Washington County Spanish/English Bilingual Communications Lead (Close Oct 3)

Spanish/English Bilingual Communications Lead

Salary

$33.30 - $40.47 Hourly

Location

Hillsboro, OR

Job Type

Full Time Regular

Department

Health and Human Services

Job Number

2021-215

Closing

10/3/2021 9:56 AM Pacific

THE POSITION


Are you interested in helping educate the community on waste reduction and recycling? Do you excel at outreach and communicating information to others? If so, join the Solid Waste and Recycling Division of Washington County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a Spanish/English Bilingual Communications Lead!

The Solid Waste and Recycling Division is one of seven local government partners responsible for advancing the Metro 2030 Regional Waste Plan. The plan prioritizes racial equity in its strategies to reduce waste, protect the environment and human health, and provide excellent garbage and recycling services to everyone.

Meaningful engagement with Washington County’s diverse community is essential to our success. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with program staff, community members and subject matter experts to plan, develop and implement communication strategies and key projects. Expertise in waste and recycling is not required. Training and support will be available to the successful incumbent.

The Bilingual Communications Lead is one of three bilingual positions on our dedicated and knowledgeable team, which includes two Bilingual Outreach Specialists. In this position, you will be responsible for working with the team to produce original content in Spanish and English. You will also collaborate with team members to transcreate contents by identifying needed changes to the message, style or tone so that the translation resonates for audiences while maintaining the existing intent.

The ideal candidate will:

  • have lived experience understanding Latino/a/x communities in Washington County and the Pacific Northwest;

  • understand and be committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion;

  • have strong writing and editing skills;

  • be able to communicate clearly and effectively;

  • have a collaborative leadership approach, exercising transparency and a commitment to learning;

  • have experience planning, organizing and delivering team projects and meeting deadlines; and

  • have experience with graphic design, the Adobe Creative Suite and/or video production is a plus!

Bilingual Positions:
Designated bilingual positions require that the incumbent have knowledge of the Spanish language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Skill in writing Spanish accurately; ability to speak Spanish fluently; and ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. If you possess these skills, you are encouraged to apply. An additional $55 per pay period for bilingual skills will be paid to qualified employees. Pay periods are every two weeks.
To learn more about us, please use this link: Solid Waste & Recycling
Washington County values a culture of equity, diverse perspectives, and life experiences. Our organization embraces innovation, collaboration and work-life harmony. We offer job stability, a comprehensive benefits package, and an opportunity to serve and support our diverse community. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity and an inclusive workforce. Women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

Depending upon assignment, the incumbent may perform a combination of some or all of the following duties which represent the level of work appropriate to this classification:

  1. Provides public information and may serve as liaison with media regarding current activities of the County and/or assigned department or program.

  2. Plans, designs, develops and implements specialized informational programs related to County departments, divisions and/or public service programs to include:

    • Develops and implements a communications plan in coordination with the department director, communications coordinator, or other assigned program manager;

    • Identifies needs for public information and develops educational/informational outreach work plans;

    • Accepts requests from department/division personnel for communications/public information projects and develops work plans;

    • Supervises internal coordination of information for output to media and the public;

    • Identifies graphic needs by coordinating the design and development of graphics materials for print and online media; and

    • May oversee and direct information releases via social media channels, as assigned.

  3. Provides direct communications/public information through public presentation, outreach and other media channels as assigned. Acts as a general information resource, referring inquiries to appropriate department/division personnel; speaks with individuals and groups to promote community involvement in department/division plans; and may serve as a primary point of contact for information in case of emergency response by Washington County.

  4. Acts as liaison between the division/department management, community groups, business, and other public sector organizations; serves as a conduit for information to news media; explains department/division goals and plans; provides input to the department/division from outside agencies; identifies citizen attitudes and concerns; advises the department/division about communication/public information needs and methods; and makes recommendations about how to address public information needs.

  5. Assists in creating a positive and supportive work environment; enforces a safe workplace; establishes a culture of teamwork and communication; creates a workplace that promotes the organizational values of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion; and actively promotes an environment respectful of living and working in a multicultural society.

  6. Develops and prepares public service or program information for electronic or printed materials distributed to the public, community partners, and various social and broadcast media outlets/channels. Writes and edits web content, marketing and communications materials, and printed publications.

  7. Monitors and analyzes media data including trends from external and internal sources to determine effectiveness and to inform strategy. Assists the communication liaison with responding to or researching media information requests.

