Intro

Here at Questar III BOCES, we believe in changing lives, realizing dreams and doing together what can’t be done alone.  Our vision is that of creating a student-centered culture and putting students first. Our core values include a commitment to excellence by honing our craftsmanship to deliver high-quality work, a commitment to leadership & service by moving the organization, departments and school districts forward by exceeding client expectations, and a commitment to innovation by creating programs and services to address client needs AND by continuously improving our programs and operations.  We believe that organizational excellence is best achieved when leadership is reflective of our diverse society.

About the Job

Questar III BOCES is seeking a full-time Communications Specialist (Civil Service title: Public Information Specialist) to provide onsite support to school districts in Rensselaer, Columbia, and/or Greene Counties. This position is responsible for internal and external communications with an emphasis on writing press releases, social media posts, web content creation (photography and video), writing newsletters, recording and editing a podcast, and more. Since this role is responsible for writing the majority of the content that is sent to parents, staff and the media, writing is a key component, and as a result, we are seeking a detail-oriented communicator who can comfortably craft, report, edit, and engage with the community. The ideal candidate can comfortably interact with staff, students, and leadership in person, and deliver content that is relevant and concise for our larger audience at hand.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and maintains a positive public image for the organization through public-facing communications and/or executes written content strategies to release information on the organization.

• Writes, reviews, and/or distributes press releases and other public-facing communication. Responds to information requests from media contacts.

• Based on assessment, they draft and propose communications campaigns, which may include social and online media, print media, and other multimedia.

• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with school district personnel to develop a wide variety of communications for websites, social media, the media, and publications.

• Creates Photo/Video Content as per creative briefs provided by the department lead.

• Arranges interviews for executives and management as part of special projects.  Edits documents for web and print publication.

Minimum Requirements:

• Graduation from a regionally accredited or NYS registered college or university with a bachelor's degree in media technology, journalism, communi­cations, public affairs, public relations, marketing, English or closely related field;  OR

• Graduation from a regionally accredited or NYS registered two-year college or university with an associate's degree in media technology, jour­nalism, communications, public affairs, public relations, marketing, English or closely related field and two years of experience in public relations, advertising, communi­cation relations, publicity, public information or journalism;  OR

• Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four years of experience as described in (b) above;  OR

• An equivalent combination of training and experience as outlined by the limits of (A), (B), and (C) above

• Basic knowledge of, or a willingness to learn, photography, videography, and graphic design

Columbia County Civil Service residency requirements will apply (must be a resident of Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Ulster or Dutchess County at time of hire). 

Questar III BOCES offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits, including enrollment in the New York State Employees Retirement Pension System.  For more information on Questar III BOCES, please visit www.questar.org.

Email a resume with a cover letter to employment@questar.org. Be sure to include Communication Specialist in the subject line of your email.