Communications Specialist

THE CITY

Located in the gateway to the Los Angeles metropolis, the City of Paramount offers secure quality of life to its residents and a business-friendly attitude that has created a growing retail and services sector, with a thriving Downtown. Paramount's government is a stable, innovative, and financially conservative organization, and the City has continually invested in its infrastructure and emphasized code enforcement and assistance programs to help residents and businesses upgrade and maintain their properties.

For these reasons, the City has a distinctive appearance that appeals to current and potential residents. For its employees, Paramount offers a family-friendly organization that places emphasis on lifework balance and flexibility. City leadership highly values the input and impact of each employee. Rather than work from the top-down, Paramount chooses collaboration, fostering a professional, respectful, and fulfilling work environment.

The City of Paramount is operated by 7 departments:
City Manager, Administrative Services;
Planning;
Public Safety;
Public Works;
Community Services, and Finance.

With an operating budget of $96.2M, City population of 54,000, and covering 4.7 square miles, the City of Paramount is dedicated to providing fiscally responsible services that maintain a vibrant community that is Safe, Healthy, and Attractive! We value respect and ethical behaviors, adaptability, service excellence, and accountability. The City promotes innovation through teamwork, and providing effective, inclusive, and transparent public information and engagement.

Under direction, the Communications Specialist will perform advanced professional graphic arts and related work in support of Citywide public information and public affairs programs and activities. They will serve as lead designer, creator and producer of graphic materials for printing or reproduction; and communicate with staff to plan, design and layout text and art work and determine final output. The Communications Specialist will administer and manage the city's social media and digital platforms.

Lastly, they will coordinate, capture and edit digital media to promote and archive the City's events and disseminate information; and to perform other related duties as assigned.

• Prepare, design, create and produce graphic materials (e.g., advertisements, fliers, brochures, booklets, etc.) and digital media for printing or posting; format and arrange data; size documents as necessary; prepare materials for printing and distribution.
• Administer, and update City website and social media (You Tube, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) accounts and content; post newsletters and various other information relevant to the public; respond to comments and inquiries.
• Prioritize, plan and layout text and art work; select type style and size, fonts, spacing of letters and text lines, placement and size and type of photos, videos and art work to be used according to staff specifications.
• Confer with management staff to plan, design, proof and revise graphics jobs and determine product output from rough draft, work orders and oral instructions; review work submitted for production; proofread work to assure completeness, quality and clarity of original copy.
• Communicate with clients, staff and other individuals to exchange information and resolve issue or concerns related to costs, timelines, printing needs and new technologies as necessary.
• Serve as lead for social media team providing guidance and direction during events and obtaining or manipulating content.
• Conduct interviews and take photographs of administrators, staff and the public; attend, photograph and report on organization-related events and activities; photograph and/or film interview participants; live-stream City events.
• Assist other City staff in designing and preparing graphic artwork; provide guideline information concerning formatting requirements of large and complex documents; collaborate with administrators to develop appropriate lay-outs and meet organizational needs.
• Attend a variety of assigned meetings, events, committees and workshops.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

One (1) year of professional graphic art design experience and/or one (1) year of experience in social media or public relations involving writing content for information purposes. Or six (6) months of professional experience with a Bachelor's degree with coursework in journalism, graphic art, fine art, commercial art, or a related area.

Valid Class C California Driver License and acceptable driving record.

• Methods, practices, terminology, and procedures for public information communications
• Page layout and graphic arts design techniques and procedures.
• Practices and equipment used for photography and videography.
• Social media platforms and managing social media accounts.
• Terminology and procedures involved with the…