Communications & Community Engagement Coordinator

Are you a communication professional passionate about creating meaningful content and engaging with the community? The Renton Police Department is hiring for a Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator. In this civilian role, you'll have the opportunity to utilize your storytelling skills and social media expertise to inform and engage the community. The duties and responsibilities are diverse, with wide latitude for creativity and exploring new ideas, supported by an exceptional team. If you're a passionate storyteller with a desire to build connections and engage communities, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Join us in making a meaningful difference and fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and the community we serve!

The Renton Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency with 175 personnel, comprised of 137 commissioned officers and 38 non-commissioned. It is our mission, through collaboration, to provide professional and unbiased law enforcement services to our community.

In addition to the salary listed, the following premiums are available:

• Education Premium of 4% for an Associate Degree or 6% for a Bachelor's or Master's.
• City contributes 4.5% of base wage to a deferred compensation plan for retirement savings. An additional 3% is available for passing the annual Physical Fitness Test.
• A 3% interpreter premium is available.
• City contributes 1% of base wage into a VEBA account.

• Assist the Communications and Community Engagement team, serving as the Public Information Officer as necessary, conducting on-camera, radio, and in-person interviews, providing media briefings, producing news releases, and responding to media inquiries.
• Must be available for callouts to respond during active incidents during off hours.
• Write, produce, and implement department communications to include stories or blog posts about Renton PD, social media messaging, informative videos, public service announcements, public information campaigns, crime prevention campaigns, and other marketing programs.
• Coordinate with Crime Analyst to collect, analyze, and distribute crime data for crime prevention purposes and inquiries from the public.
• Remain current on the best social media techniques and public information procedures; collaborate closely with other City departments to ensure consistency in messaging.
• Develop, prepare, present, evaluate, and update program presentations to educate individuals, business and community groups on crime and crime prevention, the police department, and community involvement.
• Evaluate proposed construction projects and planned developments through a CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) lens to determine potential impact on the department and the community; provide prevention information specific to the construction project and/or planned development.
• Develop and coordinate outreach events and activities, including developing materials in languages other than English and establishing partnerships with the City's culturally diverse communities.
• Build partnerships with community members, business partners and community organizations.
• Plan, coordinate and attend community events to promote police department programs; appear at various community functions to represent the department.
• Operate police radios, audio-visual equipment, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), access and maintain Records Management System, and other police databases.
• Understand and abide by the Police department policies and procedures.
• Contribute to an environment of teamwork and respect.
• Foster a culture of equity and inclusion by recognizing the diverse needs and perspectives of groups and individuals.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• May be assigned to support City priorities during emergencies.

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, journalism, marketing, or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in communications, community engagement and program development and implementation.
• Or minimum 8 years of relevant education and experience.
• Valid drivers' license.
• Must be able to qualify for the ACCESS (A Central Computerized Enforcement Service System) Certification.
• Stringent personal background investigation including:
  • Criminal background check.
  • Polygraph examination.
  • Psychological evaluation conducted by a psychologist.
  • Medical physical, including a drug-screening test.

• Drive to offsite locations to perform essential functions.
• Move throughout City facilities and buildings.
• Operate a computer and other office equipment.
• Communicate with City employees and residents.
• Lift or move items weighing up to 20 pounds occasionally.

• Work is performed in an office environment and outdoors in all weather conditions occasionally.
• Work is performed within the right of way, and in high traffic conditions.
• May be required to participate in a standby or on-call rotation.
• Noise level out in the field is moderately loud.
• Noise level in the office is moderately quiet.
• Work evening and/or weekend hours as needed.
• Night meetings may be required.

The City of Renton embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and prides itself on promoting collaboration and teamwork in a positive environment while providing high quality services to the community. For more information about the City of Renton, please visit the following website: Why Renton.

The City has adopted an anonymous application process that prevents hiring managers from seeing personal identifiers, including candidates' names, addresses, and other similar information. This eliminates the possibility of unintentional or implicit bias during the screening of applications. For that reason, you will not have the ability to attach any documents to your application, including a cover letter or resume. Please make sure to submit a complete, detailed, and updated job application.

Communication from the City of Renton:
We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from rentonwa.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders. We also communicate via text and encourage you to sign up for text alerts when completing your job application.

Recruitment Process:

The screening process will include a review of minimum qualifications and applicants selected for an interview will be invited via email to self-schedule a time through the Government Jobs account. At minimum, this position will be subject to a standard criminal background check and professional reference check. This position requires accessing areas that contain Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS). For that reason, this position is also subject to a national fingerprint-based records check. This position requires driving and is also subject to a driving record check from the WA State Dept of Licensing (or other state equivalent). Driving records will be evaluated based on a points system depending on the infraction and severity.