External Relations Assistant- Senior Services

Department & Location: Erie County Senior Services, 95 Franklin Street, 13th Floor, Buffalo, NY 14202

Posting Dates:                     12/19/24-1/3/25

Title of Position:                External Relations Assistant- Senior Services

Shift:                                  Monday- Friday 8:30am- 4:30pm

Starting Annual Salary:  $55,590 annually / $26.72/hour – JG 9

Who we are looking for:

Erie County is looking for an outgoing, organized, and driven individual for the position of External Relations Assistant. The External Relations Assistant is solely responsible for the internal and external communications on behalf of the Department of Senior Services. This person creates, maintains, and supports County and community partnerships, promotes the Department staff and their services, creates content for County website and social media, plans and executes press events, communicates with other government entities, and finds innovative ways to connect with older adults in Erie County. This person directly reports to the Deputy Commissioner of Senior Services.

 What qualities are we looking for?

• Detail oriented
• Ability to work well with others
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate
• Adaptability
• Time management skills
• Good judgement
• Adobe software skills
• Photography and videography skills
• Content creation and editing skills
• Ability to draft media advisories and press releases
• Website editing skills
• Ability to create and maintain relationships with key community stakeholders 

What are the typical work activities?

• Supports public relations, stakeholder engagement, and government relations objectives to enhance the organization’s reputation and advance its strategic goals.
• Assists in developing and executing projects and initiatives related to public relations, external communications, and stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinates media relations, including assisting with news conferences, interviews, and proactive media outreach, as well as following up on media coverage.
• Facilitates positive interactions with key stakeholders, including government officials, community groups, and industry partners, to strengthen relationships and influence public policy where appropriate.
• Assists in drafting and editing external communications materials, such as press releases, newsletters, reports, and stakeholder briefs.
• Compiles background information and technical data to support public relations and government relations efforts.
• Helps in preparing media kits, stakeholder updates, public relations, and external relations materials.
• Assists in distributing information to media outlets, stakeholders, and government agencies.
• Maintains contact databases, including media lists, stakeholder directories, and government contacts.
• Organizes and manages records related to press coverage, stakeholder engagement, and policy initiatives, including maintaining historical information and documentation of activities.
• Coordinates logistics for events such as press briefings, stakeholder meetings, conferences, and public affairs functions.
• Conducts tours and briefings for visitors, stakeholders, and government officials to promote understanding of the organization’s services and impact.
• Participates in professional development opportunities, including workshops and training related to public relations, stakeholder engagement, and government relations

Minimum qualifications:

A) Possession of a bachelor’s degree* in public relations, communications, journalism, political science, public administration, marketing, or a closely related field and two (2) years of experience in a position with public relations, communications, government relations, or stakeholder engagement responsibility; or:

B) Completion of a minimum of 60 college or university semester credit hours* and four (4) years of experience in a position with public relations, communications, government relations, or stakeholder engagement responsibility; or:

C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B) above.

NOTE 1: *Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee..

NOTE 2: Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

What we offer:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Pension
• Union membership
• Vacation, sick and personal leave- including cancer screening time
• Regular pay increases
• On-site gym
• Fun work environment with fantastic coworkers!

Interested applicants:

Please forward a copy of your resume and cover letter to Amanda Bender Deputy Commissioner at amanda.bender@erie.gov or via mail postmarked by the posting deadline to Erie County Department of Senior Services, 95 Franklin Street, Room 1329, Buffalo, New York 14202