Communications and Outreach Coordinator (Limited Service)

at State of Vermont in Montpelier, Vermont, United States

Job Description

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation's Division of Forests is in search of a skilled Communications and Outreach Coordinator. This position will take charge of communication strategies, outreach initiatives, and educational endeavors while collaborating with program colleagues. This exciting position offers you the chance to leverage your expertise and play a vital part in advancing the mission of the department. Join a dedicated team committed to the health, resilience, and sustainability of Vermont's forests.

The work revolves around enhancing our creative, promotional, and outreach efforts. This encompasses tasks such as writing, public relations, website maintenance, electronic publishing, and various promotional and educational activities. The perfect candidate brings experience in public relations, effective design principles, and a positive professional attitude. You'll need to showcase initiative, thrive in a dynamic environment, and share a genuine interest in the department's mission.

Key Responsibilities:

•    Develop various communication materials for public and stakeholder consumption, including press releases, newsletters, and engaging activities aimed at sharing forest and forestry information to a broad audience.
•    Maintain and update website content to ensure the availability of relevant materials, utilizing tools like Google Analytics to cater to user needs.
•    Collaborate with program leads and staff to create and implement outreach workplans for Division of Forest programs, ensuring effective communication of program objectives.
•    Redesign existing and create new outreach strategies that adhere to accessibility and inclusivity standards.
•    Leverage social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and more to effectively disseminate forest and forestry messages to communities and the general public
•    Organize and coordinate large external stakeholder meetings, managing registration, logistics, and outreach efforts to ensure a positive stakeholder experience and successful achievement of outreach goals.

This role demands a strong command of public relations, adeptness in using appropriate informational media for dissemination, an understanding of effective design principles, and proficiency in desktop publishing, website design, and crafting comprehensive communication campaigns. Strong organizational skills, interpersonal abilities, and exceptional written communication are essential. You should be comfortable working both independently and collaboratively.

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation currently operates in a hybrid working environment, supporting remote work as well as days in which all staff are in the office for meetings. Permission to participate in telework is applied for on an individual basis.

Duties are performed in an office setting. Incumbent must have available private transportation for completion of field assignments on a timely basis. Weekend and evening duty may be anticipated. Certain promotional activities, required convention attendance, etc. may require overnight stays away from home.