Job Board

Press Secretary

Description

Responsible for helping fulfill the Department of Health’s mission of promoting and protecting health, as well as the office of Communication’s role of promoting the Department of Health’s programs through internal and external communications channels, including the media.

Serves as the official Florida Department of Health spokesperson with the media and other organizations. While serving as the DOH spokesperson, the Press Secretary will respond to media requests by providing clear, concise and consistent information to the media in a timely manner.

Coordinates local and national media interviews with senior Department of Health officials and other subject matter experts.

Provides direct assistance to the State Surgeon General, Chief of Staff, Deputy Secretaries and the Communications Director as needed. Provides strategic direction on issues and topics covered by news media. Consistently works to inform internal and external stakeholders, the public and media about DOH programs and services.

Coordinates and directs messaging of County Health Department and Central Office Public Information Officers, directly assisting them on an as needed basis. Conducts PIO teleconferences or conference calls and maintains internal communication among PIOs.

Ensures that the Office of Communications staff updates distribution lists, media contact forms, and trainings for PIOs. Develops and implements processes that help the Communications staff effectively track, manage, and organize media inquiries from the time a call is received to the time it is sent in the daily media report.

Develops strong relationships with partners, program staff, subject matter experts, media outlets and other agencies to inform the public on health matters.

Manages and conducts research for public records requests, informational requests and interview requests for media.

Writes and distributes a variety of items, including press releases, op-eds, speeches, statements, newsletters, brochures, online newsroom articles and features.

Manages the scheduling, logistics and principal involvement of press conferences and other media events for the Department. Provides logistical support and expertise to the Secretary/State Surgeon General and other Department of Health officials for events involving media coverage/participation.

Maintains daily media call log for DOH.

Attends meetings to fulfill Press Secretary duties. Attends meetings for Office of Communications when needed across the agencies.

Emergency duty is a requirement of this position. This includes participation in response activities for manmade and natural disasters, and public health-related emergencies. This may require working beyond normal business hours or days to perform emergency public information duties.

Performs other duties as needed.

Qualifications

Ability to communicate effectively with others in writing and verbally; excellent writing skills; knowledge of training techniques and instructional methods; as department’s spokesperson, must be able to effectively convey information as well as disseminate information to media. Must have strong supervisory skills and motivate, develop and direct people as they work.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume to Nathan Dunn, DOH Communications Director at Nathan_Dunn@doh.state.fl.us or 850-245-4111.

Job Originally Posted on: Wednesday, August 7, 2013