Primary Objective
The City of Bloomington is seeking a Communications Specialist to assist with and create a variety of communications and marketing projects that maintains a favorable image of the City through print or online methods.
CITY VALUES & EXPECTATIONS
- Models and contributes to a positive work environment, culture of communication, engagement and safety
- Communicates effectively and respectfully with employees and the general public, including but not limited to those of diverse racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
- Works cooperatively as a member of a team; develops and maintains effective working relationships with diverse coworkers and community members; consistently brings a high level of self-awareness and empathy to all personal interactions
- Embraces the City’s shared values and contributes towards accomplishing the City’s vision and goals by being creative, innovative, continuously learning, and communicating clearly
Examples of Duties
- Writes and edits the City's monthly newsletter for residents and monthly internal newsletter for employees
- Produces copy for the City's websites and social media sites
- Photographs and compiles digital images for publications, websites and other online and print materials
- Writes copy for news releases and other projects as needed
- Performs miscellaneous projects for the Communications and Engagement Department and for other departments, including producing financial documents and other newsletters as assigned
- Creates content for social media
- Other duties as apparent & assigned
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required
- Ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, with the public, employees, and others in an effective, tactful, and courteous manner
- Ability to establish and maintain positive, professional working relationships with co-workers, supervisors and the public
- Ability to work independently to complete tasks and responsibilities in accordance with established practices and procedures, with little or no supervision
- Ability to exercise production creativity while demonstrating strong organizational skills, a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
Minimum/Desirable Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, English, or a closely related field
- Three years of experience in communications
- One year of work experience interviewing individuals and writing news articles and feature stories
- One year of work experience working with various software packages including Microsoft Office Suite
- One year of work experience creating social media content
- Valid driver's license or access to reliable transportation required to perform job duties
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated production creativity
Desirable Qualifications
- Communications experience in a government setting
- Additional experience writing news articles
- Still photography skills
- Familiarity with graphic design software, including Adobe InCopy and InDesign
Supplemental Information
Supervision Of Others
This position does not supervise others.
Anticipated Hiring Range: $39.33 – $42.53 Hourly
2026 Full Salary Range: $39.33 – $53.82 Hourly
Part-Time; Non-Exempt; Non-Union; Benefits Ineligible
The City of Bloomington is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating a diverse workforce that reflects the community we serve. Applicants who are black, indigenous or persons of color are encouraged to apply. We also encourage women, veterans, members of the LGBTQIA community, and individuals with disabilities to apply.
The position description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change
Ongoing
Part-Time employees who are employed for more than 6 months will make contributions to the pension program (PERA) through payroll deductions unless they qualify for one of the exemptions. In addition,
Part-Time may receive Paid-time Off (PTO) at rate outlined in employee handbook and eligable for paid parental leave after 6 months of employment.
Temporary/Seasonal employees do not receive benefits outside of Paid-time Off (PTO) at rate outlined in employee handbook.
01
The City of Bloomington (City) is asking you to supply information (data) as part of your application for employment with the City. The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) classifies this data as private data about you. The law does not require you to provide the data and there is no legal consequence for refusing to provide the data. However, if you do not provide the requested data, the City may not have enough information to consider your application and you may not move forward in the selection process. If you do provide the data, City employees and its agents may have access to your private data if their work assignments reasonably require access. The hiring manager or supervisor, human resources employees, and members of an interview panel, which may include non-City employees, will have access to some of your private data during the application and selection process. State or federal law or a court order may allow others to have access to your data also. The City will not disclose any of your private data to any member of the general public without your permission. The MGDPA classifies the following information as public data about applicants: veteran status, relevant test scores, rank on eligible list, job history, education and training, and work availability. If you are a finalist for the position, your name is also public. A "finalist" is a person the City selects for an interview. Do you agree to supply the data the City is requesting as part of your application for employment?
02
This is a reminder that you should check your Spam/Junk folder as emails from the City of Bloomington might end up being received in those folders and not your inbox.
Please note that the City won't send out communications until after the job posting has officially closed unless the posting clearly states otherwise. Please acknowledge that you have read and understood this informational message.
03
I understand that in order for my application to receive every consideration in the selection process, I must complete the following supplemental questionnaire completely for this position.
Attaching a resume is NOT a substitute for completing an answer. If a question is answered by the statement "See Resume", the question will be treated as if there is no answer. The information I provide will be reviewed and used to determine my eligibility to move forward in the selection process. Unanswered questions, incomplete responses, false statements, omissions, or partial information may result in disqualification from the selection process. If the supplemental question is not applicable to you, please indicate N/A.
