Job Description

Duties Summary

Plans, develops, and implements a comprehensive information and educational program for the public and employees of a major operating department that includes community relations activities; maintains effective working relationships with members of the media, community groups, and key individuals in the public and private sectors; coordinates and facilitates departmental training and strategic planning to improve organizational effectiveness; and performs other related duties as required.

There is one (1) immediate permanent full-time vacancy with the Department of Environmental Management - Administration Division in Hilo.

(Appointment may be made at any rate within the salary range advertised above at which appropriate qualified applicants can be recruited. Starting salary will be based on the qualifications of the person selected.)

The eligible list may be used for other permanent and temporary vacancies as they arise during the life of the list. Temporary appointment may lead to conversion to permanent appointment.

Examples of Duties

• Plans, develops, and implements a comprehensive information program to publicize the activities and accomplishments of a major operating department to improve the public's perception and support of its various programs and projects and to improve community relations.
• Meets with appropriate community organizations and/or concerned and interested residents; interprets and explains the department's policies, programs, and operations; clarifies department's policy decisions; provides information on CIP projects, program design, or construction status.
• Assists superiors in contracting for or developing strategic planning training; meets with core group, management, staff, and stakeholders.
• Assists staff with implementation of new initiatives and strategies to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Recommends and implements policies and procedures relative to the department's public information program and the dissemination of information.
• Conducts fact-finding studies and surveys; evaluates information and opinions; prepares reports of findings with recommendations for administration's response, informational presentations, or for a review of an operational concern identified in the survey.
• Determines choice of media and methods for disseminating information; writes news releases, articles, bulletins, and radio announcement scripts; speaks before government, business, and community organizations.
• Listens to and resolves public complaints.
• Trains staff to effectively deal with the media.
• Plans the layout and design, and arranges for printing of informational material; arranges for photographs and other illustrative material; assists with demonstrations and exhibits for public display and community outreach.
• Coordinates tours of department's facilities and coordinates informational presentations by staff.
• Plans and develops video and power point presentations; develops and maintains social media sites and departmental or county websites.
• Identifies potential sources of loan/grant funds from federal, state, and private sources; evaluates appropriateness of loan/grant funds relative to department goals; prepares loan/grant applications and supporting documentation.
• Assists in the preparation of annual and special reports and publishes internal newsletters.
• Organizes and coordinates the department's participation in community projects and events to foster community relations.
• Establishes and maintains effective relationship with the press, radio, and television executives, and with other business and community representatives.
• Serves as departmental liaison to coordinate county-wide public informational and/or educational activities and programs with Mayor's Office.
• Provides coaching and support to all groups and keeps stakeholders informed of status and progress of plans.
• Keeps abreast of communication and social media technology and practices; modifies departmental programs to improve its effectiveness.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Training and Experience:

A Combination Of Education And Experience Substantially Equivalent To

• graduation from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree (scan and attach a copy of your official college transcript to your application), and
• three (3) years of professional work experience in public relations, journalism, or public administration that included experience in researching, organizing, and developing newsletters, brochures, websites, press releases, and other informational materials for the media, of which
• one (1) year shall have included experience in conducting informational workshops or coordinating or facilitating press conferences, and
• possession of a valid State of Hawai'i Driver License (Class 3) or any other valid comparable driver license at time of filing. (You will be required to submit your valid driver's license at time of hire.)
  
  

Note: Foreign transcripts must be accompanied by an official transcript or credential evaluation to determine U.S. equivalency. (Scan and attach a copy of your official transcript or credential evaluation to your application.)

Examination: All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be assigned a score of 70 points. An education and experience evaluation will be conducted based on the applicant's training, education and experience as presented in the application.

Please read the minimum qualification requirements carefully. Be certain to list all pertinent training and experience, as this may be important in determining your examination score. It is essential that the applicant describe fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week.

Attach all required documentation (e.g. official transcript, professional license(s)/certification(s), DD-214, etc.) at the time of submitting your application.

Note: In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawai'i County may be required at the discretion of the hiring department/agency. If in-person interviews and/or further testing are required, applicants who are referred to the hiring department/agency must be available to participate in person and at their own expense at that phase of the selection process.

Knowledge of: principles and practices of public relations; publicity methods and media; principles and techniques used in writing informational material; techniques used in preparing and editing copy for printing; Designated Hawai'i State and County government organization, functions, and operations; research and statistical methods and techniques; principles of motivation and group dynamics, and employee involvement strategies; methods of group instruction, and computer programs and software used for public information purposes.

