Public Information Officer

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue; Tigard (OR); On-site; USD 85,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) seeks a Public Information Officer to lead media relations and digital storytelling for the Public Affairs Team. The PIO serves as the district’s primary media liaison and drives crisis communications and multi-channel content creation.

This role blends traditional press outreach with modern storytelling to protect and elevate TVF&R’s reputation, ensure transparent information, and engage communities during routine operations and incidents.

Qualifications

• Four years of relevant experience in public information, strategic communications, multimedia journalism, or digital content management.
• Bachelor’s degree in digital media/multimedia journalism, digital marketing or advertising, communications/strategic communications, public relations, or related field preferred.
• Incident Command System certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Builds and sustains strong relationships with local and regional media partners, manages daily media inquiries, authors press releases, and prepares on-camera interviews.
• Develops and executes external communication strategies aligned with TVF&R’s objectives; tracks media metrics to evaluate reach and outcomes.
• Develops and packages photo, video, and behind-the-scenes narratives; supports social media teams across digital platforms.
• Executes swift communication strategies during emergencies to ensure public safety and transparency.
• Serves as on-call public information officer responding to incidents with appropriate gear and communications equipment.

Skills

Media relations

Crisis communications

Content creation

Public speaking

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in digital media/multimedia journalism, digital marketing or advertising, communications/strategic communications, public relations, or related field

Associate degree

Job description

We are hiring for our Public Information Officer (PIO) position to help support our growing Public Affairs Team.

The PIO serves as the District’s primary media liaison and visual storyteller, building public trust and community engagement through strategic media relations, swift crisis communications, and modern multi-channel content creation.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) serves as the strategic storyteller, media liaison, and brand champion for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. This modern communications role bridges the gap between the district and the communities it serves by blending traditional media relations with dynamic digital content creation. The PIO is responsible for protecting and elevating TVF&R’s reputation, ensuring transparent public information, and driving meaningful community engagement across all digital and traditional platforms during everyday operations and critical incidents.

Key responsibilities include managing the public information process during high-profile incidents, driving proactive crisis communications tactics, and overseeing a modern multi-channel digital content strategy. This position requires an agile communicator capable of shifting seamlessly from rapid-response incident reporting to creative, long-form digital storytelling that highlights the skill, dedication, and organizational values of TVF&R personnel.

Consideration of candidates will occur immediately upon application receipt. The open period may close without notice as soon as a sufficient number of qualified candidates are received.

Media Relations

Builds and sustains strong, trust-based relationships with local and regional media partners rooted in professionalism and exceptional customer service. Manages daily media inquiries, responds to active incidents, authors press releases, and provides on-camera interviews or prepares subject matter experts/first responders for interviews. Ensures the timely, accurate delivery of information across all District platforms. Monitors media coverage to ensure accurate reporting and identifies areas of concern to leadership.

Strategic Communications

Develops and executes comprehensive external communication strategies aligned with TVF&R’s organizational objectives. Using a project management framework, collaborates with internal stakeholders to tailor campaigns for target audiences regarding new initiatives, public education, and community impact. Tracks and analyzes traditional media, social media, and advertising metrics to evaluate reach, report outcomes, and drive continuous improvement.

Content and Channel Strategy

Develops and packages existing photo, video, and behind-the-scenes narratives that showcase the unique skills, daily impact, and core values of TVF&R firefighters and paramedics. Supports and guides the employee-empowered social media team in creating, scheduling, and distributing high-quality, engaging content across all digital platforms. Ensures consistency of messaging themes for public facing communications.

Crisis Communications

Executes swift, effective communication strategies during time-sensitive, complex, or critical emergency events to ensure public safety and organizational transparency.

On-Call PIO

Serves as an on-call public information officer which includes prompt responses to emergency incidents with personal protective gear and communications equipment. Disseminates emergency incident details and public safety information in writing and verbally, within a wide range of time and planning constraints.

Education

Associate degree. Bachelor’s degree in digital media/multimedia journalism, digital marketing or advertising, communications / strategic communications, public relations, or related field preferred.

Experience

Four years of relevant experience, including public information, strategic corporate communications, multimedia journalism, or digital content management.

Certifications & Licensures

Incident Command System certification preferred. For additional information on the requirements for this position, see the job description.

5TVF&R evaluates each applicant's work history and responses to supplemental questions. Please be sure to thoroughly answer the application's supplemental questions to ensure our subject matter experts can appropriately evaluate your experience and qualifications.

Anticipated Timeline

• Applications accepted through October 15
• One-way recorded interview: Invitations sent as applications are reviewed
• On-site Panel Interviews: Invitations sent as applications are reviewed
• Tentative Start Date: December 1

Compensation

The monthly salary range for this position is $7,582 - $10,255 per month. The starting pay assignment is based on a candidate's bona fide factor analysis in accordance with the District's pay equity system and the Oregon Equal Pay Act.

Work Location

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue strives to provide exceptional internal and external customer service. To ensure a collaborative and supportive environment with both the public we serve and our co-workers, employees perform their work on-site at the Command and Business Operations Center, located in Tigard, OR. This position requires regular travel to offices both within and outside of TVF&R. Work hours may include evenings and weekends, along with participation in an on-call rotation.

Equal Employment Opportunity

TVF&R is an equal employment opportunity employer and seeks to attract a diverse workforce that reflects the community we serve in order to deliver safe, professional, and high-performance service.

Accommodation Requests

Persons needing accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act for any part of the application process should contact Human Resources staff at 503-649-8577. We accept operator relay calls. If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please call 711 for assistance.

Veterans’ Preference

It is the District's policy to provide eligible veterans and former state servicemembers (National Guard) with preference as required by law and as requested. Applicants must provide certification of eligibility for entitlement to the preference (e.g. DD-214 long form clearly showing discharge status) with the application submission by the closing date of the posting.