Public Affairs Manager (WMS BAND 1)

State of Washington; Olympia (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Washington is seeking a Public Affairs Manager in Olympia. The role leads public affairs and media relations, develops communication plans, and supports emergency response needs. The incumbent will work hybrid, with most days remote and occasional in-person requirements in Olympia.

The incumbent reports to the Communications Director and supervises the Public Affairs team, contributing to branding and stakeholder engagement across state government.

Qualifications

• Total of five years of professional communications experience or education is required.
• Supervisory experience is not counted toward the five-year requirement.
• Alternative: Bachelor’s degree with major in a relevant field plus one year of experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement public affairs strategies that align with agency goals.
• Manage media relations and communications planning across platforms.
• Lead crisis communications and incident response efforts.
• Direct the Public Affairs team and coordinate with leadership.
• Contribute to agency policy development and cross-agency communications.

Skills

Experience in communications

Supervisory experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in English/communications/public info/journalism/public relations/marketing

Job description

Summary

Public Affairs Manager

WMS BAND 1

NOTE: The hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the required posting period, and during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.

The position’s assigned duty workstation is located at: 1500 Jefferson St. Olympia, WA.

This position is eligible for hybrid work with most daily work remote but must be able to come to the Olympia location on an as needed basis. This position requires the incumbent to be available on evenings and weekends to support the communication, public relations, and emergency response needs of the agency.

Who we are

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) provides centralized business services to state government agencies; to other public entities such as cities, counties and tribes; and to Washington residents. DES’ mission is to strengthen the business of government for a sustainable and just future. Learn more about DES.

About the Opportunity

Communications is responsible for ensuring that DES is connecting with its audiences to achieve its strategic goals, assess and minimize risk, build and protect the agency’s public reputation and brand, and help agency customers easily understand, access, and connect with DES services.

Communications is a critical component of successful policy and government relations work, providing aligned messaging to support agency budget and legislative requests and stakeholder management for high-risk, sensitive, and politically charged issues. Work includes strategic communication planning, media relations, crisis and emergency response, agency brand, graphic design, digital platforms including website and social media, internal communications, public outreach, and all internal and external communication activities. Communications is responsible for creating communication plans to carry out federal, state, and agency law, rule, and policy implementations.

The Public Affairs Manager is a trusted and confidential advisor on matters related to the public affairs and media relations activities of the agency to the communications director, division staff and leadership, and by extension the agency cabinet. This position manages the Public Affairs team that plans, implements, and measures the agency’s public affairs and media relation activities. This position is a member of the Communications leadership team and helps inform communications policy. This role reports directly to the Communications Director.

Examples of duties

Responsibilities associated with this position include

Public Affairs

• Ensures public communication strategies and content are audience-driven, effective, build agency reputation, and support agency mission and strategic goals.
• Enhances the public awareness of DES through outreach and education efforts; including agency operations, sensitive public issues, agency and state projects, and policies, laws, and rules.
• Supports internal communications as part of public communication campaigns.
• Proactively finds and develops public communication strategies that build DES’ brand and convey the value DES brings to the state.
• Finds issues of reputational risk and advises leadership on appropriate communication strategies.
• Provides tools and resources to other Communication teams to ensure aligned strategies and messaging.

Media Relations

• Manages agency media relation activities.
• Monitors and maintains relationships with news media.
• Consults with Governor’s Office on media strategy and activities.
• Manages process for media monitoring, assessment, and archiving.
• Influences and directs agency media relations strategy.
• Serves as a lead agency spokesperson.
• Ensures support standards.

Crisis Communications

• Provides daily management of the agency’s crisis communications plan.
• Ensures ongoing training to ensure Communications team and partners understand crisis communications plan.
• Serves as a lead on-call public information officer (PIO); manages PIO duty rotation during crisis response.

Lead Public Affairs team

• Supervises and directs work of Public Affairs team.
• Provides daily management, leadership, decision-making, coaching, issue escalation and resolution.
• Sets and measures team performance standards, connected to division and agency strategic goals.
• Manages and develops employee performance.

Leadership

• Contributes as member of Communications leadership team.
• Contributes to agency and statewide efforts.
• Assesses impacts and provides analysis.
• Informs Communications policy development.
• Provides cross-coverage for leadership absences.

Qualifications

Required Qualification/Experience/Education/ Competencies

To qualify for this position, you must have a total of five (5) years of any combination of qualifying education or qualifying experience. Experience may substitute year for year of higher education.

Please note that supervisory experience does not count towards the required five (5) years of professional communication experience.

[OPTION 1] Five (5) years of professional experience in communications, public information, journalism, public relations, marketing, or closely related field; AND Two (2) years of supervisory experience.

[OPTION 2] Bachelor’s degree with major study in English, communications, public information, journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, or a closely related field; AND One year of professional experience in communications, public information, journalism, public relations, marketing, or closely related field; AND