Communications Specialist
Communications Specialist
Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative is currently accepting applications for the position of Communications Specialist, working primarily out of the Southport, Fla office. This is a full-time position; however, applicants who are seniors in college will be considered for the position as anintern, with the possibility of being hired on full-time upon graduation.
A bachelors degree in public relations, communications, journalism or a similar field is required, or applicants must be a senior in college working towards a degree in one of these fields. Experience in public relations/communications is preferred.
Key functions of position are: communicating with members and potential members; writing articles for various publications and social media platforms; and the VP of Marketing and Communications with other key communication areas.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Job Summary
Promotes member understanding of the cooperative, its organization and its operation. Develops and conveys information helpful to our members, employees and the general public through all available avenues of the media (advertising, employee newsletter, member monthly magazine,news releases, social media accounts, trade publications and cooperative website). Creates a presence of the cooperative within the community through various outreach and charitable activities. Supports a positive working environment by assisting with the coordination of various events designed to promote teamwork and morale. Follows and promotes workplace safety in the organization. Assists with the utility privatization contract at Tyndall Air Force Base. Employee maybe called in to work at any time. Performs other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience Requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or similar field required.
Related Experience
Experience in a Public Relations/Communications position is preferred. At a minimum, the candidate should have completed a college internship in the Public Relations/Communications field.
Other
Must have the ability to pass Gulf Coast Electric Cooperatives employment entrance examination and drug screen. Must have the flexibility to occasionally work varied hours, including after normal hours.
Desired Licenses/Certifications
Certified Cooperative Communicator preferred Valid Florida driver license required.
Reporting Relationships
Internal
Two-way communication with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications to receive direction, instruction, approvals and to provide work-related information in a timely manner. Employee must also communicate with cooperative employees.
External
The Communications Specialist must communicate with the cooperative’s membership, as well as the general public. Employee must also demonstrate the understanding that the job exists to effectively serve each and every member and take every opportunity to increase member and public understanding for further support of the cooperative.
Core Job Functions
• Assists with advertising buys, the development of advertising schedules and ad development.
• Assists with content for Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
• Assists with content for the Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative website, www.gcec.com
• Assists with planning events such as the Annual Meeting, ACRE luncheons, holiday parties, employee recognition/retirement events.
• Assists with the production of information materials including, but not limited to, bill stuffers, brochures, flyers, letters and new member packet.
• Assists with the promotion and member understanding of the Touchstone Energy® brand.
• Assists with the promotion of products and services offered by Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative.
• Assists with various community outreach and educational programs designed to improve members’ knowledge of Gulf Coast Electric services and products and to maintain or
increase the co-op’s presence in the community. Example programs include: Rural Electric Youth tour, scholarship program, Safety City and charitable donations.
• Composes articles for the Florida Currents magazine. This may include interviewing people for local feature stories.
• Composes articles and assists with the layout of the Watt’s Up employee newsletter. This may include interviewing employees or trustees for feature articles.
• Follows all of GCEC’s safety policies and procedures.
Required Knowledge
• Clerical — Knowledge of clerical procedures and systems, such as word processing; managing files and records; design; other office procedures and terminology.
• Communications and Media — Knowledge of communication and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written,
oral and visual media.
• English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar.
• Member Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing member services. This includes assisting with member needs assessment, meeting quality standards for
services and assisting with the evaluation of member satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics; product demonstrations and sales techniques.
Required Skills
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting at
inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning new things.
• Management of Financial Resources — Accounting for expenditures.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/assessing performance of yourself to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Negotiation —Trying to reconcile differences.
• Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in workrelated documents.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Social Media — Being familiar with Social Media platforms including: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Time Management — Managing one's own time.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience
Required Abilities
• Deductive Reasoning — Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning — Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension — Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression — Ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Fluency of Ideas — Ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness or creativity).
• Speech Clarity — Ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Originality — Ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Written Comprehension — Ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression — Ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Key Responsibilities
Incumbent must be able to:
• Be responsible for outcomes and results.
• Handle conflict situations.
• Have a high degree of accuracy and work with minimal errors.
• Make decisions that may impact the company or others.
• Manage time effectively and meet pressure/deadlines.
• Provide exceptional member service.
• Work with work group or team.
Tools/Technology
Tools
• Cell phone
• Desktop computers
• Facsimile
• Multi-line telephone
• Printers
• Scanners
Technology
• ATS software — CIS; FIS
• Digital camera
• E-mail software – Microsoft Outlook
• Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign; Adobe Acrobat
• Internet Browser – Internet Explorer
• OMS
• Presentation software — Microsoft PowerPoint
• Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
• Video camera
• Web platform development software — Hypertext markup language HTML; JavaScript
• Word processing software — Microsoft Word
Working Conditions
Work will take place in a general office that is environmentally controlled. Incumbent will be required to sit for extended periods of time. There will be some travel in the field and some required business travel. Some physical activity is required such as: reaching, standing, walking, pulling, lifting, grasping, talking, hearing, repetitive motions and light physical work. Visual acuity required due to administrative machine operations.