Communications Consultant for Safer Products for Washington (Communications Consultant 4)

The Hazardous Waste Toxics Reduction program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Communications Consultant for Safer Products for Washington (Communications Consultant 4) position.

This position is locatedin our Headquarters Office inUpon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

In this position, you’ll work with multiple teams of subject matter experts to help them find ways to convey complex, highly technical, and scientific information and data to a diverse array of audiences.

Information must be shared with key stakeholders within various industries as well as lawmakers, the media, and the public.

Using your highly-developed communications skillset, you will :

• Build partnerships and collaborative relationships by producing communications products such as blog posts, news releases, social media content, focus sheets, infographics, and more that help explain complicated material in simple ways.
• Collaborate directly with our program's scientists, as well as other communication team members, to produce and organize high quality publications that help the community understand how to manage and reduce their hazardous and dangerous waste.
• Interact with the media and provide interviews when necessary, as well as support the Communications Manager in their absence.

Agency Mission : Ecology's mission is to protect, preserve and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Program Mission : The mission of the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program is to protect Washington’s residents and environment by reducing the use of toxic chemicals, safely managing dangerous waste, preventing new contaminated sites, and cleaning up contamination.

Tele-work options for this position : This position will have flexibility of a hybrid schedule, empowering work from home and office, providing less time in traffic and shrinking your carbon footprint.

This position will be eligible for up to a 90% tele-work schedule.Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in other information.

Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change. Application Timeline : This position will remain open until filled;

we will review applications on July 5, 2024. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before July 4, 2024 .

If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following :

About the Department of Ecology

Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference.

Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our .

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering :

• A healthy life / work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
• An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Continuous growth and development opportunities.
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity : We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity : We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive. Inclusion : We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect : We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.

Duties

Do you enjoy seeing how various communication pieces fit together anddeveloping the strategy, messaging, and materials to convey key details to interested parties?

This position is responsible foroverseeing and driving communications about Safer Products for Washington, one of the most forward-thinking, proactive programs in the country that helps eliminateharmful chemicals’ use in consumer products.

In this role, you would work with planners, toxicologists, specialists, and other coworkers tocoordinate communication efforts, understand intended audiences, simplify complex messaging, and review and approve messaging related to Safer Products for Washington.

You would also support other initiatives in the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program as needed.

What you will do :

Coordinate concurrent communication efforts across Safer Products for Washington cycles and phases; determine effective points to consult the public, community-based organizations, and other interested parties.

Participate in equity analyses and engagement work; use insight from these activities to inform communication strategy.

Simplify Safer Products for Washington’s complex messaging as much as possible, serving as the project’s plain language expert;

develop messaging that clearly communicates the law’s milestones, progress, and requirements.

Ensure all communications materials are clear, completed on a deadline, reviewed by the necessary team members, and meet document accessibility standards.

Identify and foster creative content opportunities, such as social media content, blog posts, news releases, and other promotional materials.

Edit technical and legislative reports for accuracy, clarity, organization, plain talk, and accessibility before publishing or distributing.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time.

We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked.

Examples of the proration calculations are :

• 30 hours worked per week for 20 months : (30 / 40) x 20 months 15 months full-time equivalent
• 20 hours worked per week for 12 months : (20 / 40) x 12 months 6 months full-time equivalent

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience.

See below for how you may qualify.

Required Qualifications :

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational and volunteer experience.

See below for how you may qualify.

A total of Seven (7) years of experience and / or education as described below :

Professional level Experience in : Journalism, public relations / information, news media, digital / social media, marketing, digital accessibility, writing / editing, or a related field.

Education : Journalism, communications, public relations, news media, digital / social media, English, marketing, humanities, or closely allied field.

See chart below for a list of ways to qualify for this position :

Possible Combinations.

College credit hours or degree.

Years of professional level experience as listed above.

Combination 1

No college credit hours or degree

7 years of experience.

Combination 2

I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.

6 years of experience.

Combination 3

I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).

5 years of experience.

Combination 4

I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits.

4 years of experience.

Combination 5

A Bachelor's Degree.

3 year of experience.

Combination 6A Master's Degree or higher. 1 year of experience.

Desired Qualifications :

Experience editing scientific or other technical content into plain language.

Experience managing team projects from beginning to end.

Experience planning and implementing a communications strategy.

Note : Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.