Communications Aide/Bilingual

City of Rochester (NY); City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Rochester (NY) seeks a staff member in the Bureau of Communications to monitor and research Freedom of Information requests. The role may involve coordinating and editing public information in English and Spanish under supervision of the Director.

Residency in the City is a requirement within one year of hire. The position uses English and Spanish in producing and sharing information and may involve budget tasks and confidentiality considerations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or closely related field
• Bachelor's degree and one year full-time public contact experience providing written information
• Associate's degree and two years of experience as described in B)
• High school diploma or GED with four years of experience as described in B) above

Responsibilities

• Collect and organize data for responding to Records Access Requests and preparing status reports, new releases, and speeches
• Gather information from Bureau staff, City departments, and the public as needed
• Process applications for records access under FOIL from the general public
• Prepare written material in English and Spanish for the Bureau
• Assist in preparing the Bureau's operating budget and proofreading written copy
• Maintain confidential records and update computer files as required
• Coordinate projects and supervise clerical/technical staff where applicable

Skills

Data collection

Public information materials

Bilingual English/Spanish

Written communication

Editing/proofreading

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's degree (English/Public Relations/Communications/Journalism)

Bachelor's degree + 1 year public contact experience

Associate's degree + 2 years relevant experience

High school diploma + 4 years relevant experience

Job description

This is a staff position in the Bureau of Communications responsible for monitoring and/or researching Freedom of Information requests submitted to the City. Employees of this class may also assist in coordinating, preparing or editing public information materials both in English and Spanish. The employee works under the general supervision of the Director. Supervision of others is not a responsibility of employees in this class. Performs related work as required.

Under the NY HELPS Program, the Civil Service Exam for this title has been waived. For additional information regarding the NY HELPS Program, please visit: https://www.cs.ny.gov/help/faq.cfm

CITY RESIDENCY WILL BE REQUIRED WITHIN ONE YEAR OF HIRE.

• Collects and organizes data for a variety of purposes, such as responding to Records Access Requests, preparation of status reports, new releases, briefing papers and speeches, website pages or other public information formats;
• Gathers information from and provides information to Bureau staff, City departments, and the general public, as needed;
• Processes applications for records access, under the Freedom of Information Law, from the general public;
• May prepare a variety of written material, both in English and Spanish, for the Bureau, such as monthly reports on status of Records Access Requests, new releases, briefing papers and speeches, website pages or other public information formats;
• May assist in the preparation of the Bureau's operating budget (e.g., making budget estimates based on Bureau performance indicators of the previous year);
• May edit and proofread written copy;
• Maintains and updates computer files for a variety of purposes;
• May coordinate projects and work produced by clerical and/or technical personnel;
• Maintains confidentiality of records when needed as part of the Records Access process.

• A. Bachelor's degree in English, Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or closely related field;
• B. Bachelor's degree AND one (1) year full-time experience or its part-time equivalent of public contact work which involved providing written information;
• C.Associate's degree AND two (2) years of experience as described in B) above;
• D.High school diploma or G.E.D. AND four (4) years of experience as described in B) above.