Sr Specialist, Communications

City of Fort Collins; Fort Collins (CO); On-site; USD 63,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Flexible spending

Employee Assistance Program

Life insurance

Wellness program

Onsite health clinic

Career development

Job summary

The City of Fort Collins is seeking a Sr Specialist, Communications to join the Communications & Engagement department. The role focuses on strategic communications for Transportation Services and cross-department collaborations, delivering public engagement plans and media relations support.

Ideal candidates will have strong writing, editing, and project management skills, with experience shaping marketing campaigns and coordinating with engineers and SMEs.

Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (AP style).
• Ability to interact with City staff, vendors, and the public.
• Experience in strategic communications and media relations.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements public relations and strategic marketing plans.
• Directs press relations and acts as spokesperson when needed.
• Advises staff on information dissemination and media relations.
• Coordinate production with external vendors and contractors.
• Manage departmental marketing budgets and reporting.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Public relations

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

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POSITION TITLE: Sr Specialist, Communications (Full-Time Regular) (Classified)
REQUISITION #: req8654
DEPARTMENT: Communications & Engagement
LOCATION: 215 OFFICE BLDG
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Classified (Non-CBU) Classified Employee Benefit Highlights
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $63,369.00 - 105,615.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
ANNUAL ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $71,000.00 - 87,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 11:59 p.m. MT on 10/20/2026.

At the City, we are focused on finding the strongest candidate for the role, and we recognize that excellence can come from a wide variety of experiences and paths. When reviewing applications, we consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and lived experiences that align with the minimum qualifications. If you are interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to view your background broadly and highlight the skills and experiences that best prepare you for the role.

POSITION TITLE: Sr Specialist, Communications (Full-Time Regular) (Classified)
REQUISITION #: req8654
DEPARTMENT: Communications & Engagement
LOCATION: 215 OFFICE BLDG
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Classified (Non-CBU) Classified Employee Benefit Highlights
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $63,369.00 - 105,615.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
ANNUAL ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $71,000.00 - 87,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 11:59 p.m. MT on 10/20/2026.

At the City, we are focused on finding the strongest candidate for the role, and we recognize that excellence can come from a wide variety of experiences and paths. When reviewing applications, we consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and lived experiences that align with the minimum qualifications. If you are interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to view your background broadly and highlight the skills and experiences that best prepare you for the role.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile.
Post-Offer Requirements
- Background check(Background checks are considered in relation to the responsibilities and requirements of the position)
While the City of Fort Collins offers many remote and/or hybrid positions, all remote or hybrid work must be performed in the state of Colorado.

WhyWorkFor theCity of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, domestic partner, children) –eligibleonthe 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, and additional one-time bank of 40 PTO hours for new, full-time, Classified and Unclassified Management hires
• Retirement + companycontributions – after 6 month probation period andimmediate vesting
• Flexiblespending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSAor both
• EmployeeAssistance Program: counseling, legal,financialassistance
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Wellness program, workout facilities
• Employee/family onsite health clinic
• Learning and development opportunities at all levels in the organization with opportunities for career mobility
• Collaborativework environment

To learn more about The City of Fort Collins and Our Community, please read Our Community and Our Organization Brochure

Job Summary

The Communications and Engagement (C&E) department is seeking an experienced strategic communicator to join the central communications office for the City of Fort Collins. C&E is responsible for the City’s overall strategic communications direction and brand management, providing public relations, communications and public engagement strategy and support for City Council and leadership, as well as many other City departments and programs.
This role serves as a strategic advisor to Transportation Services which includes Parking, Streets, Transfort, Engineering & Transportation Planning. While the current area of focus is Transportation Services, this role may support other departments and programs as assigned.
You’ll work with various subject matter experts, other communications staff, graphic designers and video producers to develop communications, marketing and public engagement plans and campaigns for internal and external audiences. The Sr. Communications Specialist also provides event planning, survey development and content creation guidance.
The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of communications techniques, methods and platforms combined with excellent project management and interpersonal skills. This role requires the ability to cultivate and maintain effective collaborations across City departments to achieve shared communications goals and objectives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

• Develops and implements public relations and strategic marketing plans, policies and procedures.
• Directs press relations including serving as a spokesperson, contacting media to propose stories and feature articles, and crafting press releases.
• Works with engineers, subject matter experts (“SMEs”) and other professionals to develop strategic communication plans and foster positive working relationships within the department/division, with other City departments, and stakeholders.
• Advises and assists department staff with respect to information dissemination, marketing plans, media relations, advertising, web page and social media development and maintenance.
• Advises management on media relations, community relations projects and activities.
• May help coordinate departmental involvement in various types of public or virtual events.
• May contribute to decisions concerning outsourcing of projects, and coordinate production with external vendors, including copy shops, printers, mail houses, media, graphic design and independent contractors.
• Coordinates with others and may produce a wide variety of projects including posters, fliers, web and social media applications and maintenance, brochures, newsletters, speaking points, invitations, calendars, ads, presentations, press releases, feature stories, etc., using digital or traditional methods.
• May coordinate and assists with production of videos, and ads.
• Develops advertising/promotional campaigns and negotiates contracts for print, radio, digital, broadband and television broadcast media.
• Coordinates with others to develop and update video, web, social media and photography projects.
• Coordinates quality control procedures for producing high quality publicity materials that will be distributed to the public.
• Collaboration to ensure that all Title VI (specifically language access) and ADA requirements are met as they relate to service area issues and projects.
• Backup PIO assistance as needed by service area or other City departments.
• Manages marketing budgets, submit reports to management and SME partners with specific information upon request, and maintains electronic internal files.
• Assists with writing grants, strategic marketing plans, and other proposals as applicable.
• Assists with coordination of community event booths as well as speaking engagements for departments and City officials for community groups seeking information.

Management Responsibilities

No

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including expertise with AP writing style and editing.
• Ability to interact effectively with City staff, vendors and the general public.
• Typing, word processing and layout skills, including specific proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite software.
• Ability to work independently on various projects, as well participate as an engaged and supportive team player.
• Proficient in development and maintenance of web pages, including some technical knowledge of backend processes.
• Ability to conceptualize and analyze solutions for public information assignments.
• Ability to research, write, and edit technical and general information to develop a final product that is easily understood by general and specific customer groups.
• Knowledge of and experience working as lead or backup PIO manager in collaboration with internal and external organizations.
• Ability to make effective written and oral presentations to staff, City management and the public.
• Ability to handle multiple work assignments and meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to develop and manage a variety of project budgets and contribute to department budget analyses and reviews.

Required Qualifications

Minimum Preferred College degree or equivalent work experience. Some positions may require functionally related certification or advanced degrees Bachelor's