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City of Port Townsend Job Description
Communications & Marketing Manager
Classification title: Communication & Marketing Manager
Working title: Communication & Marketing Manager Department: Administration Union: No
FLSA status: Exempt Wage Classification: Non-represented
Hours: Fulltime Effective date: Rev 1/6/23
Reports to: City Manager Civil Service: No
IDEAL CANDIDATE
An outstanding strategic communicator with extensive experience in communications and marketing,
who has a passion for collaboration across departments/agencies and is eager to deliver a coordinated
and compelling set of nested narratives to the wider community to educate, influence, and inspire
greater engagement, trust, and confidence in the City.
JOB SUMMARY
As the City’s strategic lead and under the direction of the City Manager, the Communications and
Marketing Manager provides technical expertise as a conduit between internal teams and external
organizations to plan, coordinate, and deliver strategic communications, marketing, and engagement
with our community and beyond.
The role is split between strategic communications and strategic marketing, although both are
interrelated. The manager works closely with department directors and teams to develop and
implement a cohesive and coordinated communications strategy to support internal and external City
communications and functions, delivering a compelling and nested set of narratives to build community
trust and confidence in the City. The manager utilizes, improves and develops communications
channels and provides and/or solicits and edits communications from all departments and City Council,
including on social media, the City newsletter, the website, press releases and other channels.
In addition, the manager coordinates strategic marketing, communications and engagement with the
broader community on the local benefits of tourism, helping to link tourism-related industries and
agencies, forge stronger local and regional relationships and cooperation, and gather data and
measure success that underpins a positive and compelling narrative. The manager is a resource to
coordinate a more community-facing and visible Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), including
their longer-term strategic planning, and amplifies and elevates the work of those represented and
served by the committee.
The manager also identifies and capitalizes on important relationships between the dual objectives,
like community and City priorities of climate action and sustainability or our rich local history, which
serve both as focus areas for community investment and a point of difference in the region for attracting
visitors. The manager is integral in helping Port Townsend better proactively actualize and advocate
for the benefits of a smart, sustainable and appropriately scaled local tourism economy.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic marketing coordination
• Develops and refines strategic approach to marketing Port Townsend and manages the
contract and relationship with the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce as the City’s
current Destination Marketing Organization (DMO).
• Creates or coordinates creation of tourism collateral materials with the City’s DMO.
• Provides staffing support to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), including
agenda-setting with the LTAC chair, financial and activity updates, retreats and strategic
planning, budgeting and budget tracking, contracts, reporting, coordination of LTAC-
funded projects, greater LTAC and grants visibility, periodic reporting to City Council, and
operations.
• Develops, maintains, and leverages strategic relationships with tourism agencies and
organizations, local businesses and the business community, local organizations and
groups, jurisdictions in the region, and the media to ensure a coordinated approach to
marketing and a tangible delivery of measurable, positive and desired tourism benefits,
projects, investments, and events.
• Supports the Port Townsend Arts Commission (PTAC), PT Main Street, and the Creative
District, and their established roles, leveraging Port Townsend’s creative arts talents and
ethos to deliver positive benefits for local artists, performers, and organizations.
Strategic communications
• Manages the coordinated, efficient, and effective development and delivery of a cohesive
and compelling City communications strategy, including public information and education,
public involvement and engagement, media relations, and marketing.
• Serves and represents the City as liaison to organizations, neighborhood groups, and the
general public as part of campaigns, engagement events, and activities.
• As chief navigator, advisor and coach to the organization, operates as an internal
consultant to the City, City Manager, City Council, and City Departments, advising on
communications and engagement strategies, plans, content, and implementation as
directed by the City Manager.
• Manages, coordinates, and develops City communications and engagement channels
and tools, including the City website and Engage PT, social media, press releases, the
City Utility Billing newsletter, the Annual Report, a new quarterly insert in the PT Leader,
and others, to deliver a compelling and nested set of narratives that builds community
trust and confidence in the City; develops and refines City communications policies.
• Serves as the City’s Public Information Officer (PIO) as the main contact to and
coordinator with the media, handling or advising on high profile issues and developing
and facilitating strategic approaches to high-profile public policy issues; leads City’s
internal and external emergency, cyber-security, natural disaster, and crisis
communications in coordination, if appropriate, with and internal teams and the County’s
Department of Emergency Management.
• Cultivates new audiences and community member partners and ensures all audiences
have access to accurate, complete and compelling information, with a focus on diversity,
equity and inclusion and by using innovative approaches to storytelling and engagement,
including visual storytelling, story-mapping, and development and use of images and
graphics embedded in City communications and in media/advertising placements.
