Communications Specialist

The City of Pleasanton is seeking a talented and versatile Communications Specialist to join its Communications team. This role is responsible for creating, managing, and delivering high-quality content across a variety of platforms to help residents stay informed and engaged with City services, programs, and initiatives. The Communications Specialist will collaborate with departments across the organization, support media relations and special events, and help ensure consistent, accessible messaging for the community. This is an opportunity to blend creativity, strategy, and public service in a fast-paced, meaningful role.

We’re Looking for Someone Who Is

• A strong communicator with excellent writing, editing, and storytelling abilities.
• Creative, proactive, and able to bring ideas to life through graphics, photos, videos, and multimedia content.
• Organized, adaptable, and comfortable managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Collaborative, working effectively with staff across all City departments.
• Detail-focused, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and consistency in all communications.
• Passionate about public service and helping the community stay informed and engaged.

In This Role, You Will

• Plan, produce, and distribute content for social media, the website, newsletters, press releases, and other platforms.
• Manage day-to-day social media activity, monitoring engagement and public sentiment.
• Update and maintain accurate, consistent, and accessible website content.
• Create digital and print collateral, including graphics, photos, videos, and presentations.
• Partner with departments to translate technical or complex topics into clear, engaging public communications.
• Support special events, media inquiries, and organizational initiatives.
• Serve as a Public Information Officer for assigned departments and act as backup PIO to the Communications Manager.

A Few Reasons You’ll Love Working With Us

• You’ll contribute to high-visibility projects that directly benefit the Pleasanton community.
• The work is highly creative, offering opportunities to produce graphics, videos, and compelling stories.
• You’ll collaborate with nearly every department in the City, gaining broad exposure to local government operations.
• You’ll join a supportive, innovative Communications team that values creativity and continuous improvement.
• The role is both strategic and hands-on, providing variety and opportunities to grow your skills.

A Few Challenges You Might Face

• Managing multiple deadlines in a full-service City with many ongoing programs and priorities.
• Translating complex technical information, such as water systems, infrastructure, and budget topics, into clear public messaging.
• Maintaining a consistent tone, branding, and communication approach across diverse departments and subject areas.
• Balancing urgent requests with long-term communication planning.

The Ideal Candidate Will Be

• An experienced writer skilled in crafting clear, engaging, and accurate content across formats (press releases, newsletters, social media, web content).
• Knowledgeable about modern communications strategies, including social media best practices, analytics, public engagement, and media relations.
• Comfortable producing basic graphics, photos, videos, and other multimedia content.
• Someone who works well independently while also thriving in a collaborative team environment.
• Skilled at building relationships with staff, media, and community partners.
• Able to think strategically about timing, audiences, messaging, and communication channels.
• Creative, organized, adaptable, and committed to high-quality public service communication.

For more information about the position, please refer to the job description by visiting the following link: Communications Specialist.