Digital Engagement Specialist (Graphic Designer)

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The City of Dublin is looking to hire a mid-level Graphic Designer to join our Community Engagement Division. This person will play a key role in how the City communicates with residents, shaping the visual identity behind everything from social media campaigns and promotional materials to email newsletters and community outreach programs. The ideal candidate combines strong design craft with excellent writing ability, since they'll often be asked to create both the visuals and the words that go with them.

The ideal candidate has three (3) to five (5) years of professional graphic design experience spanning both print and digital media. They are highly proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and can produce polished work across a wide range of formats, including flyers, brochures, banners, signage, newsletters, social media graphics, presentation decks, and website assets. They understand how to design for accessibility and readability, which matters greatly when communicating with a broad, diverse public audience.

Excellent written communication is essential to this role, not optional. The ideal candidate writes with strong grammar, a clear and consistent voice, and the judgment to adjust tone for different audiences and purposes. They should be comfortable drafting marketing copy and social media captions and be able to proofread their own and others' work with a sharp eye for detail. They also understand or are eager to learn the unique considerations of designing for a government audience, including plain-language principles, accessibility standards, cultural sensitivity, and the need for consistent, trustworthy branding across departments.

As the fourth member of a small division, this person needs to be a true team player: flexible, communicative, and willing to contribute wherever needed. They should be ready to support the City’s emergency communications, producing quick-turnaround graphics and copy for unplanned incidents. They take direction well but also bring their own ideas to the table and are self-sufficient enough to manage their own workload and deadlines with minimal oversight while keeping teammates in the loop. Experience with photography and basic videography is a strong plus, since this person may occasionally be asked to photograph community events or capture footage for short social media videos.

General Purpose
Under general supervision, performs a variety of professional-level duties in support of the City’s communication, public engagement, and digital media functions. Responsibilities include designing print and digital collateral; planning, creating and executing multimedia content for City communication platforms, including video, photo, website, and social media;  supporting public outreach and marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment with the City’s brand identity.  

Distinguishing Characteristics
This is the journey-level class within the Digital Engagement Specialist series. Positions in this class are fully competent to perform the full scope of assigned duties with limited supervision and may assist in guiding the work of the Digital Communications Technician, intern, part-time, or contract staff. This class is distinguished from the Senior Digital Engagement Specialist in that the latter performs the most difficult and responsible types of duties assigned to classes within this series including exercising technical and functional supervision. 

Supervision Received and Exercised

• Receives administrative direction from the Division Manager. 
• May exercise technical and functional supervision over the Digital Communications Technician, intern, part-time or contracted staff as appropriate.

The following duties are typical for this classification. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this class.

Depending on assignment:

• Develop the overall layout and design for print and digital collateral that enhances the City’s image, informs the public and supports outreach efforts.
• Write, design and produce a variety of communication materials including press releases, newsletters, social media posts, flyers, brochures, reports, presentations and web content. 
• Compose and prepare letters, brochures, and articles.
• Capture and edit high-quality photo and video content for digital campaigns and social media. 
• Collaborate with internal departments on various projects in order to develop multimedia content aligned with the organizational goals and branding strategy. 
• Ensure that communication materials reflect principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and are accessible to individuals of varying backgrounds, languages, and abilities.
• Administer content on the City’s website and social media platforms; ensure timely, accurate and engaging information is available to the community. 
• Support the development and implementation of communications strategies and marketing plans related to City programs, events and initiatives, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility. 
• Participate in planning, coordinating and implementing community celebration events and recognition events for City staff and community members/groups.
• Ensure compliance with City policies, accessibility standards (such as WCAG), and legal requirements related to public communication and digital media.
• Monitor trends and performance analytics related to public engagement, social media and digital campaigns; make recommendations for improvement. 
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other City employees, and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Negotiate and manage agreements for contract services.
• Participate in budget preparation related to program areas; prepare costs estimates for budget recommendations for marketing and advertising; monitor expenditures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education:
Equivalent to an Associate of Arts degree from an accredited college or university with major course working in graphic design, communication, marketing, journalism, photography, desktop publishing, and/or reprographics.  A Bachelor’s degree is highly desirable. 