Ability to: formulate ideas and express them clearly and concisely orally and in writing; evaluate and present facts accurately; work cooperatively with employees and other government officials; communicate effectively with the various segments of the public; plan and administer informational programs; analyze and determine management and organizational needs; organize and facilitate meetings, conferences, and training sessions; work with staff to formulate and implement strategic plans; identify, evaluate, and apply for grant funding; operate a personal computer; use graphic design and publishing software applications; create, update, and maintain electronic websites and social media; operate camera equipment to produce camera ready products; travel throughout the County to meet with employees, representatives from community organizations and businesses, and individuals from the public, and develop and conduct departmental training in all districts.

Physical Requirements: Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Benefits of County employment: The County of Hawai‘i offers a competitive compensation package. Your total compensation is comprised of your salary and a generous range of valuable benefits, subject to eligibility requirements.

• Flexible Working Arrangements: Options may include alternate work schedules (4-10) and flexible working hours. (Not all Departments/Agencies participate and not all positions are eligible.)
• Vacation: Start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Holidays: The County provides 13 paid holidays per year (plus General Election Day when applicable).
• Training and Development: The County has a variety of training and development opportunities for employees.
• County Tuition Reimbursement Program: This scholarship program rewards employees who take the initiative to advance their education and learning.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: You may be eligible for this federal program which forgives portions of federal student loans for individuals working in public service.
• Retirement Plan: The Employees’ Retirement System is a qualified defined benefit public pension plan that provides retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time county employees in the State of Hawaii as well as their beneficiaries.
• Deferred Compensation: Save additional money for retirement - this voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan allows for the investment of tax-deferred contributions.
• Flexible Spending Plan: Use pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified dependent care and/or medical expenses, as well as insurance premiums.
• Health Benefit Plans: The County of Hawai‘i offers a variety of health benefit plans for eligible employees.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): This voluntary assistance program provides employees and their family members with free professional and confidential assistance in overcoming personal and work-related problems.
• Group Life Insurance: Free life insurance policy for active employees.
• Credit Union Membership
• Other Leaves: You may be eligible for other leaves, including Family Leave, Funeral Leave, Leave Sharing, Military Leave, Donor Leave, Victims Protection Leave, as well as leave for Parent-Teacher Conferences, Disaster Relief, Blood Bank Donations, and Jury Duty.
  
  

All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and change due to legislative actions and/or changes negotiated through collective bargaining. Please check out the benefits tab for additional information.

Supplemental Information

Please scan and attach these supporting documents to your on-line application, if required:

• an official college transcript,
• a valid driver's license,
• a temporary assignment verification,
• professional licenses, and/or
• certificates.
  
  

Veterans applying for veteran's preference points shall also scan and attach their DD-214 form and as needed, their VA claim letter to the on-line application.

Electronic Notification To Applicants

Please ensure that the email address and mobile phone number you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails and text messages or fail to check your email box or NEOGOV account INBOX in a timely manner. Checking your NEOGOV account INBOX daily is recommended and is the most secure method to check on notices sent to you. This is a new feature created by our vendor, NEOGOV.

Please add info@governmentjobs.com to your contact list. Open your NEOGOV account using your user name and password. In the upper right hand corner of the account is your name, and under your name, click on INBOX to view all notices sent you. The notices will appear here in the INBOX even in the event you don't receive it on your cell phone, computer, or other electronic device. This is the best way to check and view all notices sent to you.

You will receive a confirmation email upon successfully submitting your application. Failure to receive this confirmation email, indicates that your application was not submitted.

Benefits of County employment : The County of Hawai‘i offers a competitive compensation package. Your total compensation is comprised of your salary and a generous range of valuable benefits, subject to eligibility requirements.

• Flexible Working Arrangements: Options may include alternate work schedules (4-10) and flexible working hours. (Not all Departments/Agencies participate and not all positions are eligible.)
• Vacation: Employees start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire. 14 hours are earned after a full month of service, which equals to 21 days per year, with a maximum accumulation of 90 working days.
• Sick Leave: Employees start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire. 14 hours are earned after a full month of service, which equals to 21 days per year, with no limitation on the amount of sick leave that may be accumulated.
• Holidays: The County provides 13 paid holidays per year (plus General Election Day when applicable).
• Training and Development: The County provides a variety of training and development opportunities for employees.
• County Tuition Reimbursement Program: Scholarship program for employees who take the initiative to advance their education and learning, subject to eligibility requirements and reimbursement limits.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: A federal program forgiving the balance of federal student loans for individuals working in public service. For program requirements and additional information, please visit
• Retirement Plan: The Employees’ Retirement System is a qualified defined benefit public pension plan covered under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. It provides retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time county employees in the State of Hawaii as well as their beneficiaries. For more information visit
• Deferred Compensation: Eligible employees may participate in the Island Savings Plan (a deferred compensation plan as provided under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code.) This is a voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan that allows for the investment of tax-deferred contributions into a variety of investment options.
• Flexible Spending Plan: Eligible employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for their portion of insurance premiums, qualified dependent care and/or medical expenses.
• Health Benefit Plans: The County of Hawai‘i offers the following health benefit plans for eligible employees:
  • Medical Plan (HMO or PPO)
  • Vision Plan
  • Dental Plan
  • Prescription Drug Plan
    