  8. Works with department/division management and/or communications coordinator to prepare and distribute news releases and other informational materials to the media; assists with the planning and organization of news conferences and media coverage, as needed.

  9. Arranges and coordinates community involvement functions, open houses, meetings, conferences, workshops, and training seminars. Promotes and advertises events through appropriate media channels.

  10. Coordinates and manages the recruitment/organization of volunteers to work in department programs and services, as assigned. This coordination may include contacting civic groups, developing advertising and public relations programs for recruitment; and developing information materials for use by potential volunteers.

  11. As assigned, develops and implements orientation and educational programs for volunteers; keeps volunteers informed of new resources, community activities, and programs, which impact their functions; evaluates volunteer personnel and program organization for effectiveness. Also initiates changes in coordination with departmental staff; and maintains records on volunteer programs for departmental use.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Education and Experience:
A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

  • A Bachelor’s Degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Affairs, Public Relations, Education, education in program-related area, or related fields; AND two (2) years of progressively responsible work experience involving the development and coordination of public information or community outreach programs, including demonstrated experience in communications and media relations; OR

  • An Associate degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Affairs, Public Relations, Education, education in program-related area, or related fields; AND four (4) years of progressively responsible work experience involving the development and coordination of public information or community outreach programs, including demonstrated experience in communications and media relations; OR

  • Six (6) years of progressively responsible work experience involving the development and coordination of public information or community outreach programs, including demonstrated experience in communications and media relations.

Additional Licenses, Certificates, Physical Abilities and Specialty Requirements:

  • Possession of a Driver's license valid in the State of Oregon and an acceptable driving record per Washington County policy.

  • Bilingual positions will require the ability to speak, read, write, and translate Spanish into English and English into Spanish.

Department of Motor Vehicle Records (DMV) Requirement:
Driving a motorized vehicle is an essential function of this position. Successful applicants must possess a valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record. To review the Driver's License and Record Policy for Washington County and instructions for submitting appropriate DMV documentation, please use this link: Driver's License & Records Policy.

Bilingual Communications Lead is a working title. This position is classified as a Senior Program Communication and Education Specialist. Washington County organizes its positions into classifications. Classification descriptions are typically written broadly. To review this classification, please use this link: Senior Program Communication and Education Specialist.

Please be clear and specific in the applicable sections of the employment application about how your background is relevant. This information must also be consistent with your supplemental question responses. Please note: Answers to the supplemental questions are typically evaluated separately from your application.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Washington County is committed to using a Merit Based System in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on their relative knowledge, skills, and abilities.

SELECTION PROCESS:
1. An evaluation of training and experience of submitted application packets will be performed by Human Resources. The timeframe to review will be the week of October 4, 2021 and may get delayed due to the holiday.

2. Candidates that pass the Human Resources evaluation will be invited to participate in an online written Spanish language aptitude examination. The timeframe for this evaluation is tentatively scheduled for the week of October 11, 2021. Candidates will also be required to pass an oral Spanish language test prior to a placement in the position. 

3. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel may perform a further evaluation of experience and training taken from your employment application materials to include responses to the supplemental questionnaire. This process may begin after October 25, 2021.

4. Our goal is to schedule oral panel interviews with candidates who successfully passed the Spanish language aptitude examination and SME evaluation step as soon as possible.  

Please note: candidates that are successful in the evaluation process may have their applications referred for additional vacancies in the same classification, or job family.

Veterans' Preference:
If you are a Veteran and would like to be considered for a Veterans' Preference for this recruitment, please review instructions using this link: Veterans Preference Points Instructions (Download PDF reader).

Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in the selection process for this recruitment. To obtain confidential assistance please contact Human Resources 503-846-8606, or e-mail at: hr@co.washington.or.us at least 48 hours before any step in the recruitment and selection process for which you feel you need accommodation.

Status of Your Application:
You will be advised by e-mail of your status at each step in the application process, from initial application to final employment disposition. Please note that Washington County communicates with all candidates via email. If you "opt out" or "unsubscribe" from email notifications from NEOGOV it will impact our ability to communicate with you about job postings.

Questions (?) Regarding This Recruitment
Yeji Seo, Talent Acquisition Business Partner
yeji_seo@co.washington.or.us 

Additional Resources:

* Washington County is a drug-free workplace*

Serving the Portland metro region in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.