Experience:
Three years of progressively responsible experience in graphic design, content creation, videography, public information, marketing, or communications.

Licenses, Certificates and Special Requirements:
Depending on assignment, position may require possession of a valid California Class C Driver’s License and Certificate of Automobile Insurance for Personal Liability.

Knowledge of:

• Graphic design, web design, editing principles, and branding.
• Photography and video production, including editing software and equipment.
• Public sector standards for accessibility, transparency, and brand consistency.
• Modern office equipment and software, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, audio/visual presentation tools, data analytics, design and communications software, digital photography, and graphic/visual design tools.
• Writing styles and editing techniques for different platforms and audiences.
• English usage, spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 
• Principles and practices of pre- and post-production editing. 
• Social media platforms, digital storytelling strategies, and content trends. 
• Digital marketing channels and platforms. 
• Advanced use of social media tools. 
• Methods for developing or maintaining websites and related content.
• Methods of effective storytelling and presentation. 
• Principles and practices of public communication, community engagement, marketing, advertising, public relations, market research and analysis, printing and publishing.
• Modern marketing and public relations techniques and event promotion. 
• Methods and practices of program development and project management.
• Principles and practices of effective business and marketing communications.
• Principles and practices of budget administration.
• Principles and practices of technical and functional supervision and training. 

Ability to:

• Plan, develop, and deliver engaging multimedia and print content across multiple platforms; design concepts and camera-ready materials, ensuring alignment with project needs and brand guidelines. 
• Design and prepare reports and brochures for in-house or contracted printing projects, overseeing the document reproduction process for quality and accuracy.
• Apply brand and style guidelines consistently across all media.
• Apply creativity and innovation to redefine designs as needed to meet project goals, time constraints, and cost considerations. 
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Take photographs, create presentations, operate and maintain multimedia equipment and software.  
• Interpret project needs and convert user-developed content into attractive marketing, outreach and communication materials.
• Translate technical or complex information into public-facing materials. 
• Keep abreast of developments in information technology and trends, particularly design programs and hardware.
• Manage digital content projects utilizing multiple software products and platforms.
• Perform professional marketing, communications and public information duties to promote and market City and department services and programs.
• Collect, evaluate, and interpret information and data, including digital media and marketing trends.
• Prioritize tasks, manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, and adapt quickly to shifting priorities. 
• Take initiative while working independently or collaboratively in a team environment.
• Work well under pressure and quickly make responsible decisions; identify and resolve problems quickly.
• Demonstrate tact and good judgment in dealing with sensitive issues and situations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, vendors, and the public.

Required Work Samples
As part of your application, please submit design samples across four (4) categories, with a maximum of two (2) samples per category (8 files) total:

1.  A print piece (flyer or poster)
2. A social media graphic
3. A multi-page piece (newsletter, brochure, or report layout)
4. A PowerPoint or presentation slide (a single slide or short excerpt is acceptable)

• Work may be professional or self-directed/mock projects.
• Please submit work samples as PDF or image files (JPG or PNG), with a maximum of two (2) files per category (8 files total).
• Each file must be no larger than 5 MB.
• To support a fair and impartial evaluation process, applicants must remove or redact all personal identifying information from submitted work samples to the extent practical. This includes names, contact information, personal website URLs, social media handles, photographs, and other identifying information. Where feasible, applicants should also remove or obscure client, employer, or organizational names and logos.
• Work samples must be uploaded with the employment application by 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2026. Work samples submitted after the application deadline or through any other method (e.g., email or other file-sharing platforms) will not be accepted or considered.

Physical Requirements
The physical standards described below are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequent sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching, and repetitive motion.
• Manual dexterity to operate computers, camera equipment, and audiovisual tools.
• Ability to view and produce content on screens for extended periods of time.
• Occasional lifting, carrying, or transport of materials or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds (e.g., banners, camera gear, display materials, A/V equipment).
• Visual and auditory acuity to operate video/photo equipment, review visual content, and participate in meetings and public events.
• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle and travel to various City or community locations as needed.