Company: Texas Department of Transportation

Job Summary:

Exciting opportunity for a communications, journalism or public relations/public affairs professional in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment. If you are passionate about working with and for the public, this position is for you! Our work directly impacts the public we serve. You'll experience team projects, challenging individual assignments and be exposed to a wide variety of TxDOT roles, responsibilities and career options. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who is a strategic, out-of-the-box thinker, someone with considerable public engagement experience - both in-person and virtual, an excellent writer and a team player. Join us and be part of “going above and beyond” in public involvement. Among the advantages of working at TxDOT, the agency can offer work-life balance, stability, and the opportunity to work independently and address diverse challenges. To check out our brand new Stassney Headquarters here in Austin, we welcome you to watch the following video:

Stassney Campus: https://youtu.be/u42vEZacDgA

Minimum Salary: 48,278.00  

Maximum Salary: 90,393.00  

Position Description

 Performs high-level, professional and administrative work including developing and implementing complex public involvement and community outreach programs. Provides leadership and assistance in public involvement and communication efforts for transportation projects. Coordinates public involvement activities to comply with regulations and to achieve strategic objectives. Work requires contact with departmental managers, high-level executives, governmental officials, private entities, and the public. Employees at this level are virtually self-supervising and assume direct accountability for the work product.

Essential Duties:

• Develops, oversees, and implements complex public involvement and awareness programs and strategies for transportation projects and programs.
• Coordinates special projects and stakeholder committees to meet regulatory and statutory requirements, addresses complex or difficult issues, and plan special events.
• Develops public involvement plans and strategies as well as create a variety of informational materials such as web pages, email announcements, fact sheets, online surveys, reports and presentations. 
• Plans, coordinates and implements public involvement activities and outreach for transportation projects, such as public meetings, information sessions, and other special events.
• Responsible for special assignments and projects.
• Assists districts and divisions with communication and outreach plans that support project objectives and milestones.
• Monitors and responds to information requests in a timely manner.
• Proactively seeks opportunities to build awareness to keep communities, businesses, and other interested parties informed of planning and project activities.
• Researches, develops and implements innovative public involvement techniques including online/virtual public engagement.
• Performs other job responsibilities as assigned.

Competencies:

• Principles and practices of community relations and mass communications
• Techniques to ensure effective community engagement
• Contemporary methods of public involvement
• Local, state and federal requirements for public involvement
• Public relations for maintaining effective working relationships with individuals and groups, both internal and external
• Writing concisely and accurately about complex subjects for a broad range of audiences to inform, motivate, or persuade
• Speaking to present images and ideas in a clear, concise, organized, and interesting manner to optimize audience understanding and keep the group focused
• Building consensus on complicated and complex issues
• Communicating effectively in controversial situations or on politically sensitive issues

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