Asst To The Commissioner, Public Information - Anticipated Vacancy

State of Maine; Augusta (ME); On-site; USD 69,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work-Life Balance

Health Insurance Coverage

Dental Insurance

Retirement Plan

Gym Membership Reimbursement

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Public Service Student Loan Forges s-?

Living Resources Program

Parental leave

Job summary

The Maine Department of Public Safety seeks an Assistant to the Commissioner, Public Information, serving as the Public Information Officer (PIO). The role focuses on responding to media inquiries, managing DPS social media, and producing news releases and departmental materials.

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's in Journalism/Communications/Public Relations and at least eight years of media/public relations experience, with strong communication and training skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations or related field; eight years of media/public relations experience preferred.
• Public speaking experience and knowledge of legislative process preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate, direct, and provide responses to news media inquiries on sensitive issues in Maine law enforcement.
• Manage the department’s public relations program and social media platforms.
• Provide media training and write/edit news releases, reports, speeches, and materials for dissemination.
• Advise department managers on public communication strategy trends.

Skills

Media relations

Public speaking

Public information

News releases

Communication strategy

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Communications/Public Relations or related field

Job description

If you are a current State of Maine employee, please submit your application through the internal application process using the Find Jobs report in PRISM. Seasonal employees who do not have PRISM access should apply through the State’s career page and indicate on the application that they have previously worked for the State.

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Department of Public Safety

Opening Date: October 16, 2026

Closing Date: November 6, 2026

Job Class: HC03/Confidential

SALARY RANGE: Grade 28 $69,472.00 - $105,248.00/Annually

POSITION LOCATION: Augusta

The Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking a dynamic individual to serve as the Assistant to the Commissioner, Public Information. This position serves as the Public Information Officer (PIO) for DPS and is responsible for providing responses to media inquiries on some of the most important issues in Maine law enforcement. The position manages the social media platforms of the Department as well as writing and edits news releases, departmental reports, and other informational materials.

The position manages the DPS public relations program. This involves public outreach, coordination with media representatives throughout the state, and keeping the DPS social media sites up to date. The position also provides media training throughout the state and will develop a process to facilitate the flow of information between DPS and the media.

The PIO provides media support for the various entities throughout DPS such as the Maine State Police, the Bureau of Highway Safety, the Fire Marshal’s Office and Maine Drug Enforcement. In this role, the PIO maintains the state’s official homicide list, which assists investigators, prosecutors and the public on the most serious crimes in Maine, including whether the homicides were domestic violence and/or drug related. The PIO also advises department managers of public communication strategy trends that affect how DPS responds to crime, media relations, and legislative oversight. Due to the nature of the position, hours worked are often outside of the regular business day.

The ideal candidate will have exceptional communication and relationship building skills, training development and implementation experience, be familiar with the State’s budgetary and legislative process, can work and plan beyond the immediate pressures, have the ability to adapt to changing priorities and accept new challenges; and, have a strong commitment to effectiveness and efficiency. The ability to communicate effectively, both in a public speaking forum and through written communication, is essential.

This position reports to the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinates, directs, and provides responses to news media inquiries on some of the most sensitive and important issues in Maine law enforcement, including homicides and major criminal investigations, as well as the programs and activities of the department. This involves the gathering and coordination of such information from expert sources throughout the department, as well as other entities in and out of state government.
• Manages the DPS public relations program. This involves public outreach, coordination with media representatives throughout the state, and updating the department’s social media platforms.
• Provides media training throughout the state.
• Write and edit news releases, department reports, speeches, and other informational material to disseminate information.
• Confers with media representatives, photographers, and the public to create awareness of agency activities.
• Compiles and edits the state’s official homicide list.
• Advises departmental managers of public communication strategy trends.
• Provides media support for the various entities within DPS.

The background of a well-qualified candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Leadership: effective communication, adaptability, and relationship building.
• Strong organizational skills: to include exercising time-management skills to meet expectations and follow through on commitments.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.

Minimum Requirements:

A Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations or a related field, with at least eight (8) years of experience in media and/or public relations. Related professional experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

Public speaking experience, proven media relations, and knowledge of the legislative process are preferred.

Contact Information:

Dottie Perry, Human Resources, at [phone] or [e-mail];_ _

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce’s health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
• Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($11,857.68-$13,950.24 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
• Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements.
• Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value).
• Retirement Plan – The State of Maine contributes 18.86% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.
• Gym Membership Reimbursement – Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts – Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness – The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office.
• Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
• Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive calendar days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Voluntary Deferred Compensation – Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.

State employees are eligible for an extensive and highly competitive benefits package, covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated for anything less than full-time.

There’s a job and then there’s purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.

If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

_ Thinking about applying? _

Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your experience and passion set you apart.

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If you are unable to complete the online application, please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.