About This Opportunity

As the Digital Communications Lead for the City of Hillsboro, you will oversee digital communications strategy and content creation. Your work will be highly visible to the Hillsboro community and will include social media, email newsletters, videos, and other communications and storytelling. In addition, you will serve as the Team Lead for the Bilingual Communications Specialist, who oversees Spanish-language communication. Spanish-language skills are strongly preferred but not required for this position. You will be challenged to be innovative and creative with your communications and planning, while working as a team in a fast-paced environment. Your work will be valued by colleagues and community members alike as you help connect and serve the diverse Hillsboro community of more than 112,000 residents and businesses.

What You Will Be Doing

This position is part of the centralized Communications Team in the City Manager’s Office and works under the direction of the Communications Manager. Each day, you will work to coordinate and effectively communicate accurate, timely, and engaging information and content through social media posts, videos, emails, webpage updates, written articles, and other methods. Each week, this position will spend at least 2 – 3 days working in the office or on location creating content, with flexibility to work remotely as needed.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities Include:

Overseeing the creation, scheduling, and management of digital content (videos, photography, graphic design, messaging) for social media, email newsletters, and other communication platforms.
Managing the City’s online reputation, including responding to community members’ comments on social media channels; as well as coordinating social media advertising and strategic marketing to external audiences.
Ensuring that the City’s digital communications are effective in reaching diverse and/or culturally specific audiences, including underrepresented and underserved communities of color, in multiple languages.
Supervising and assigning work to the Bilingual Communications Specialist, providing guidance, and ensuring alignment with the City’s communication strategy.
Working closely with the Communications Manager and City communicators to coordinate Citywide updates and responses to community members’ questions.
Providing information during and in response to crises, emergency incidents, and other critical situations.
Collaborating with departments to develop digital content for special initiatives, events, and outreach programs.
Tracking emerging trends in digital communication, social media, and multimedia production to ensure the City remains at the forefront of digital engagement practices.
Ensuring compliance with all relevant legal and ethical standards for digital communications and media relations.
Analyzing communication metrics and adjusting strategies to improve outreach effectiveness.
Preparing and presenting regular reports to City leadership on the effectiveness of digital communication campaigns and outreach efforts.
Managing work priorities for contractors, including freelance photographers, graphic designers, writers, and videographers.
Providing training and guidance to City staff on digital media best practices, tools, and technologies.
Working onsite in the office at least 2 – 3 days a week to encourage team collaboration and effective communication.
Performing other duties of a similar nature and level as assigned.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Ability to write and produce digital content
Ability to analyze communication data to optimize strategies and improve public outreach effectiveness.
Ability to adapt quickly to changes in social media algorithms and emerging digital communication trends.
Ability to promote and market programs, services, and events through video, graphic design, and social media.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams in creating, managing, and executing integrated digital communication strategies.
Leadership skills, including the ability to mentor and guide team members while fostering a culture of accountability and professional growth within the department.
Ability to deliver positive, professional, and effective customer service in digital and public outreach.
Knowledge of Adobe software programs, including Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom; experience working with social media platforms and management tools.
Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, while supporting a positive work environment and achieving departmental goals.
Ability to meet deadlines, juggling competing priorities, and collaborating with multiple employees to complete assignments successfully.
Ability to take complex information and communicate it in a way that makes it accessible and understandable to the entire community.

For full job classification details please click here.

Current / Upcoming Projects

Assessing and updating the City’s social media strategy.
Reviewing and refreshing the design and layout of email newsletters.
Strategic coordination and planning for the creation of video reels.
Creating content for a twice-monthly email newsletter for 66,000 recipients.
Coordinating the creation and implementation of a Citywide Photo Library.
Supporting community event promotion on social media.
So much more!

Recruitment Timeline

Job Posting: 3/4/2026
Application Deadline: 3/22/2026
Interview I: 4/8/26 – 4/10/26 (virtual)
Interview II: 4/15/26 – 4/17/26 (virtual or in person)
Interview III: 4/22/26 – 4/24/26 (in person, if needed)

Note: Timelines subject to change based on City needs.

Application Limit

This recruitment will close after receiving 200 completed applications or on the posted closing date of March 22, 2026, whichever occurs first. Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as the posting may close without notice once the cap is reached.

Application Instructions

To ensure your application receives full consideration, please complete all sections of the online application thoroughly. Please note that Resumes and Cover Letters will not be accepted and should not be submitted in place of the completed application. Please see the guidelines below to successfully submit your application:

Include detailed information about your work experience, education, and relevant qualifications directly in the application. Taking the time to provide complete and accurate information helps the review panel fully understand your background and experience.
Please answer all supplemental questions thoughtfully and thoroughly. Your responses provide valuable insight into your qualifications and experience. They will help the hiring manager better understand how your background aligns with the needs of the position.
Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Only Veterans’ Preference documents will be reviewed as attachments.
Work samples must be submitted as website links that do NOT require downloading files (YouTube, social media sites, webpages).

Why Work for Hillsboro?

At the City of Hillsboro, we’re committed to supporting employees with a comprehensive package of benefits and resources designed to promote health, well-being, and growth.

When you join our team, you’ll enjoy:

Competitive pay with City contributions to PERS retirement
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Paid time off for vacation, sick leave, holidays, and more
Deferred compensation match and HRA VEBA contributions to boost your future savings
City-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance
Extra perks like bilingual pay incentives and wellness reimbursements
Free TriMet annual Hop pass and SHARC recreation access for you and your family
Paid time off to volunteer in the community through Hillsboro Helps
Ongoing professional development and training opportunities
A supportive workplace that values work/life balance and employee wellness

To learn more about our robust benefits package, please click here.

Commitment To Equity

Hiring a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve is essential to delivering exceptional City services and programs. The City of Hillsboro is committed to creating and supporting an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees to thrive. We value, respect, and empower employees as unique individuals with authentic voices and diverse ideas.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Three to five (3 – 5) years of professional experience in content creation, social media management, public relations, or multimedia production; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.

LICENSE(S) / CERTIFICATIONS:

Valid, current Driver’s License and a safe driving record.

WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

(Must be performed with or without reasonable accommodations)

Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally (up to 1/3 of workday), and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of workday), and/or a negligible amount of force constantly (2/3 or more of workday) to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for Sedentary Work.
Work is performed both indoors in office environments and outdoors during events, with exposure to various weather conditions.
Frequent use of standard office equipment, including computers, printers, and telecommunication devices, as well as video and multimedia equipment.
Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, when needed for media events, video production, or other communications activities.

City of Hillsboro is proud to offer robust benefit packages to employees. Please check out our Salary and Benefits page for benefit guides for our non-represented full-time employees and part-time employees. Benefits may vary for positions identified in Police, Fire, and Library collective bargaining agreements, which can also be found on the Salary and Benefits page.

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Digital Communications Lead