Tantramar is hiring a new communications officer. The posting for the new position is up on the town’s website, the first of four new postings expected to go up as a result of Tantramar’s post-amalgamation restructuring.
The town also plans to hire a new director of human resources, a new director of protective services, and a new director of finance/treasurer. Former Sackville treasurer Michael Beal is currently serving as acting treasurer, but he was named director of a new department of corporate compliance when CAO Jennifer Borne announced the new structure in December.
“Staff are actually really excited to see this position added within the org chart for the new Tantramar,” says Borne. The communications officer will work under Corporate Services director Kieran Miller, and be dedicated to internal and external communications, something that previous staff had done “off the corner of their desks,” says Borne.
The new person will be working on the municipality’s branding exercise, for which the town is in the process of contracting a consultant. Borne says the officer will work on community engagement, “reaching out to, introducing ourselves to former LSD areas, as well as reintroducing ourselves to our former governments of Dorchester and Sackville areas,” says Borne. The goal will be to highlight, “what it is that local government does, and how we can connect and engage and work with residents of Tantramar,” says Borne.
The job posting closes on May 19, and asks for candidates with a degree in public relations or communications, and three to five years experience working in public relations, issues management and/or media relations. Website management and social media skills are also listed, and Borne says there’s a lot of work to be done online, but not solely online.
“We recognize that we do have a senior population and perhaps folks that don’t have online access,” says Borne. “So how do we meet the needs of all of our residents to properly get the information out?”
The communications officer is a new position, meaning it represents an expansion of staffing for the new municipality. The salary range has yet to be approved, but is expected to be in the range of $58,000 to $77,000, depending on qualifications. Borne says the new expense is justified, because it will help provide “consistent, professional, and accurate information,” about the town’s services.
While residents can always call the town with questions, says Borne, she expects ramped up communications activities will help alleviate questions and concerns from residents.
Borne expects interviews to take place in June, and hopes to have someone on board in time to participate in the municipality’s branding exercise. The town issued a request for proposals for a consultant to run the exercise in March, and a recommendation to award a contract is expected at Monday’s committee of the whole meeting of Tantramar Council.
