Public Information Officer

Responsibilities of the Public Information Officer include: write and produce print and digital publications including brochures, newsletters and displays; develop and post website and social media content; develop video scripts; research and write news releases, speeches, talking points and proclamations; respond to media inquiries; plan and coordinate communications plans and high-profile special events including news conferences; perform quality assurance, ensure adherence to County's branding standards and guidelines, and ensure communications projects are completed on time and to the satisfaction of clients and customers. Acts as the organization's spokesperson overseeing all public relations, media, advertising and promotions, website, presentations, special events, and community outreach. Acts as the organization's spokesperson overseeing all public relations, media, advertising and promotions, website, presentations, special events, and community outreach. Works under administrative supervision, developing and implementing programs within organizational policies and reports major activities to executive level administrators through conferences and reports.

During emergencies, this position is an integral part of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 14 - Public Information.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business or public administration or closely related field.

Requires six (6) years in public relations, public information or media relations in area of assignment including two (2) years of supervisory experience or closely related experience.

Ability to secure and maintain a valid Florida Driver's License at the time of appointment and for the duration of employment.

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the job as necessary.

Strategic Planning & Campaign Management
* Develop and maintain aggressive marketing and public relations strategies for Broward County.
* Plan, manage, and implement multi-million dollar, multi-level media campaigns targeting different audiences.
* Manage information campaign budgets established by the Director and secure large ad buys across traditional and non-traditional channels.
* Coordinate media ad campaigns, providing direction and approval to media vendors on ad placement, creative, printing, and distribution.

Content Creation & Multimedia Production
* Write creative and attention-grabbing commercial copy for print/digital ads, bus placards/benches, billboards, radio, and TV.
* Draft executive communications, including the County's annual report, special memos, talking points, speeches, editorials, and welcome letters.

Digital, Web, & Social Media Administration
* Serve as the administrator for all Countywide social media platforms, managing campaigns, monitoring sites, and responding to the public.
* Track, analyze, and report on social media metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure campaign success and audience growth.
* Monitor online public sentiment, respond to resident inquiries, and de-escalate online conflicts in a professional tone.
* Approve or reject Countywide social media user access requests and ensure platform compliance with County standards.
* Produce and coordinate short-form video content and stay updated on digital trends to keep the County relevant.
* Use social listening tools to track public conversations, identify emerging community concerns, and report insights to leadership.
* Ensure all digital content meets strict accessibility standards, including adding alt text, closed captions, and readable color contrast.
* Oversee and manage content updates for the public website, employee intranet, and emails.
* Perform quality assurance by reviewing agency websites to fix misspellings, repair broken links, and optimize design layouts for user experience.

Media Relations & Crisis Communications
* Act as a lead contact for media outlets, field inquiries, research responses, and coordinate interviews.
* Serve as the primary backup Public Information Officer (PIO) for County Commissioners, drafting statements and managing high-profile media inquiries in the primary PIO's absence.
* Prepare proclamations for county commissioners on a variety of topics and recognitions for county commission meetings.
* Deploy to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during activations to lead, coordinate, and manage Countywide emergency public information efforts.
* Coordinate the Joint Information Center (JIC) and serve as a key liaison to streamline communications.
* Create and disseminate rapid emergency messaging, press releases, and public safety alerts to the public, media, and employees during crisis events.
* Maintain daily situational awareness of current events and news coverage; report critical updates to the Director and County Administration.
* Manage rumor control protocols during emergencies to combat misinformation on digital and traditional platforms.

Agency Consultation & Internal Communications
* Consult, guide, and support 70+ internal agencies on communication plans, content development, and web layouts.
* Review, proof, and suggest changes to agency products including flyers, news releases, displays, brochures, and web designs to ensure proper protocols are in place.
* Strategically communicate important information to 2.1 million residents and 7,000+ employees via weekly/monthly newsletters, websites, and campaigns.
Community Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement
* Direct, manage and implement corporate and community relations outreach and administer public outreach programs.
* Collaborate with agency staff and community stakeholders to plan and execute targeted initiatives, providing metrics to demonstrate impact.
* Partner with municipalities to increase knowledge of County initiatives and encourage sharing information with residents.
* Host webinar-type educational events and lead quarterly County Marketing and PR Professionals (CMPP) meetings to share tools and best practices.

Job Requirements & Qualifications
* Independence: Ability to work with high autonomy and manage multiple complex communication projects simultaneously.
* Collaboration: Strong leadership skills to collaborate with Office of Public Communications designers, call center, print shop, internal staff, and outside vendors.
* Executive Communication & Discretion: High degree of professionalism, tact, and judgment required when interacting with or representing elected officials and County Commissioners.

Perform related work as assigned.

• Business Insight:
  Applies knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals. Ensures that the team understands and discusses relevant industry changes. Gives strong messages about how people's efforts make a difference to the broader organization.
• Manages Complexity:
  Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Asks questions to encourage others to think differently and enrich their analyses of complex situations. Accurately defines the key elements of complex, ambiguous situations.
• Decision Quality:
  Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. Ensures that people's decisions comply with policies and standards. Integrates analysis, experience, and other inputs to make effective decisions. Accepts workable decisions and also seeks better alternatives.
• Strategic Mindset:
  Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies. Is a strong big-picture thinker; makes frequent, clear references to the organization's vision and strategy and the efforts required to drive them forward. Effectively integrates long-term opportunities and challenges with day-to-day activities.
• Resourcefulness:
  Secures and deploys resources effectively and efficiently. Identifies and obtains resources needed to accomplish objectives; identifies different ways to accomplish work when resources are limited. Makes progress across multiple priorities or responsibilities.
• Plans and Aligns:
  Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. Stays focused on plans and improvises in response to changes, including risks and contingencies. Aligns own team's work with other workgroups'. Looks ahead to determine and obtain needed resources to complete plans.
• Optimizes Work Processes:
  Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Pays close attention to a variety of metrics and benchmarks; determines both major and subtle ways to optimize processes. Swiftly resolves process breakdowns; takes steps to ensure that problems do not recur.
• Builds Effective Teams:
  Builds strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. Mentors others on how to build effective teams; takes actions to correct dysfunctional teams. Ensures that the team has the right mix of skills; leverages individual strengths effectively.
• Communicates Effectively:
  Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Tailors communication content and style to the needs of others. Pays attention to others' input and perspectives, asks questions, and summarizes to confirm understanding.
• Persuades:
  Uses compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of others. States position with conviction and persuasive rationale. Negotiates skillfully; wins concessions without the other party feeling harmed or frustrated. Achieves a good balance between defending own position and adapting to others' needs.
• Situational Adaptability:
  Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Is a powerful role model for adaptability; adeptly shifts approach and helps others do the same. Can be both persistent and flexible, as needed. Helps others adapt swiftly to new situations.

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

None.

All Broward County employees strive to demonstrate the County's four core behavioral competencies.

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Customer focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Instills trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Values differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

Copyright 2025 Korn Ferry. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Broward County is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion. Broward County is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. We support the hiring of people with disabilities; therefore, if you require assistance due to a disability, please contact the Professional Standards Section in advance at 954-357-6500 or email Profstandards@broward.org to make an accommodation request.

Note: During emergency conditions, all County employees are automatically considered emergency service workers. County employees are subject to being called to work in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, or other emergency situation and are expected to perform emergency service duties, as assigned.

All Broward County employees must serve the public and fellow employees with honesty and integrity in full accord with the letter and spirit of Broward County's Employee Code of Ethics, gift, and conflict of interest policies.

All Broward County employees must establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, co-workers, elected and appointed officials and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or gender identity and expression.