Job Details
BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Job Title: Public Information Officer
Location: 198 E161St Street BRONX, NY
Salary: $67,983.00 – $80,000.00 per year
Employment Type: Permanent employment, Full-time
Start Date: Starts as soon as possible
Vacancy: 1 Vacancy
Posted until: 10/14/2024
Experience Level: Experienced (Non-Manager)
No Exam Required
Department: Support Staff
Verified: Yes
Job Description
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office needs a well-qualified staff who has a diverse background that reflects an ability to serve the over 1.4 million members of the Bronx County community. As well as pursue a safer Bronx through fair justice. Furthermore, the communications/public information office needs a Public Information Officer (PIO) with a very sound knowledge of New York City, the Bronx, and the Criminal Justice System.
Also, police issues, crimes, and other experiences as a journalist covering these subjects. As a Public Information Officer, you will use your knowledge and experience to assist the Communications Director in handling media requests. In addition, you’ll disseminate news of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to the media, and public, and also handle the office’s internal communications.
JOB Responsibilities
The major job responsibilities of a public information officer are stated below. Scroll down!
- Draft press releases.
- Post items to the websites and social media. You will also monitor the Internet and social media.
- Draft internal communications such as memos, and newsletters.
- Prepare talking points and presentations for use by the District Attorney.
- Attend court proceedings
- Communicate with all levels of office staff, the media, external agencies, and the public.
- All other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- If you want to work as a public information officer, you must have a baccalaureate degree and at least five (5) years of experience as a journalist. You must have covered crime, the criminal justice system, and police issues in New York City. Furthermore, if you have experience as a public information officer or spokesperson within the criminal justice system or relevant entity, you’ll be considered.
- You must also have excellent writing skills.
- As well as excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the agency and the media, other city agencies, and the public.
- You must have a strong understanding of the Criminal Justice system, police issues, and the NYC, and Bronx communities.
- The ability to simultaneously handle multiple challenging assignments.
- Must be detail-oriented with superior organizational, analytical, writing, and communication skills.
- Must be proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and Access), PowerPoint, HTML, Adobe skills, and social media.
- Additionally, have the ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
- The ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Minimum Qualifications
1. To become a public information officer, you will need to obtain a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college. As well as two years of experience in community work or community-centered activities in an area related to the duties described above. Or
2. A high school graduation or its equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community-centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above. Or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to the above-listed points. However, if you want to be eligible, you must have at least one year of experience as described in “1” above.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the US Department of Education’s website. Furthermore, you do not require a city residency for this position.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer. We are committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and also providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. This is based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or age. As well as your religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
How To Apply
Apply online through the company website
What Is A Public Information Officer?
A public information officer is a professional who helps to facilitate communication between an organization and the general public. Although, most public information officers often work for state or local governments. This is due to the government having complex or technical information that they want to share.
Therefore, as a public information officer, you can help make these communications accessible to all audiences. Also, public information officers can work for a private company, but in these environments, they typically operate under the job titles of public relations specialist or communications specialist.
What Is The Job Role Of A Public Information Officer
Working as a public information officer, you will have to take up several responsibilities that relate to sharing information with the community. One of the most common job responsibilities of a public information officer is hosting press conferences. As well as other types of events where they can make announcements about important news or share updates about crises.
Furthermore, public information officers spend time writing press releases, social media posts, and other forms of information to be shared with the public using the Internet. Some other job roles of a public information officer may include:
- Speaking with individual members of the public to answer questions and gather information.
- Develop content strategies for releasing news updates.
- As well as writing press releases.
- Hosting special events to promote important public events or holidays.
- Setting up interviews between members of their organization and other stakeholders or groups.
- In addition, maintaining positive relationships with all media outlets.
- Helping executive management create a specific public image for their organization.
Important Skills Necessary For A Public Information Officer
To become a public information officer, many skills are very important, most of which relate to communication. One other major skill for public information officers is organization, as they often have to review and synthesize high volumes of information. Additionally, social media skills are also essential because most members of the public receive their daily news on these platforms.
Listed below are a few more skills that a public information officer will need to have. Scroll down!
- Public speaking
- Attention to detail
- Collaboration
- Empathy
- Writing
- Computer literacy
Work Environment Of A Public Information Officer
Public information officers usually work for a standard 40-hour work per week. One of their job duties is to quickly assess and create responses regarding public events. As such, they may have to work irregular hours to address these situations. The job role of a public information officer may also involve traveling to different places within their community to make public statements.
And also facilitate interviews or fulfill media requests. Based on this, public information officers can benefit from being adaptable and flexible in how they view their work.
Required Qualifications For A Public Information Officer
Below, we will discuss some of the qualifications that a public information officer typically needs to fulfill. Let’s check it out!
Education
Oftentimes, employers expect public information officers to possess at least a bachelor’s degree. This is because obtaining a bachelor’s degree can afford candidates the opportunity to develop their skills. As well as their expertise while learning about high-level concepts in the field of their choice. Most of the job role of a public information officer involves communicating with organizations and community members.
As such, most candidates choose to major in communications or public relations so that they will receive training in the subjects that might be most relevant to their future work. However, you can also major in journalism, marketing, or a related field that allows you to develop your language and interpersonal skills. This can be especially important for public information officers.
Training
The most effective training method for a career as a public information officer is to first work in an entry-level job in public relations. With this, public information officers can perform many of the same job duties as other professionals in public relations. Therefore, working in the industry after you graduate can help you further improve your skills.
In addition, obtaining experience in public relations can provide you with the opportunity to learn about the field from professionals who are already established in the industry. Fortunately, this will provide you with insights into communication methods and media standards. While building experience in public relations, it can also be important to familiarize yourself with different forms of media.
Working as a public information officer, your main responsibility will be to share information from your organization with the public. However, you must know which forms of media the public interacts with the most and make use of them. For instance, it can be beneficial to learn about the different social media platforms that a community uses so you can post information that the public can access and share with their peers easily and faster.
