Communications Consultant

About WSDOT

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is a multimodal agency with a global reputation for excellence. Our dedicated workforce plans, designs, builds, and operates an integrated transportation system that safely and efficiently moves people and goods throughout the state. In addition to maintaining over 20,000 lane miles of state highway and 4,100 bridges, WSDOT leads an award-winning Active Transportation Plan, manages the world's longest floating bridge, and operates the largest ferry system in the nation!

WSDOT is seeking two talented Communications Consultants to join the Northwest Region in Shoreline, WA. In this highly visible role, you’ll lead real-time incident response communications, serve as a WSDOT spokesperson, and respond to media, community, and stakeholder inquiries often when the need is immediate and the work is critical.

From maintenance and emergency response to planned construction and major incidents, you’ll help people understand what’s happening on our state highway system and what it means for their travel. You’ll take complex, fast-moving information and turn it into clear, timely and useful communication across a variety of platforms. This role calls for strong judgment, creativity and the ability to see both the immediate issue and the bigger picture.

If you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, collaborating across teams and finding the clearest way to tell an important story, we’d love to hear from you.

Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, the Communications Consultant 4 will:

• Provide real-time public information and media communications during traffic incidents, emergencies and other significant transportation disruptions.
• Develop and implement strategic communications for WSDOT Traffic, Maintenance and Operations programs, priorities and emerging issues. Translate complex transportation, operational and technical information into clear, accurate and useful information for the public, media and partners. Develop and implement communications plans for maintenance and operations issues as they arise.
• Identify, research and respond to issues that arise and become progressively more independent as the knowledge base increases.
• Craft and implement short and long-term communications plans to meet external and internal audiences.
• Coordinate communications with WSDOT staff, partner agencies, transit providers and other stakeholders to ensure timely and consistent information. Review public correspondence and manage content.
• Communicate clearly and concisely through written materials.
• Draft and manage public-facing content, including news releases, travel advisories, web content, correspondence, talking points and other communications materials. Provide media relations and social media management to support real-time response and transportation demand management strategies.

To be considered for this opportunity, the following competencies are required
:

• Advanced Communication Skills
  — Produces clear, accurate and audience-appropriate written, verbal, visual and digital communications across multiple platforms, including social media, media responses, news releases, webpages, talking points, briefing materials and communications plans.
• Judgment and Decision-Making Skills/Abilities
  — Ability to assess communications needs, evaluate available information, determine appropriate actions and make sound decisions with limited supervision. Demonstrates the ability to prioritize competing demands, recognize when additional information or coordination is needed, and appropriately escalat[e] issues based on urgency, risk and potential public or organizational impact.
• Media Relations and Spokesperson
  — Responds effectively to media inquiries and demonstrates confidence, accuracy and composure during live, recorded and print interviews. Communicates clearly under pressure and represents the agency professionally and credibly.
• Technical-to-Public Translation
  — Translates complex transportation, maintenance, engineering and operational information into clear, accessible language that helps the…