Initial Posting Date:

11/03/2025

Application Deadline:

11/17/2025

Agency:

Oregon Business Development Department

Salary Range:

$6,348 - $9,370

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Arts & Culture Communications Coordinator (Public Affairs Specialist 2)

Job Description:

Business Oregon the state’s economic development agency, is currently hiring a full time Arts & Culture Communications Coordinator (Public Affairs Specialist 2) This position leads communications, brand awareness, media relations, public affairs and fund development for the Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Arts Commission to amplify the arts, heritage and humanities sectors.

Note: We are committed to fostering a supportive work environment that promotes work-life balance and flexibility. This hybrid role offers remote work options, with the expectation of occasional in-office presence once a month to support business operations and team collaboration.

What you will do:

Lead brand, media relations, and editorial calendar; serve as primary media contact.
Oversee website, emails, newsletters, and social media communications.
Manage contractors (writers/designers/media), schedules and budgets.
Partner with Business Oregon and State of Oregon on agency and statewide needs.
Design and run campaigns to promote the Cultural Trust tax credit and license plate sales.
Oversee stewardship receipts, acknowledgments, year-round cultivation, and impact stories tied to grantmaking.
Lead Governor’s Arts Awards program.
Support legislative and board communications; prep presentations and briefing materials.
Coordinate annual tax-credit fundraising plan (goals, audiences, channels, calendars, budgets, and advertisements purchase).
Produce board/ambassador toolkits; coordinate donor salons, presentations, and peer-to-peer outreach.

The ideal candidate will possess a combination of some or all the following skills:

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Experience coordinating communications across a variety of platforms.
Effective attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.
Knowledge and experience leading marketing campaigns.
Skills with fund development including donor engagement.
Experience with event planning including coordination, organization and adhering to timelines.
Contribute to a positive, respectful, and productive work environment.

Please note: if you are interested in applying for this position, you must attach your current cover letter and resume to your application. Failure to submit the required resume and cover letter will remove your application from consideration.

What you need to qualify:
A Bachelor's Degree in Business or Public Administration, Public Relations, Marketing, Journalism, the Behavioral or Social Sciences or related degree and two years professional level experience in Public Relations or Affairs.

Five years experience directly related to the position under recruitment; two of the five years must have been at the professional level.

Business Oregon strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every one of the qualifications listed. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every one of our qualifications listed. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, feel free to contact us to discuss your application.

What Business Oregon does:

Business Oregon is the economic development agency for the state of Oregon. We have about 200 people on our team, and we work with communities and businesses. We use our programs and expertise to help businesses grow, so they can in turn add jobs, diversify the economy, and increase Oregon prosperity. We work with communities to enhance and expand infrastructure and community safety with projects such as water/wastewater systems, seismic rehabilitation for schools, or rural broadband development. This also sets the stage for future business development. Our mission is to invest in Oregon’s businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy, all carried out with an agency strategic plan.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grant making, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

The Oregon Cultural Trust is a unique statewide funding initiative to build a permanent endowment to preserve and strengthen culture for all Oregonians. The Oregon Cultural Trust works to: protect and stabilize Oregon's Cultural resources, expand public access to use Oregon's cultural resources and enhance the quality of those resources; and ensure Oregon's cultural resources are strong and dynamic contributors to Oregon's communities and quality of life.

How to Apply Please Note: Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM PDT/PST on Monday, November 17, 2025.

If you are a current State of Oregon employee, you must apply through your employee Workday account through Jobs Hub.
Click the “Apply” button above to complete your online application.
Attach your current cover letter and resume. Failure to submit the required resume and cover letter may remove your application from consideration. Clearly demonstrate in your cover letter how you meet all the minimum qualifications and requested skills listed above.
You may attach your cover letter and resume at the beginning of process or at the end of process of completing your workday application.
Complete the questionnaire. Warning – Workday will timeout due to inactivity and will not save your application progress unless you use the “save for later” function. If you need to take a break, please be sure to click the save for later button to save your progress.
Be sure to check Workday and your email for additional tasks and updates. After hitting submit there may be additional required tasks for you to complete prior to the announcement closing.
The candidates whose work experience most closely matches the qualifications and skills of this position will be invited to interview.

What’s in it for you:

Family Friendly Work Life Balance: Paid time off, 11 holidays, 3 personal days & optional short- and long-term disability benefits.
Take Care of Yourself and Your Family: Comprehensive employee benefits, choice of medical plans, vision plan, life insurance, employee assistance program.
Invest in Your Future: Pension plan, deferred comp, short- and long-term disability plan, flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care.
Be Appreciated: Employee recognition events, agency unique employee recognition program allowing for additional leave options such as vacation buy-out and sick leave roll-over, dynamic employees doing impactful work.
Inclusion: At Business Oregon, we value community and foster a sense of belonging for our employees.

Additional Information:

Per the Pay Equity Law passed in 2017, a pay equity analysis will be conducted to determine what pay step the successful candidate will be offered. The analysis will be based on the relevant experience, education, training, and certifications documented in the application materials.
It is our policy to provide reasonable accommodation to all applicants who may need them. Should you need assistance, or an accommodation please contact Lies Wattimena at Lies.Wattimena@biz.oregon.gov to discuss how we can best meet your needs.
Veterans’ Preference - Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans' preference. If you checked that you are a veteran, we will ask you for your documents later in the process. Click on the Veterans’ Preference link for additional information.
Criminal Records Check - Hiring of the successful candidate will be contingent upon the results of a Criminal Background Check. Adverse background data may be grounds for immediate disqualification.
Work Authorization - Business Oregon does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States.
This recruitment will be used to establish a list of qualified candidates to fill the current position and may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur.
This position is a management non-supervisory, full-time position, exempt and is not represented by a union.
PERS – This is a PERS qualifying position. After a six-month waiting period, eligible Management Service, Executive Service, and Unrepresented employees will have their base pay increased by 6.95% and the 6% PERS contribution deducted from their base pay rather than a direct 6% contribution by the State of Oregon to the employees PERS account. This will mirror the bargained SEIU and AFSCME PERS process.
Are you looking to live in and experience Oregon? Learn more about life in Pendleton, Salem, and Portland.

Need help?

We invite you to contact the recruiter for application questions or job-specific questions.

The recruiter for this position is Sarah Flores, HR Analyst. If you contact the recruiter, please include the job requisition (REQ-XXXXXX) number at the top of this job post.
Email: Sarah.J.Flores@biz.oregon.gov
Phone (call or text): 458-221-0205

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Business Oregon is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.