PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST II- SES (WORKING TITLE: COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST) - 43005023

Requisition No: 876826 

Agency: Financial Services

Working Title: PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST II- SES (WORKING TITLE: COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST) - 43005023

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 43005023 

Salary:  $55,000.00 - $65,000.00 

Posting Closing Date: 06/16/2026 

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*****OPEN COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY*****

CLASS TITLE: PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST II

WORKING TITLE: COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

DIVISION: FLORIDA PALM

CITY: TALLAHASSEE

COUNTY: LEON

What is the Florida PALM Project?
The Florida PALM Project is an enterprise project to replace the State of Florida’s legacy accounting, payroll, information warehouse, and cash management systems, using an enterprise resource planning solution. The replacement of the cash management systems, known as the CMS Wave, was completed in July 2021. The next major implementation, the Financials, Payroll, and Data Warehouse / Business Intelligence Wave, is currently underway and scheduled for Go-Live in January 2027. The Department of Financial Services is leading this statewide initiative, which impacts stakeholders and users of the State’s financial data, including all State agencies.

Who are we?
We are an innovative team of experts specializing in financial operations, business analysis, project management, change management and stakeholder relations. Working as part of the team at Florida PALM provides a great opportunity to be part of a mission-driven organization that strongly supports its employees’ professional growth and development through training opportunities and knowledge sharing. You will also be able to see your work directly supporting the transformation of business processes for the Florida State government.

Why work with Florida PALM?
Florida PALM is the State of Florida’s next-generation financial management platform, built on PeopleSoft, a technology that is used by national and international organizations across many industries to support a broad range of business and accounting functions.

Florida PALM is already a valuable part of Florida’s financial management processes. Since the CMS Wave Go-Live, the Florida PALM Solution Center has supported over 1,000 users across 35 agencies.

The next implementation will expand to over 3,000 users and integrate with more than 200 business systems, covering all major financial processes such as accounting, budgeting, payroll, and reporting.

Following this rollout, a dedicated support team will maintain and enhance the system through regular updates and new capabilities. Members of the Florida PALM Team experience valuable professional growth opportunities in areas like technology, project management, and change management – equipping them with skills that are highly transferable.

Check out this “We are Hiring” flyer, located on our Project Team page, for more helpful information.

To learn more about the Florida PALM Project Team, visit our Project Team page: https://myfloridacfo.com/floridapalm/project-team

In order to be considered for this position, applicant responses to the qualifying questions and work experience must be clearly defined within your work history, or the application may not be considered for the position.

Seven (7) years of relevant work experience in any combination of writing, marketing, communications, journalism, and/or design is required. A post-secondary degree in those fields may be used as an alternative for the years of experience on a year-for-year basis.

Requirements:

• Experience in producing creative content (newsletters, websites, infographics) using creative tools such as Adobe Suite, Canva, and PowerPoint.
• Experience writing and editing content for both internal and external stakeholders, such as newsletters, communications or meeting minutes.
• Experience coordinating pre-meeting logistics and running in-person and virtual meetings, workshops, or other events of various sizes.
• Ability to walk, kneel, bend, twist, lift, and carry light to medium load up to 50 pounds.

Preferences:

• Experience creating and maintaining content in Document360 and Smartsheet.
• Experience using Sitefinity to support website content publication and maintenance.
• Ability to edit audio / video content using Adobe Premiere and Audition.
• Ability to drive in the vicinity of Tallahassee to support offsite meetings or events using own vehicle.

Minimum Qualifications for this position include the following REQUIRED ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of effective communication.
• Knowledge of operating virtual software and of audio-visual equipment for on-site meeting logistics.
• Skill in Microsoft Office suite, with proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications
• Skill in web design or maintenance of existing web sites.
• Skill in drafting written communications, and proofing or editing others’ written documents.
• Ability to produce creative content (e.g., posters, flyers, communications) using design applications such as Adobe Premiere, Canva, and Adobe Illustrator.
• Ability to effectively communicate information, verbally, visually, and in writing to individuals or groups.
• Ability to research, collaborate, prepare reports, presentations and other formal documents.
• Ability to independently plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to plan, organize and conduct workshops, meetings and other events in-person or virtually, ranging from a group of 10 to more than 100 participants.
• Ability to walk, kneel, bend, twist, lift, and carry light- to medium-weight loads up to 50 lbs.

SPECIAL NOTES:

This position requires a security background check, including fingerprint as a condition of employment.

Salary Range: $55,000.00 - $65,000.00.

Employees of the Department of Financial Services are paid on a monthly pay cycle.

Responses to qualifying questions must be clearly supported by the state application and any omission, falsification, or misrepresentation in the answering of the qualifying questions will be cause for immediate elimination from the selection process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: 

This position assists in the execution of the Department of Financial Services’ responsibilities for Florida PALM and serves as a Communications Specialist with the Communications team.  As a member of the Communications team, this position will lead or support the execution of communications for the implementation of new functionality or the ongoing support of Florida PALM operations.

This position exercises discretion and independent judgment. This position provides consultation and expert advice and carries out major assignments independently.

OBJECTIVE:

This position will:

• Assist with leading, designing, delivering, and supporting the execution of Florida PALM communications to internal and external stakeholders through a variety of communication media and principles.
• Support the planning, presenting, and tracking of Project meetings and workshops.
• Be highly collaborative and supportive to all areas of the Project, and must excel in communicating to a wide variety of audiences; and
• Partner with Project team members and external stakeholders to help the State make a business transition according to the overall Project plan.

Operational:

• Working with supervisor and leadership to establish priorities and due dates for work assignments and keeping them up-to-date on key work items.
• Managing all deadlines in an organized manner to ensure timely completion of fully developed work products.
• Communicating effectively with team members and external stakeholders through verbal and written correspondence.
• Adhering to DFS policies at all times (e.g., security, dress code, ethics).
• Working as a team player and demonstrating a “teamwork” attitude and professional demeanor.
• Applying critical thinking (e.g., don’t just solve the problem at hand, solve the core problem).
• Communicating concerns or issues to supervisor and / or leadership, as appropriate.

Communications:

• Assisting with designing and delivering Florida PALM communications through a variety of communication media and principles.
• Developing specialized written or visual content (e.g., job aids, knowledge articles) and designs (e.g., flyers, webpages, infographics) on various topics pertaining to Florida PALM implementation and operational support.
• Managing off-site meeting logistics, including space planning and reservation, participant registration and communication, room setup, and speaker facilitation.
• Designing, building, and maintaining external communication channels (e.g., website, knowledge base), serving as a primary point of contact for publishing information.
• Serving as a primary point of contact for Florida PALM inquiries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborating with other members of the Florida PALM team to define and deliver accurate resources, address concerns, and ensure support.
• Contributing to strategic planning efforts for Florida PALM communications and user engagement.
• Championing continuous improvement, ensuring lessons learned and feedback is incorporated into ongoing responsibilities.

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.