Communications Specialist

Are you passionate about digital marketing and communications? Ready for a fun and exciting opportunity to create engaging digital content for a growing and diverse community? Join the City of Champaign City Manager’s Office as our next Communications Specialist and help bring important stories to life through creative and impactful storytelling. In this role you will design and produce graphic designs, photos, and engaging visual assets that keep the public informed on timely topics. If you are creative and love finding fresh ways to connect with people, we’d love to hear from you!

Responsibilities of the Position
The Communications Specialist creates engaging digital content to promote City programs, services, and initiatives through branded graphics, photography, video, and marketing materials. This role also serves as a communications and design resource to all City departments by providing guidance and assistance for effective digital storytelling, branding, and campaign execution.

The Communications Specialist is expected to exercise independent judgment within established guidelines and apply creative and technical methods to effectively communicate complex or evolving information to a wide variety of audiences. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Communications Manager. This position requires being generally responsive and available to perform occasional work outside regularly scheduled hours to attend meetings or events and to assist with public communications during emergencies.

The annual starting salary range is $76,312 - $86,874, DOQ, plus an excellent fringe benefits package. Applications, including a cover letter and resume, must be submitted online at champaignil.gov/jobs no later than Monday, May 25, 2026. 

The City’s mission is to provide responsive, caring, and cost-effective service in partnership with our community. The following values guide our work: Personal Integrity, Responsibility, Respect, Teamwork, Results. The City of Champaign is committed to promoting a work environment and a community that values and supports diversity and inclusion. The City of Champaign is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Required Qualifications

·   Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, digital media, advertising, or a related field.

·   Experience in communications, digital marketing, public relations, and/or multimedia content development.

·   Experience in graphic design

·   Experience in photography, and/or video production.

·   An equivalent combination of work experience and training that demonstrates the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered.

·   Possess a current, valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record. 

Preferred Attributes

·   Public communication experience working for a government, nonprofit, or public sector agency.

·   Professional work experience in graphic design, photography, and/or video production.

·   Experience with content management systems (such as WordPress or similar web platforms); graphic design tools (such as Adobe Creative Suite or comparable design software); photo editing programs; video editing software (such as Premiere or similar tools); social media management platforms (such as Hootsuite); and email marketing systems.

 A drug screening, driving record check, and criminal background check are also required.