Description

The Village of Mundelein is seeking a highly-motivated individual, proficient in emerging technologies to fill the role of  the Communications and Community Engagement Manager position. Under the general direction of the Village Administrator and Deputy Village Administrator, the ideal candidate will develop, plan, facilitate, and manage the activities of the Village’s public information program for all programs, events, policies, and issues. Coordinating all media and digital communications, specifically the Village’s web presence, website management and social media strategy, is a critical to the role. Responsible for the overall design, development, and implementation of community engagement strategies and programs. The Village of Mundelein offers a comprehensive benefits package including IMRF pension benefits, medical, dental and vision insurance as well as paid sick time, vacation and holiday pay.   

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES 

• Determines with the Deputy Village Administrator, the annual and future goals and objectives of the Communications initiative in support of the Strategic Plan. Develop, manage and execute the Village’s communication and community engagement and branding and marketing initiatives 
• Develops communication strategies which may include conducting research, increasing website visibility of content, communicating with the media and writing content. These strategies will effectively and efficiently deliver the Village’s message and support and promote the Village’s mission and key beliefs. Identify and execute key opportunities for the Village to strategically engage with community leaders and residents at large.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and methods related to open communication and community engagement and assess their applicability to and/or inclusion in Village communication programs. 
• Maintain open lines of communication with all community organizations, providing prompt responses to requests for public information about the Village. 
• Coordinate technical research, design and operation of the Village’s website. Manage all aspects of development and maintenance of the Village’s website, Social Media and other information platforms as the Village deems appropriate, such as Instagram and Facebook, to ensure an efficient, effective, timely, user-friendly information source. 
• Coordinate the writing and development of surveys, newsletters, annual reports, informational brochures, messages, videos and presentations for distribution to the public. Update existing and new brochures/letters/forms as needed.
• Maintain a photo library of Village activities, programs, services, special events and facilities. Coordinate photography, editing digital photographs and establishing a Village catalog of photos and graphic images
• Assist staff with responding to general inquiries from the public and fulfilling requests for information that arrive via social media, the website, or from other sources. 
• Coordinate and direct public and media relations efforts while emphasizing regular dissemination of Village news, projects, service updates and promotions/events. Manage publishing of press releases to push communications to the community.
• Work/meet regularly with Village departments to establish, update and implement external and internal communications through a variety of communication mediums. 
• Assist the Community Development Director in developing and executing marketing plans, programs and initiatives. Additionally support economic development through the website page(s) on tasks such as updating the demographic and socio-economic data, inventory of available commercial and industrial properties and the business recruiting and retention incentive programs
• Be familiar with subject matter covered and Village Board and Commission meetings to stay informed on decisions, projects and community sentiment.
• Develop specific communication and outreach strategies to reach diverse population groups such as seniors and youth, businesses, and those who may need assistance in connecting with Village services and programs.
• Acts as spokesperson for Village and coordinates closely with departments to support the Village’s emergency/crisis communications. Monitor and inform Village administration of pertinent Village media coverage and municipal-related media coverage.
• Serve as speech writer for the Mayor, with the ability to learn the Mayor’s perspectives/voices/styles. Provide oversight of citizen engagement efforts which may include the State of the Village or Strategic Planning Session, including script development, presentation development and meeting format for each.
• Participate as an active member of the management team, providing leadership for development of organizational goals and strategies.
• Actively participate in community organizations and seek out opportunities for community engagement. Serve as liaisons with other governmental agencies to effectively disseminate and share community information and outreach initiatives and/or establish related partnerships.
• Prepare communications budget and track expenditures throughout the year.

PERIPHERAL DUTIES

• Attends meetings of the Village Board and other Village-related meetings. Attends meeting of other intergovernmental or partner agencies and other meeting attendance as required. 
• Reviews and reports web and social media analytics and data snapshots to help inform leadership of top priorities and tracking analytics and performance indicators, reporting areas that are of interest to the Village.
• Provides photography and videography support as required.
• Operates vehicle to attend meetings, trainings, etc.

Requirements

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Graduation from a college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Three years of experience in marketing, communications, public relations or related field; graphic illustration, desktop publishing or digital related publishing; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the following knowledge, skills and ability:

• Experience with all emerging and current social media platforms, including understanding of best practices to maximize engagement.
• Experience responding to inquiries from the media, customers and senior management with information that is transparent and clear;
• Experience using direct-to-customer communications tools for newsletters, notifications and alerts.
• Experience in emergency/crisis communications.
• Experience with web content strategy and design principles- User Experience (UX), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and accessibility preferred.

NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Must possess the principles and practices of marketing techniques, creative writing, and public relations strategies including current trends in digital media/social media.
• Must understand the practices and principles of public relations and the techniques of graphics presentation displays and visual aids.
• Experience and knowledge of IT security and compliance best-practices related to communications and media is required.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work assignments to meet deadlines, with strong time management experience and skills 
• Possess skills associated with newsletter writing, editing, production and distribution, with a strong emphasis on digital production.
• Self-Starter with a good eye for visualization, layout, and/or graphic design skills to facilitate appealing and effective communication
• Understand and use office automation, desktop publishing and graphic applications.
• Possess basic journalism techniques, photography, and video production and editing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, supervisors, other departments, officials and the public; ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Review and research large volume of materials and summarize in formats for diverse audiences. 
• Must possess thorough knowledge of business English, spelling and punctuation.
• Accurately record and maintain records; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, supervisors, other departments, officials and the public; ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Handle stressful situations and multi-task responsibilities, and ability to adapt to changing priorities and to work smoothly and cooperatively on a variety of procedures.
• Have knowledge of the safety rules and regulations that are applicable within the department related to disaster plan and emergency operations
• Responsible for complying with all Village safety rules and regulations, both written and verbal instructions.
• Attend meetings and events outside of normal work days and hours, including weekends and evenings. 
• Maintain confidential information and complete all responsibilities in an ethical manner
• Hold a valid Illinois Driver’s License.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $100,726- $132,637. Starting salary is DOQ. 

The Village offers a generous benefits package, including a pension through the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), vacation time, personal time, holiday time, and sick time.  The Village pays a monthly medical insurance premium of up to 85%. The Village pays 100% of the monthly premium for dental insurance and life and AD&D insurance.  The Village also offers additional benefits, not all inclusive to medical/dependent flex plans, 457 plan, and tuition reimbursement.

The Communications and Community Engagement Manager position is open until filled and resumes will be reviewed as submitted.   

Village of Mundelein is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Village of Mundelein does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.