Job Information
Washington County Law Enforcement Public Information Officer in Stillwater, Minnesota
Law Enforcement Public Information Officer
Print (https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washingtonmn/jobs/newprint/5309148)
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Law Enforcement Public Information Officer
Salary
$93,017.60 - $127,004.80 Annually
Location
Stillwater, MN
Job Type
Special Project
Job Number
26-00080
Department
County Attorney Office
Division
ATT-Administrative
Opening Date
04/15/2026
Closing Date
4/26/2026 11:59 PM Central
Description
Benefits
Questions
JOB SPECIFICS
Washington County Attorney's office is hiring for a Special Project Law Enforcement Public Information Officer position. The Law Enforcement Public Information Officer strategically plans the creation and dissemination of information about the County Attorney’s Office, advises the County Attorney and their staff on public relations efforts and serves as the primary contact person for the County Attorney related to media inquiries.
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE:
Experience working in attorney's office or news media outlet,
Experience responding to requests for preparation of urgent communications, such as press releases, video and/or audio posts, or TV and radio interviews
Experience developing, editing and delivering government or public service social media content
Strong writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, editing, and proofreading skills in order to write to different audiences and for different platforms
A law degree and/or related criminal trial experience
Strong human relations skills, including effective listening, verbal expression, collaborative persuasion, meeting facilitation, and team-building skills, and possess the ability to work effectively and cooperatively with diverse populations and cultures
SELECTION TECHNIQUE: Your training and experience will be rated based on the required application material submitted and the top scoring candidates will be forwarded to the hiring department for further consideration.
ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $93,017.60 - $127,004.80 Annually
HOURS/DAYS: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Work schedules (hours and days) and location are subject to change based on department needs.
E-Verify Participation: Washington County participates in the federal E-Verify program. This means that Washington County will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Washington County is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact DHS and/or the SSA before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants and may not limit or influence the choice of documents you present for use on the Form I-9.
E- Verify Participation Poster (https://web1.co.washington.mn.us/NeoGovNotices/HR/2024/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_Eng_Es.pdf)
Right to work Poster
JOB SUMMARY
The Law Enforcement Public Information Officer strategically plans the creation and dissemination of information about the County Attorney’s Office, advises the County Attorney and their staff on public relations efforts and serves as the primary contact person for the County Attorney related to media inquiries.
EMPLOYMENT CRITERIA
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires a Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, marketing, mass communications, political science, public administration or a related field of study plus five years of experience in public relations or communications.
CORE COMPETENCIES, JOB SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE
Core Competencies (https://web1.co.washington.mn.us/NeoGovNotices/HR/CoreCompetenciesDefined.pdf) outline essential business and professional traits necessary to perform this job.
Support and prioritize a welcoming and respectful workplace that fosters diversity and encourages contributions from all individuals.
Provide inclusive and equitable service to all members of the community with dignity and respect.
Demonstrate support for the County’s diversity, equity and inclusion program.
Promotes a culture of continuous quality improvement in the workplace.
Demonstrates knowledge of, or ability to learn, quality/continuous improvement.
Demonstrates knowledge of communications strategies and techniques.
Demonstrates knowledge of publication production.
Demonstrates knowledge of AP writing style.
Demonstrates knowledge of effective use of digital communications and social media.
Demonstrates knowledge of business and political implications of decisions.
Demonstrates ability to coach others to be effective with media relations.
Demonstrates ability to work well in group problem solving situations and gains cooperation through respect and competency.
Demonstrates ability to produce and judge photographic content.
Demonstrates ability to present ideas and information in a manner that gets attention without sending unintended messages, uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
This job description is intended to describe the kinds of tasks and level of work difficulty being performed by people assigned to this classification. The list of responsibilities is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The County retains the discretion to add or change the contents of this job description at any time.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead Public Information efforts for the County Attorney and their staff.
Develop overall Public Information strategy and plan for the Attorney’s Office.
