Public Information Officer

City of Cleveland, Ohio; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Cleveland’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is seeking a Public Information Officer to lead communications for sustainability and climate justice efforts citywide. The role oversees strategic communications, public information, media relations, digital and social media, brand management, content development, and marketing for city initiatives and events.

The ideal candidate will synthesize technical information for broad audiences and have experience in leadership, public-facing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Business or Environmental Studies.
• Minimum of three years of experience in a professional environment; governmental experience preferred.
• Knowledge of sustainability and climate justice principles and triple bottom line thinking.
• Ability to self-manage to complete projects on time and within budget.
• Familiarity with local, state and/or federal food safety and body art codes.
• Experience in training or workforce development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications plan aligned with CAP and MAP.
• Manage multiple projects with priorities, timelines and review processes.
• Identify and support communications needs for sustainability projects across City operations.
• Collaborate with external partners to advance CAP, MAP and sustainability goals.
• Provide strategic communications guidance to leadership and staff.
• Manage digital and social media communications, content, and paid promotions.
• Maintain Mayor’s Office of Sustainability website pages.
• Amplify Cleveland’s sustainability work on regional and national platforms.
• Produce communications and marketing materials, including reports, fact sheets, flyers, signage.

Skills

Public communications

Media relations

Project management

Social media management

Strategic communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications/PR/Journ Marketing/Business/Env Studies

Tools

Adobe InDesign

Canva

Hootsuite

Mailchimp

Eventbrite

SurveyMonkey

WYSIWYG website editing

Job description

Public Information Officer

Join a team of passionate changemakers in advancing sustainability and climate justice across the City of Cleveland. The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) works to implement community and operational climate action plans that have been built and updated in collaboration with residents, businesses, large employers, city employees, and other stakeholders. The MOS is dedicated to climate action advocacy and the just empowerment of all community members for the sustained resilience Cleveland, a thriving green city on a blue lake.

About the Opportunity / Job Summary:

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is seeking an expressive, mission-driven and professional communicator to serve as the Public Information Officer for sustainability and climate justice efforts at the city. The position oversees the MOS strategic communications portfolio, including public information and media relations, digital and social media communications, brand management, content development, and marketing for city initiatives and events that advance sustainability and climate action.?The position also entails regional, national and international audience engagement.

The ideal candidate is able to understand, synthesize, and effectively communicate technical and programmatic information, has professional experience with leadership, public-facing and internal organizational communications, and has experience in digital, video, audio and written communication channels.

Under administrative direction, is responsible for planning and administering a specific project or program for a City department. Serves as the administrative supervisor on projects or programs. Plans, assigns, supervises, and reviews activities of subordinate personnel. Monitors the project or program's operating budget and assists in the annual preparation of same. Designs, implements, and monitors procedures utilized in program evaluation. Develops and secures commitments from other City departments and agencies to provide services to program participants. Provides technical assistance or reviews program policies and procedures. Maintains current information and oversees the preparation of project status reports. Prepares financial and narrative reports and program applications. Communicates project/program status and information to municipal officials and/or public and private entities. May supervise employees assigned to the respective project. Performs other related duties as required. Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Business or Public Administration, Social Sciences, or closely related field preferred. Two (2) years of any equivalent combination of education, training and experience in program administration required. Must be able to lift and carry thirty (30) pounds. Valid State of Ohio Driver's License required.

Essential Job Duties:

• Lead the development and implementation of an annual Mayor’s Office of Sustainability’s comprehensive strategic communications plan, ensuring alignment with the Climate Action Plan (CAP), Municipal Action Plan (MAP), Mayoral priorities, and other City initiatives.
• Manage multiple communications projects simultaneously, establishing priorities, timelines, deliverables, and appropriate review and approval processes.
• Identify and support communications needs for sustainability-related projects and initiatives across City operations.
• Support collaborative communications with external partners that advance City CAP, MAP, and other sustainability-related goals and objectives.
• Provide strategic communications guidance to Office leadership, subject matter experts, and program staff regarding audiences, messaging, communications opportunities, and public-facing materials.
• Manage digital and social media communications, including content development, design, audience engagement, and paid promotions.
• Manage internal- and external-facing website pages related to the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability’s work.
• Support collaborative communications and information sharing with external coalitions and partners and identify opportunities to amplify Cleveland’s sustainability work through regional and national platforms.
• Develop and design communications and marketing materials, including social media content, graphics, and templates for reports, fact sheets, flyers, signage, and other digital and print products.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Business or Environmental Studies preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a professional environment; a governmental and/or large organization preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge, training or experience in sustainability and climate justice principles and triple bottom line thinking.
• Demonstrated ability to self-manage to complete projects on time and within budget.
• Strong knowledge of local, state and/or federal food safety and body art codes, rules and regulations.
• Experience in training or workforce development.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills (writing samples may be requested) and media training.
• Website editing, updating and management at WYSIWYG level
• Graphic design skills and familiarity with digital design software (Adobe InDesign, Canva, etc.)
• Proven experience with social media (Facebook, X, BlueSky, Hootsuite) and other online tools (Mailchimp, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey)
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite / MS 365

The City’s guiding principles are as follows: Placing Clevelanders at the Center, Empowering Employees to Do Purposeful Work, Defining Clear and Pragmatic Objectives, Leading with Trust and Transparency, Striving for Equity in All We Do, and Embracing Change. All City employees are responsible for embracing and carrying out these principles in all that they do.