    

These benefits are administered by the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund. For more information about current employee contribution rates and plans see the EUTF website (

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): The County offers a voluntary assistance program which provides its employees and their family members with free professional and confidential assistance in overcoming personal and work-related problems.
• Group Life Insurance: The County provides a free life insurance policy for active employees.
• Credit Union Membership
• Other Leaves: You may be eligible for other leaves, such as: Family Leave, Funeral Leave, Leave Sharing, Military Leave, Victims Protection Leave, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Disaster Relief, Blood Bank Donations, Donor Leave, and Jury Duty.
  
  

All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and to legislative and/or changes negotiated through collective bargaining.

01

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS. The information provided to these Supplemental Questions may be used in combination with your application to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements and/or your final score. Failure to provide detailed and complete information may result in your application being rejected or you receiving a lower score. Please do not submit a resume in place of completing the Supplemental Questions. Any information you submit may be verified.

When applying for this position, I understand that I must thoroughly complete the Education and Work Experience Sections of my application and the Supplemental Questions. This includes a detailed description of each position that I feel qualifies me for the job I am seeking.

I have read the above statement and understand that failure to provide sufficient detailed information may result in my application being rejected or my receiving a lower examination score. I also understand that I may not submit resumes in lieu of filling out the application or answering the Supplemental Questions. However, I may attach a resume to the application to provide additional information.

• I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above information.
  
  

02

Applicants must meet all the requirements for the position they are seeking as of the closing date of the recruitment, unless otherwise specified. Your possession of the required amount of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. Overall paid or unpaid experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position. It is essential that you describe fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week.

Note: Calculation of experience is based on full-time, 40-hour work weeks. Part-time experience must be pro-rated. Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours per week is equivalent to six months of experience. In addition, hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week, per work experience, will not be credited. Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours per week is equivalent to one year, not one and one-half years.

• I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above information.
  
  

03

Did you graduate from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree?

Note: Foreign transcripts must be accompanied by an official transcript or credential evaluation to determine U.S. equivalency. (Scan and attach a copy of your official transcript or credential evaluation to your application.)

• Yes
• No
  
  

04

Did you scan and attach a copy of your official college transcript to your application?

• Yes
• No
  
  

05

Do you have three (3) years of professional work experience in public relations, journalism, or public administration that included experience in researching, organizing, and developing newsletters, brochures, websites, press releases, and other informational materials for the media?

• Yes
• No
  
  

06

If You Answered "Yes" To Question #5, Please Describe Where You Gained The Work Experience. Describe Each Change In Employer Or Position Separately. Include The Following Information

• Employer's name
• Your job title
• Employment dates (from month/day/year to month/day/year)
• Hours worked per week
• Detailed description of your professional work experience in public relations, journalism, or public administration that included experience in researching, organizing, and developing newsletters, brochures, websites, press releases, and other informational materials for the media
• The percentage of time you spent performing this work.
  
  

If you answered "No," enter N/A.

Be specific and complete ALL questions for ALL experience you are claiming. The following are unacceptable responses:

• See above
• Refer to resume
• See attached
  
  

07

If you answered "Yes" to question #5, did one (1) of those years include experience in conducting informational workshops or coordinating or facilitating press conferences?

• Yes
• No
  
  

08

If You Answered "Yes" To Question #7, Please Describe Where You Gained The Work Experience. Describe Each Change In Employer Or Position Separately. Include The Following Information

• Employer's name
• Your job title
• Employment dates (from month/day/year to month/day/year)
• Hours worked per week
• Detailed description of your experience in conducting informational workshops or coordinating or facilitating press conferences
• The percentage of time you spent performing this work.
  
  

If you answered "No," enter N/A.

Be specific and complete ALL questions for ALL experience you are claiming. The following are unacceptable responses:

• See above
• Refer to resume
• See attached
  
  

09

Do you have a valid State of Hawai`i driver's license (Class 3) or any other valid comparable driver's license at the time of filing? (You will be required to submit your valid driver's license at time of hire.)

• Yes
• No
• Required Question

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Work experience placement, Work at office, Immediate start, Flexible hours,

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