I have read and understand the above instructions regarding supplemental questions.
04
Did you read and review the Working Conditions and Physical Demands checklist and the Remote Work availability? Once you click on the link
05
The advertised wage for this position is $39.33 - $42.53 hourly, depending on qualifications. If selected, would you be willing to accept a starting wage in this range?
06
Please indicate your highest level of education completed.
- High School or Equivalent
- Associate Degree
- Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Journalism, English, or a closely related field
- Master's Degree or Higher in Communications, Journalism, English, or a closely related field
- Degree in another field
- Not Applicable
07
If you indicated you have post-secondary education, please summarize coursework or list degree earned, area of study, name of institution and dates you attended. If not applicable to you, indicate N/A.
08
How many years of work experience do you have in communications?
- Less than 3 years
- 3 Years
- 4-5 Years
- 6+ Years
- Not Applicable
09
If you indicated you have work experience in communications, please summarize your experience including Job Title, place of employment, and relevant job duties. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
10
How many years of work experience do you have in interviewing individuals and writing news articles and feature stories?
- Less than 1 years
- 1 Year
- 2-3 Years
- 4+ Years
- Not Applicable
11
If you indicated you have work experience in interviewing individuals and writing news articles and feature stories, please summarize your experience including Job Title, place of employment, and relevant job duties. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
12
How many years of work experience do you have in working with various software packages including Microsoft Office Suite?
- Less than 1 year
- 1 Year
- 2-3 Years
- 4+ Years
- Not Applicable
13
If you indicated you have work experience utilizing various software packages including Microsoft Office Suite, please summarize your experience including Software Name, Level of Experience, and relevant work tasks when using software. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
14
How many years of work experience do you have in creating social media content?
- Less than 1 year
- 1 Year
- 2-3 Years
- 4+ Years
- Not Applicable
15
If you indicated you have work experience in creating social media content, please summarize your experience including Job Title, place of employment, and relevant job duties. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
16
Do you have a valid driver's license or access to reliable transportation required to perform job duties?
17
Do you have excellent written and oral communication skills?
18
Have you demonstrated production creativity?
19
If you indicated you have work experience in demonstrating production creativity, please summarize your experience including Job Title, place of employment, and relevant job duties. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
20
Do you possess communications experience in a government setting?
21
Do you possess still photography skills?
22
If you indicated you have work experience in still photography, please summarize your experience including Job Title, place of employment, and relevant job duties. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
23
Do you possess familiarity with graphic design software, including Adobe InCopy and InDesign?
24
If you indicated you have work experience utilizing graphic design software, please summarize your experience including Software Name, Level of Experience, and relevant work tasks when using software. If not applicable, indicate N/A.
25
Do you fluently speak a second language, in addition to English, that has a recognized presence in the community? Recognized prevalent languages in the City of Bloomington are Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese Mandarin, and Cambodian [Khmer]. Fluent means you can sustain a conversation, demonstrate intelligible pronunciation which doesn't interfere with understanding, and communicate at informal and some formal levels.
- Spanish - FLUENT
- Somali - FLUENT
- Vietnamese - FLUENT
- Chinese Mandarin - FLUENT
- Cambodian [Khmer] - FLUENT
- I am not FLUENT in those languages or I am FLUENT in another language
26
If you indicated you speak a language other than English that you are FLUENT in, please list the language(s) and years spoken. If not applicable, please indicate N/A.
27
This Question Is To Determine Your Status As a Veteran Under The Veteran's Preference Statute, Minnesota Statutes, 43A.11. Please Check The Statement Below Which Best Describes Your Current Veteran's Status
- I am not a Veteran
- I am a Veteran who served more than 180 consecutive days and received an Honorable Discharge or Separation
- I am the spouse of a deceased Veteran who served more than 180 consecutive days and received an Honorable Discharge or Separation
- I am a disabled Veteran who served more than 180 consecutive days and received an Honorable Discharge or Separation
- I am the spouse of a disabled Veteran who served more than 180 consecutive days and received an Honorable Discharge or Separation and is unable to use the preference due to the disability
28
If you are a Veteran and achieve the minimum passing rating, do you wish to apply your veteran's preference bonus points? If you answer yes, you MUST complete the City of Bloomington's Veteran Preference Questionnaire (
Required Question
