Senior Communications Specialist

Under general supervision, performs a variety of professional communications and creative content duties in the development and implementation of First 5 Alameda County's social media presence and communications strategy. Owns day-to-day management of the Agency's social media platforms and newsletters; develops a wide variety of content elements including copywriting, graphic design, and short-form video; provides responsible and creative support to Agency management staff in building community engagement and telling the Agency's story to families, partners, and the public, creates written content for use across various platforms;

drafts narratives to help uplift First 5 branding and for executive use.

Working directly with F5 staff to help create and produce responsive communications deliverables including presentations, social media content, talking points, brand identity etc.

Takes ownership of First 5 Alameda County's social media platforms - content planning, creative direction, posting cadence, and platform strategy - shaping what the Agency's voice looks and sounds like online.

Writes, designs, and produces original content - graphics, short-form video, reels, stories, and campaign creative - that makes early childhood policy and programs feel human, visual, and shareable.

Drives follower growth, engagement, and reach across platforms; stays ahead of platform trends and formats and brings fresh ideas to how a public agency shows up on social media.

Owns the Agency's day-to-day conversation online - responds to comments and messages in real time, sparks engagement, and builds genuine relationships with parents, providers, and community partners. Produces and helps grow the Agency's email newsletters, keeping content fresh, visual, and aligned with social campaigns.

Builds and runs an editorial and social content calendar tied to program milestones, community events, and Agency priorities; pitches campaign concepts rather than simply executing a schedule.

Develops platform-native content (video, graphics, copy) tailored to each channel's audience and format, from Instagram and Facebook to emerging platforms.

Supports website content updates, the Newsroom and resource pages, and maintenance of a clean, organized library of photos and video for the team to draw from.

Sets the tone for the Agency's social voice, acting as first-line quality control on brand consistency before routing content for final review.

Tracks and reports on social and email performance (engagement, reach, growth, click-through) through a regular digital metrics report, and uses the data to continuously sharpen strategy.

Keeps a pulse on social media trends, best practices, and what's working for peer organizations, and brings recommendations back to the team.

Supports executive communications by drafting talking points, remarks, or other content for Agency leadership as assigned.

Partners with program staff to translate policy and program updates into content people actually want to engage with.

Acts as communications generalist when needed to help fill needs on comms team, including but not limited to: drafting content, staffing events and principles, coordinating with outside vendors, reviewing and producing invoices for work, sharing opinions and reviewing staff needs/work etc.

Minimum Qualifications:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Additional experience and/or education can be substituted to meet typical qualifications. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience developing and producing digital content, managing social media platforms, supporting communications campaigns, and creating written and visual materials for diverse audiences, preferably for a brand, agency, non-profit or public facing organization bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, Digital Media, Graphic Design, or a closely related field.

Additional relevant work experience may be substituted to meet college coursework/training standards.

Additional Requirements Travel within Alameda County as necessary to carry out job duties. Some travel outside Alameda County occasionally required.

Knowledge of:

Social media platforms and analytics tools, and familiarity with social scheduling platforms.

Email marketing and newsletter…