Position Information

NY HELPYes

AgencyCivil Service, Department of

TitlePublic Information Specialist 1 or Trainee 1 or 2

Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers

Salary GradeNS

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $53764 to $85138 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8:30 AM

To 4:30 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County Albany

Street Address Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 1

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12239

Job Specifics

Duties Description The Public Information Office (PIO) at the Department of Civil Service is responsible for maintaining a broad-based communications program to ensure that all interested constituent groups are aware of Department programs and services. The Director of Public Information serves as the spokesperson for the Department and communicates proactively through media interaction and the dissemination of announcements to the general public. In addition, the Office administers the agency's public website, social media channels and responds to general inquiries from job seekers, State employees, and other constituents. This position will play a key role in helping to communicate broadly about the many initiatives and programs the Department offers.
Reporting to the Public Information Specialist 2 (Digital Content) G-23, the Public Information Specialist 1 / Trainee 1 / Trainee 2 will be responsible for providing administrative support for PIO. Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Help with oversight of the StateJobsNY website through the provisioning of accounts.
• Respond to requests from both HR professionals and jobseekers related to the StateJobsNY website.
• Draft and maintain the Department’s approved responses to frequently asked questions received by customers.
• Along with the Public Information Specialist 2 (Digital Content), liaison with the Department’s Digital Team and IT personnel to prioritize and manage upgrades and troubleshooting with the StateJobsNY website.
• Manage the Department’s Publications and Forms inventory, as well as coordinate timely updates to the forms and facilitate printing of forms as necessary.
• Assist with project management of division projects and key agency projects.
• Assist with internal and external communication strategies in support of agency initiatives and strategic priorities.
• Assist with maintenance of the Department’s internal and external communication sites, including making updates to the Department’s public facing websites
• Disseminate approved messaging to exam candidates or subscribers to the Department’s mailing lists on Gov Delivery.
• Collecting data and assisting in completing weekly status and monthly summary reports for the Director of Public Information.
• Help draft and monitor the Department’s social media channels to ensure accurate and timely responses for members of the public.
• Work closely with PIO colleagues to respond to timely requests for special projects or high priority items needed by Executive Staff.
• Assist with phone coverage for the PIO and assist with managing email inquiries from the general public, human resource representatives from other state agencies, and from job seekers.

Minimum Qualifications NY HELPS
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in an NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

NON-COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (NY HELPS):
Public Information Specialist Trainee 1:
A bachelor’s degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing.
Substitution: An associate degree in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.

Public Information Specialist Trainee 2:
A bachelor’s degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing and one year of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media.
Substitution: An associate degree in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.

Public Information Specialist 1:
Either 1. a bachelors degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND two years of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media;
Or 2. a masters or higher degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND one year of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media;
Or 3. six years of the experience described above.

REASSIGNMENT QUALIFICATIONS:
Current Department of Civil Service employees with one year of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55 B/C service as a Public Information Specialist 1 if less than one year, you must be currently reachable on the Public Information Specialist 1 eligible list for the Albany location if one exists.

COMPETITIVE QUALIFICATIONS:
You must be reachable on the current eligible list or eligible for transfer.

70.1 TRANSFER QUALIFICATIONS:
One year of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55 B/C service in a title eligible for transfer and determined to be similar by Civil Service.

For transfers, a list of approved titles is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

SUBSEQUENT 55B/C QUALIFICATIONS:
A subsequent 55 B/C appointment may be considered if you have one year of permanent, contingent-permanent, or 55 B/C service in an eligible position allocated to Grade 12. To be considered, you must provide a copy of your letter of eligibility with your response.

55 B/C QUALIFICATIONS:
Individuals certified eligible for the 55 B/C program under the Governor's Program to Hire Persons/Veterans with Disabilities pursuant to Section 55 B/C of the Civil Service Law will also be considered. To be considered, you must provide a copy of your letter of eligibility with your response.

You must meet the open competitive qualifications from the most recent examination announcement. The open competitive minimum qualifications are:

Public Information Specialist Trainee 1:
A bachelor’s degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing.
Substitution: An associate degree in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.

Public Information Specialist Trainee 2:
A bachelor’s degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing and one year of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media.
Substitution: An associate degree in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.

Public Information Specialist 1:
Either 1. a bachelors degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND two years of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media;
Or 2. a masters or higher degree in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND one year of experience in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media;
Or 3. six years of the experience described above.

It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Knowledge of HTML
• Experience with Adobe Suite – specifically with Dreamweaver

Additional Comments #TeamCivilService is growing and is looking for motivated, forward-thinking employees to join our team to build a dynamic workforce. The Department of Civil Service is undertaking several initiatives to transform the way the agency delivers services to our partner agencies and to the public, and we are excited to be adding new members to the team. In addition to joining a growing team and agency, employees will also receive a comprehensive benefits package.

The Department of Civil Service is the central personnel agency for the Executive Branch of New York State government, serving approximately 150,000 employees. Our mission is to build tomorrow's workforce today by promoting a diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce. We lead and deliver world-class workforce management strategies by providing innovative solutions based on merit, fitness, and equality of opportunity.
Among its duties, the Department:
• Partners with State agencies to offer workforce recruitment and placement services, including developing minimum qualifications, classifying positions, developing civil service examinations, and administering performance assessment tests.
• Administers the New York State Health Insurance Program (https://www.cs.ny.gov/nyship/), one of the largest public employer health insurance programs in the nation, serving more than 1.2 million lives.
• Assists municipal agencies with civil service administration of more than 360,000 local government employees.
• Oversees the Governor's Program to Hire Individuals and Veterans with Disabilities (https://www.cs.ny.gov/rp55/) to place individuals with disabilities in State jobs and the New New York Leaders Initiative Student Intern Program. (https://nysinternships.cs.ny.gov/nnyl/

NOTE ON TELECOMMUTING: DCS employees may be approved for a maximum of 50% telecommuting, however, they are required to apply and obtain approval through management in accordance with DCS Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

The Department of Civil Service is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, disability status, arrest record or criminal conviction history, or any other category protected by law.

We are happy to provide reasonable and religious accommodations during the hiring process for those in need. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please send a request to YourFutureBeginsHere@cs.ny.gov

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

How to Apply

Name Caroline Bearor

Telephone 15184734306

Fax

Email Address YourFutureBeginsHere@cs.ny.gov

Address

Street Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 1

Floor #10 Office of Human Resources and Administrative Planning

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12239

 

Notes on ApplyingIf you are interested and meet the minimum qualifications above, email your cover letter, and resume to YourFutureBeginsHere@cs.ny.gov. Please include the Title and Vacancy ID# you are applying for in the subject line of your email.