Overview
The City of Charlotte is the largest municipality in North Carolina and the 17th largest city in the United States, with a total population of more than 872,498 citizens. A major commerce center, Charlotte hosts several of the nation’s largest banks and technology companies.
Also known as the Queen City, Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We work hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone – a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play. Join us in helping to keep our City thriving, ensuring upward mobility and advancement in the workplace.
Summary
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is seeking a knowledgeable and
enthusiastic public and community relations (PR) manager in its Marketing and
Communications Division. The successful candidate will be passionate about
storytelling, developing strong communications strategies and building
relationships that strengthen the reputation and image of CATS. The PR manager works
to coordinate messages and distribute information to internal audiences along
with updating City agencies including the City of Charlotte Corporate
Communications, the City's leadership team, City Council, the community and
media. The PR manager is primarily dedicated to coordinating communications and
functions on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer. The position will manage
communications with internal and external constituencies to include
coordinating with the appropriate offices to create effective communication,
particularly in dealing with timely or crisis situations.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead CATS’ communications
efforts by developing/executing public and community relations strategies that
educate and increase awareness about various CATS services, projects and
initiatives.
- Work effectively and
efficiently to achieve goals in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; respond
quickly to emerging situations
- Manage a team of PR
professionals to be strong collectively and individually while maintaining
morale
- Successfully collaborate
with Marketing and Communications teammates, other CATS staff, other City
departments and external organizations to carry out CATS’ mission
- Oversee media relations,
including building relationships with reporters, facilitating interviews,
holding press events, etc.
- Coach leadership staff
through media and community interactions
- Manage and participate in
on-call duties that require overnight and weekend media line coverage
- Performs related duties
as required
- Development
key strategies, processes, workflows, protocols with regard to media
relations/crisis communications
- Identify
opportunities on editorial pitching calendars, compile and develop master
calendars, execute and secure opportunities
- Develop
and disseminate pitches, jump on the phone, meet a reporter, set up interviews,
coordinate segments and articles, and get in front of stories
- Prepare formal presentations and draft a variety of key
correspondence to include, but not limited to, talking points, speeches,
letters, memoranda, notes, and articles
- Professionally represent the CATS to internal/external
constituencies; as well as manage and coordinate internal communications
between departmental divisions and units
- Provide
ad-hoc research in support of management and advice regarding sensitive issues
that rise to the level of the Chief Executive Officer
- Monitor
and report on media, social media and engagement. Completes baseline and
monthly reporting regularly.
- Directly
support continuous implementation and compliance of the North Carolina
Department of Transportation (NCDOT) State Safety Oversight Program
Standards (SSOPS) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations 49
CFR Part 673 and 672 related to the Safety Management System (SMS) and the
CATS Agency Safety Plan (ASP). Support Safety performance goals of CATS.
- Encourage
employees to proactively support and report safety concerns following the
CATS Safety Reporting options as described in your training and in the
ASP.
- As
part of your responsibility to support the CATS Safety Culture, report
safety concerns and issues through the various methods established by CATS
as outlined in the ASP.
- Advocate
and promote a strong safety culture within CATS with regard to
transportation services, capital programs, facility operations and
maintenance, worksite procedures, employees, and customers following SMS
and ASP.
- Participate
in internal and external ASP audits.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Demonstrated leader
- Excellent consulting,
writing, presentation and communication skills
- Ability to learn,
understand and present complex issues as they relate to CATS’ stakeholders,
government agencies and the general public
- Experience with proactive
media outreach & thought-leadership strategies
- Knowledge of public
relations best practices
- Ability to establish and
maintain effective working relationships with other employees, media and
general public
- High proficiency level of
computer skills using Microsoft Word, Outlook, Power Point, and Excel.
- Must be able to work
outside of traditional 8a-5p hours
Preferred Qualification
Bachelor’s Degree with five (5) year of relevant work experience
OR
Any equivalent combination of training and experience
that provides the required knowledge and abilities
Minimum Qualifications
Associate’s Degree in Public Relations,
Communications, Journalism, and or related field of study with seven (7) years
of relevant work experience
OR
Any equivalent combination of training and experience
that provides the required knowledge and abilities
Conditions of Employment
The City's Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.
Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate's written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.
Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.
How To Apply
Apply online.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.
You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby where we have workstations available. Our office is located at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.
Anyone seeking an accommodation to apply for a job may call (704) 336-2285 for assistance or you may email questions to CityHrJobPostingsNotify@ci.charlotte.nc.us.
Benefits
The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to all employees.
Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.
The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.
In Conclusion
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