Communications Specialist I/II
Job Summary
Are you ready to join a fast-moving Communications team with great pay, benefits, and plenty of creative freedom?
Spokane Transit is looking for a Communications Specialist to add to our in-house creative team. We are a small team that prizes high quality, speed and inventive solutions to our agency’s communication needs. We tackle just about everything Communications-related — customer and internal communications, promotions, advertising campaigns, social media, written and print content, video, photography, graphic design, website design and maintenance, event planning and more. In the last two years our four-member team has won seven national awards for excellence in public transit communications. We strive to be the best in our field and want to exceed expectations. This is what we do, and we love it.
STA is a growing agency and a highly stable regional employer — during the COVID-19 pandemic we had zero layoffs. Our benefits are great for families and some of the best in the Spokane region. Working in STA’s Communications Department is an opportunity to utilize your creativity and know that you’re helping provide an essential public service to our region. In short, this is a great place to make your career.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is an energetic self-starter with two or more areas of proven Communications expertise and proficiency or interest in everything else.
A successful candidate is not required to be an expert in each skill area listed below, but should have at least an advanced level in several areas, an intermediate level in several more, and an interest or desire to learn the rest:
Copywriting, editing and proofreading; social media management; graphic design for print and digital; photography and photo editing / management; video production, scriptwriting and editing; motion graphics and animation; event planning; vendor management. Airtable; Sprout; Microsoft Word; Powerpoint; Canva; Wordpress; Elementor; InDesign; Illustrator; Lightroom; Photoshop; Premier Pro; Final Cut Pro; Apple Motion; Apple Pages; Keynote; Wirecast; Lumen5
Our Benefits
COMPETITIVE SALARY AND GREAT BENEFITS!
Salary range Communications Specialist I $61,000 – $81,748/Annually
Salary range Communications Specialist II $64,508 – $86,450/Annually
Up to $3,000 in sign-on bonuses available
PPO Medical Plans (Vision coverage included)
Premera Blue Cross – Your Choice 250 Heritage Plus Plan
Kaiser Permanente CDHP PPO Plan
HMO Medical Plans (Vision coverage included)
Kaiser Permanente Medical Core Plan
Kaiser Permanente Medical Core Buy-Up Plan
Delta Dental PPO Plan
WA State Public Employee’s Retirement System (PERS)
PERS 2 or PERS 3
Deferred Compensation/457 plan
Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) employer contribution of $50/month
Employer Paid Basic life ($50,000), AD&D ($50,000) and long-term disability insurance
Pet Insurance
AFLAC Supplemental Insurance
Vacation Accrual Schedule (paid)
0-4 years of continuous service – 2 weeks per year
5-9 years of continuous service – 3 weeks per year
10-14 years of continuous service – 4 weeks per year
15+ years of continuous service – 5 weeks per year
Sick Leave Full-time employees – 96 hours per year maximum
.0462 hours earned per hour in paid status 8 hours per month maximum
7 Paid Holidays
4 Floating Holidays
Free bus passes for employee and dependents
Onsite workout facility
KEPRO Employee Assistance Program
Flexible schedule (9/80) available after completion of probationary period
For more detailed information on benefits Click Here
Examples of Duties
SOCIAL MEDIA
Create engaging social media posts and content; manage multiple social media channels and schedules; run paid advertisements; generate reports and analysis; craft campaigns; react to and follow industry best practices; interact with customers; create and follow social calendars; identify areas of improvement; ensure ADA requirements are met and surpassed; stay on top of new social trends and products; expand our reach and engagement. Being able to plan ahead, work fast under tight deadlines and react quickly is a must — as is consistent good judgement.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & PLANNING
Be ready to take agency goals and leadership direction to craft public and employee outreach strategies and quickly turn them into action. We are always asking — How can we improve the rider experience? How can we provide more timely and targeted customer notifications? What can we do to enhance our brand awareness? How can we boost public opinion? What cutting-edge technologies can we utilize to better communicate our message? This is where asking questions and thinking outside the box is highly prized.
CONTENT CREATION
Create written and visual content to support agency goals, and be ready to take complex messages, issues and processes and convey them in a concise and efficient manner across different channels (such as social media, website, printed brochure, online video, etc.). One of our best resources is strong support from leadership to be creative and try new things.
Other areas the Communications Specialist would contribute to include:
Written content
Writing in all shapes and forms for every channel imaginable — social media posts and replies, website news stories and updates, marketing and ad writing, employee and department profiles, project summaries, newsletters, news releases, headlines, captions, brochures, rider education and instruction and more.
The ability to identify the appropriate writing style and switch between different voices for different audiences and channels is required. One constant challenge will be taking a complicated idea or process and being able to present it to the public in an instant and easily understandable way.
Photo / video content
Produce photo and video content for social media, digital monitors, websites, campaigns, presentations, and other channels. This can include filming, photography, video and photo editing, live streaming, scriptwriting, titles, motion graphics, animation, special effects, subtitling, sound recording, and audio editing.
Every member of our team has different specialties, and we make all types of videos — from 15-second loops photos and title graphics, to other more complex productions involving sit-down interviews, car-mount cameras, time-lapses, and drones. We have high-end computers, end-to-end video production equipment, and agency support to be as creative as possible. Videos we produced in-house have been nationally recognized as some of the best in American public transportation.
Digital media management
Schedule visual content to internal and public-facing digital monitors using a CMS; maintain and update digital assets in multiple local and online databases; follow a file naming and organization system.
Public outreach
Support for surveys; polls; web content; print materials; public displays and notices; in-person and virtual open houses; public presentations.
Media relations
Develop materials such as fact sheets, project updates and press releases for media; fulfill requests for information and content; support media events and facilitate access.
Events
Planning and support for internal and external events that include Bloomsday and Hoopfest, ribbon-cuttings, groundbreakings, all-employee meetings, and community events large and small. Work with local partners on events.
Promotional product development
Design, develop, produce and procure promotional products to enhance STA’s brand, publicize our services, educate and inform the public.
Education and Experience
Position level is determined based on experience and demonstrated skill level.
Communications Specialist I has a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; a high and demonstrable level of skill and experience in one or more skill areas; and interest or proficiency in other skill areas.
Communications Specialist II has a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; five or more years of professional experience in a communications-related capacity; demonstrable exert-level skills and experience in three or more critical skill areas; and demonstrable proficiency in other skill areas. Experience of up to two years may be substituted with additional demonstrable exert-level skills in core areas of job duty.
Interested in Applying?
A cover letter and resume are required with a completed application to receive consideration. For more information regarding this position, please contact David Cooper at 509-325-6088 or [email protected] This position is open until filled.
Spokane Transit is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity/race, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or veteran status.