Manage multiple projects at once and consistently meet deadlines.
Provide strategic messaging support.
Provide accurate information to the public as needed.
Write and oversee design of County Attorney’s internal and external newsletters.
Develop communication plans before and during large events, trials, crises or emergencies.
Write press releases.
Serve as the first point of contact for the media.
Works directly with reporters on a variety of projects.
Identify story elements and photographs for release to the media.
Review printed materials for the County Attorney’s to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Assist in the development of presentations for the County Attorney.
Oversee the web and social media postings for the County Attorney.
Provide presentation information and coaching to the County Attorney.
Prepare County Attorney for interviews.
Coordinate the Community Engagement efforts for the County Attorney.
Develop strategies, lead projects or develop initiatives to increase the public awareness of services, activities, resources and accomplishments.
Update County Attorney websites.
Recommend and coordinate paid and unpaid media to publicize events.
Assist in planning news conferences or events including the message to convey, the time and location for the event, staff support, materials needed, and audio-visual support.
Photograph events as needed.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Essential functions: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, and 21.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work performed is sedentary in nature and typically performed within the Government Center or satellite office. Lifting requirement of up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis. Equipment used may include, but is not limited to, computer, typewriter, calculator, telephone, camera, and copy and fax machine. Work interruptions are frequent. There is some pressure associated with dealing with individuals who may be emotionally charged and with project or activity deadlines and details. Driving or riding to work at a service center, attend meetings, participate in or lead training sessions, etc. may be required. May involve exposure to environmental conditions.
Washington County offers a comprehensive benefit package (https://web1.co.washington.mn.us/NeoGovNotices/HR/2025/BenefitsGuideBook2025.pdf) including paid time off, holidays, medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance.
For a more detailed overview of our AFSCME exempt (salaried ) benefit package, click here (https://www.washingtoncountymn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/50324/AFSCME-Exempt-Benefit-Synopsis-PDF) .
For a more detailed overview of our AFSCME non-exempt (hourly) benefit package, click here (https://www.washingtoncountymn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/55122/AFSCME-Non-Exempt-Benefit-Synopsis-PDF) .
01
This position requires a Bachelor's degree in English, journalism, marketing, mass communications, political science, public administration or a related field of study plus five years of experience in public relations or communications. Please indicate below whether you possess these minimum qualifications:
Yes
No
02
If you indicated meeting the minimums by having an equivalent combination of education and experience, please briefly describe the combination and explain why you feel it is equivalent. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
03
Do you have a law degree and/or related criminal trial experience?
Yes
No
04
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of where you obtained the law degree and/or criminal trial experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
05
Do you have experience working in attorney's office or news media outlet?
Yes
No
06
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of your experience and the name of the employer(s) where you gained that experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
07
Do you have experience responding to requests for preparation of urgent communications, such as press releases, video and/or audio posts, or TV and radio interviews?
Yes
No
08
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of your experience and the name of the employer(s) where you gained that experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
09
Do you have experience developing, editing and delivering government or public service social media content?
Yes
No
10
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of your experience and the name of the employer(s) where you gained that experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
11
Do you have strong writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, editing, and proofreading skills in order to write to different audiences and for different platforms?
Yes
No
12
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of your experience and the name of the employer(s) where you gained that experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
13
Do you have strong human relations skills, including effective listening, verbal expression, collaborative persuasion, meeting facilitation, and team-building skills, and possess the ability to work effectively and cooperatively with diverse populations and cultures?
Yes
No
14
If you answered "Yes" to the above question, you must provide a brief summary of your experience and the name of the employer(s) where you gained that experience. (If you answered "No" to the above question, enter "NA" in the text box.)
Required Question
Employer
Washington County (MN)
Address
14949 62nd Street North Stillwater, Minnesota, 55082
Phone
651-430-6081
Website
https://www.washingtoncountymn.gov
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