Job Description

PUBLIC INFORMATION AIDE

JOB CODE 06440

Effective Date:	11/92A

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The fundamental reason this classification exists is to provide staff services for professional public information personnel. Work involves making decisions within a delegated scope of public information activities, providing clerical support in addition to performing routine administrative tasks and establishing and maintaining good public relations with media representatives. Work is performed under general supervision of a Public Information Officer or Public Information Specialist and is subject to review for adequacy, accuracy, and adherence to departmental policies and standards.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Compiles and updates records pertaining to public information materials and publicity received from various news media;
• Works as a liaison between professional staff and media representatives;
• Conducts research for media materials to be used in a public information program;
• Compiles and reviews information regarding City activities and releases information to the appropriate media mode;
• Researches, prepares, and writes news releases, documents, and reports;
• Prepares slide presentations, brochures, and displays;
• Determines the progress or completion of division or section assignments;
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Principles, techniques, and objectives of public information.
• Various journalistic styles.
• Varying requirements and operations of various media modes.
• Modern office equipment, practices, and procedures.

Ability to:

• Communicate orally with other employees, members of the media, other agencies, and the public by telephone and in a one-to-one, face-to-face setting in the English language.
• Produce written documents using proper business English, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
• Use independent judgment when handling problems of journalistic format, procedure, and context.
• Operate a variety of office equipment (i.e., keyboard devices, calculators, copy and FAX machines).
• Comprehend and make inferences from materials written in the English language.
• Work cooperatively with other employees, media representatives, and the public.
• Calculate arithmetic tabulations accurately and rapidly.

Additional Requirements:

• Some positions require the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license, and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• Some positions will require the performance of other essential and marginal functions depending upon work location, assignment, or shift.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
Two years experience in journalism, mass media communications, or public relations supplemented by two years of college level courses in journalism, mass media communications, public relations, advertising, marketing or a related field. Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.