Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING

Position Number:  00297952

Description Activated On:  4/16/2018 4:12:08 PM


Position Purpose:
Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. 

The employee in this position is assigned to the Office of Communications and is responsible for informing, developing, and presenting key risk communications messages to the press, public, public health professionals, infectious disease specialists, emergency department personnel, and healthcare providers in preparedness for and response to bioterrorism, potential infectious disease outbreaks, public health threats, and emergencies. This position develops and maintains relevant risk communication plans in the event of any public health threat, emergency, or controversial issue that demands a public health response; as well as detailing policies and procedures for the coordination of communication in the PADOH and among other state agencies. Serves as the primary media contact for the Bureau of Public Health Preparedness, answering all related press calls. Prepares speeches, talking points, articles, reports, news releases, and educational materials for the PADOH, including its website.

As part of the incident response team, responsible for communicating with the public, media, and/or coordinating with other agencies, as necessary, with incident related information requirements. The PIO is responsible for developing and releasing information about the incident to the news media, incident personnel, and other appropriate agencies and organizations. Depending on the size or complexity of the incident, a lead PIO should be assigned for each incident and may have assistants, as necessary, including supporting PIOs representing other responding agencies or jurisdictions.

Public Health Emergency Response – This position may be given an assignment to support the public health emergency response mission of the Department of Health. Emergency assignments could at times be received with little or no advance notice, and may continue for any period of time – ranging from a few hours to several weeks, depending on the nature of the circumstance. The emergency assignments may at times be performed under adverse conditions and may require travel to another site other than the employee’s assigned headquarters for a period of time.

Description of Duties:
Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor.

PIO Major Responsibilities Checklist
Determine from the IC if there are any limits on information release.
Develop material for use in media briefings.
Obtain IC approval of media releases.
Inform the media and conduct media briefings.
Arrange for tours and other interviews or briefings, as required.
Evaluate the need for and, as appropriate, establish and operate a JIS.
Establish a JIC, as necessary, to coordinate and disseminate accurate and timely incident-related information.
Maintain current information summaries and/or displays on the incident.
Provide information on the status of the incident to assigned personnel.
Maintain an Activity Log (ICS 214).
Manage media and public inquiries.
Coordinate emergency public information and warnings.
Monitor media reporting for accuracy.
Ensure that all required agency forms, reports, and documents are completed prior to demobilization.
Have debriefing session with the IC prior to demobilization.


Extracted from other documents as possible for inclusion. May or may not be applicable now as I don¡¦t have a lot of direct contact with your current projects.

Major Projects/Assignments:

• Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) ORR
o communications information to include in the CDC¡¦s review of Pennsylvania¡¦s SNS plan. The Communications portion of the plan
• National Volunteer Week/SERVPA
o Create press release, radio script and OP-ED highlighting SERVPA as part of National Volunteer Week.

Training/Exercises:
• Online NIMS Training (ISO100, ISO200, ISO700)
• NPHIC Annual Conference
• Various nuclear exercises/drills at PEMA

• Revamp layout of preparedness info on PA DOH Website:
o Info needs to be easier to find
o Work with IT to make it more appealing/interactive
o List preparedness training that is available on the state/national level with links
o List preparedness events in local/regional areas, etc. with links (when possible)

• Complete dark website

• Research what other states are doing in regards to emergency preparedness:
o
• Establish relationships with:
o Local/regional health PIOs
o DOH public health educators

• Participate in local drills:
o Philadelphia Health Department
o Allegheny Health Department
o Healthcare Coalition Partnership

• Press Releases/Events
o Need to take message to people. Other events happening there throughout the year?

Decision Making:
Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
„h Knowledge of all media used in public relations.
„h Knowledge of writing and editing techniques.
„h Ability to analyze and evaluate written material.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 2
„h Ability to communicate effectively orally.
„h Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
„h Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities):
„h Three years of experience in preparing public relations promotion through all media; and a bachelor¡¦s degree with major course work in journalism, communications, English, or a related field;
or
„h An equivalent combination of experience and training.

Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License

Experience:



Licenses, registrations, or certifications:

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Essential Functions
: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
 
 1. Writing
 2. Editing
 3. Interpersonal communications
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