• Develops, guides, and implements internal and external/coordinated community
campaigns, including those that help break down barriers in understanding in the
community and build social cohesion, connection, and kindness.
• Develops, manages, and implements a unified, clear, positive, and visible City brand and
design standards in all materials, marketing, promotions, and communications. Aligns all
communication and marketing activities back to organizational goals and mission.
• Advises, coordinates and/or delivers internal communications and bolsters staff
engagement in coordination with the City Manager, the People and Performance Director
and other Department Directors. Aligns internal and external communications for
coordinated benefit and impact.
• Attends regular day and evening meetings as required, including public events and City
Council meetings.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
• Outstanding written, oral and interpersonal communication skills, including concise and accurate
business writing and editing to a variety of audiences, active listening, modeling courageous
conversations, facilitation, and reflecting without judgement; approachable with an executive
presence; inspiring and compelling presentation skills and abilities.
• Deep ethical foundations, honesty, and integrity; a positive attitude; a collaborative spirit; an
interest in having fun at work.
• High level of political and professional acumen, including effective engagement with elected
officials, strategic collaboration with department directors, building rapport and partnerships with
external agencies, and deft use of tact and diplomacy.
• Decisive and able to operate to the full extent of positional authority while also amicably building
consensus and bringing along and motivating colleagues, staff, and partners to make tangible
progress on a range of initiatives.
• Knowledge of and ability to employ crisis and de-escalation tactics and tools, both responding to
official emergencies and crisis as well as helping to anticipate, correct, and shift misinformation
and public relations problems with clear and compelling information.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of communications, marketing, and public engagement,
at and beyond the municipal realm; an active innovator and calculated risk-taker who is both
pragmatic and visionary.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision in a rapidly changing and dynamic politically
sensitive environment of high ambiguity.
• Knowledge of public opinion research techniques and various methods of application in
governmental issues.
• Knowledge of public communication strategy and plan development and production of support
materials.
• Knowledge of public engagement and involvement strategies, including open houses, town hall
events, online workshops, tourism and destination marketing, graphic/advertising design,
website design and content development, video editing and production, social media, press
release writing, media and public relations.
• Proven ability to organize complex initiatives and effectively prioritize multiple dependencies,
timelines and deadlines.
• Proven skills in persuasive writing, speaking, copy-editing, design, storytelling.
• Knowledge of current and emerging communications channels, tools, and techniques, with an
emphasis on building greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in audience, engagement, and
participation.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn about emergency management and natural disaster
communications and procedures like the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and all-
hazards Public Information Officer resources.
• Ability to effectively prepare, coordinate, and manage budgets and contracts.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and work on confidential and sensitive matters.
• Ability to lead, organize, and manage multi-departmental activities, initiatives, and projects.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or Public Relations (or closely
related field)
• Three to five years (5-10 preferred) of increasingly responsible communications, public
engagement, tourism, public relations, and/or destination marketing experience.
• Demonstrated experience and proficiency in managing a communications function in a
sophisticated government or business environment.
• An extensive combination of directly relevant experience and training may be considered as a
substitute for formal education.
Additional consideration may be given for the following qualifications
• Public sector communication and marketing experience strongly preferred.
• 8-10 years progressively responsible experience in communications and marketing in an
organization of similar scale preferred.
• Relevant Master’s Degree preferred.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Duties are performed primarily in an office environment with sitting for long periods of time, using
standard office equipment and personal computer. The noise level in the work environment is usually
moderately quiet. May be required to deal with upset customers. This position typically requires
movement around the office, reaching, pushing, grasping, finger dexterity, hearing, seeing and
repetitive motions. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force
frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to
successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to
enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
OTHER CITY REQUIREMENTS
• Punctual and consistent attendance.
• Possess a Washington Driver’s License and maintain a driving record acceptable to the
City’s insurance carrier.
• Dress and grooming appropriate to the position.
• Safety attire, equipment and practices appropriate to the position.
• Deal tactfully and courteously with the public.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with fellow employees.
The City of Port Townsend is an equal employment opportunity employer. The City employs, retains,
promotes, disciplines and otherwise treats all employees and job applicants strictly on the basis of job-
related qualifications and competence. These policies and all employment practices shall be applied
without regard to any individual's sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation
(including gender identity), pregnancy, age, marital status, military status, disability, genetic information,
or any other characteristic protected by law.
This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties to be performed. The
employee occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions
and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisors.
This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the City and the
employee and is subject to change as the needs of the City and requirements of the job change.