other Duties Assigned.

Qualifications

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Due to the 2025 hiring freeze, the selected candidate will not start until on or after January 2, 2026.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience Only:

Seven (7) years of professional experience in public relations or public information; government-related communications; public safety-related communications; risk communication; energy development/natural resources, natural hazards, environmental or related science-based communications, event and/or community engagement promotions, or an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position.

OR

Education and Experience:

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to seven (7) years

*Professional work involves exercising discretion, analytical skill, judgment and personal accountability and responsibility for creating, developing, integrating, applying, and sharing an organized body of knowledge that characteristically is: uniquely acquired through an intense education or training regimen at a recognized college or university; equivalent to the curriculum requirements for a bachelor's or higher degree with major study in or pertinent to the specialized field; and continuously studied to explore, extend, and use additional discoveries, interpretations, and application and to improve data, materials, equipment, applications and methods.

Please note: The required experience must be substantiated within the work experience section of your application. Your resume will not be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications; only the work experience section of your application will be reviewed to determine this. “See Resume” statements on the application will not be accepted. In addition, part-time work will be prorated.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Current or former State experience relevant to this position.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with diverse groups of people and adapting messaging to meet needs of difference audiences.
• Experience with digital communication best practices.
• Knowledge of Colorado's energy sector.
• Professional level writing, research and communication development skills.
• Experience converting technical/scientific content into plain language content.
• Customer service experience, previous public service experience, experience dealing with public, experience with complaint intake/response.

The current work arrangement for this position is as follows:
(Please note, this arrangement can be subject to change)

• Hybrid: This is a hybrid position that can work remotely from anywhere in Colorado with expectations of in-office Denver attendance for infrequent
  (quarterly) team meetings as well as in-person attendance at occasional events (0-3 per month) around the state as needed.

Conditions of Employment:
• Must be willing and able to possess and maintain a State of Colorado Driver's License
• Must be willing and able to travel to all regions of Colorado to attend events or hearings of the ECMC.
• Must be willing and able to occasionally exert up to 20 lbs. of force to move objects.
• Extended overnight travel may be required to attend meetings and training in other areas of the State.
• You must be legally eligible to work in the United States to be appointed to this position. DNR does not sponsor non-residents of the United States.

Pursuant to the DNR-120 Fleet and Driving Standards Administrative Directive, any worker who will be expected to drive a State-owned vehicle is responsible for maintaining a safe driving record and a valid driver license prior to driving any State-owned vehicle.

To be compliant with the new fleet vehicle policy, Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) will be pulled for review for workers who: Have an assigned State fleet vehicle

• Are required to operate a vehicle as part of the position

• Utilize a State fleet vehicle as a pool vehicle

Additional Information

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement.

• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.

• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement.

• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication.

• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.