PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Media Affairs

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval)

Salary: $83,052.00 annually

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59 pm Central time on 09/07/2025.

The OEMC PR Coordinator will be a part of a team of 3 tasked with communicating public safety messaging to residents and visitors of the City of Chicago. OEMC Media Affairs promotes department wide initiatives for the following operational areas for the city: 9-1-1 call taking and dispatch; the 3-1-1 call center; Office of Emergency Management; and the Traffic Management Authority. This includes communicating public safety messaging to the public around large special events, severe weather threats, public education on OEMC initiatives, and more.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

* Plans, directs, and reviews the activities of personnel engaged in departmental public relations or public education activities

* Prepares and edits speeches for departmental executive personnel

* Arranges interviews of department managers for media appearances

* Serves as departmental spokesperson in responding to inquiries from the media

* Organizes press conferences to inform the public of departmental programs and services

* Coordinates and directs the writing, design, and lay-out of brochures and pamphlets describing departmental programs and services

* Coordinates the preparation and editing of audio-visual and videotaped programs for educational purposes or to promote special events

* Works closely with the other departments, including the Mayor's Office in order to draft departmental correspondence and to coordinate and promote programs and initiatives

* Utilizes blogs and social media platforms to communicate department programs, events and services, or outreach initiatives

* Notifies appropriate staff and drafts notices for upcoming press conferences

* Prepares narrative and activity reports of communication, public information, and outreach activities

Additional duties may be required for this position.

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Nine (9) years of experience in the development and implementation of media relations or public information programs, of which two (2) years are in a supervisory role related to the responsibilities of the position, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college with an Associate's degree in Journalism, Communications or a directly related field, plus at least seven (7) years of experience in the development and implementation of media relations or public information programs, of which two (2) years are in a supervisory role related to the responsibilities of the position, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications or a directly related field, plus at least five (5) years of experience in the development and implementation of media relations or public information programs, of which two (2) years are in a supervisory role related to the responsibilities of the position, OR
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree or higher in Journalism, Communications or a directly related field, plus at least four (4) years of experience in the development and implementation of media relations or public information programs, of which two (2) years are in a supervisory role related to the responsibilities of the position.

NOTE: You must provide your transcripts or diploma at time of processing, if applicable.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to successfully complete an interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected.

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. The Department of Human Resources staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here.

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor