Review Vacancy
AgencyParks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Office of
TitlePublic Information Specialist 1 (NY HELPS)
Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers
Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)
Salary RangeFrom $66951 to $85138 Annually
Duties Description The Public Information Specialist 1 duties will include but are not limited to the following:
• Draft, edit, and compile a monthly agency newsletter
• Staff agency presence at public events State Fair, ILNY, etc.)
• Coordinate with the bureau's blog, graphic, social media, marketing, press, and production teams on daily tasks
o Coordinate with regional staff on production and social media team needs in statewide meetings
• Assist with special projects like Blazing a Trail, SharePoint migration, etc.
o Assist with event planning and notetaking for quarterly State Council of Parks meetings
Press
• Draft copy for regional and statewide press releases
Social / Blog
• Draft copy for social media posts, including GKH priorities, announcements, holidays / observances, and more
• Draft copy for topical blog articles
• Compile and analyze social media and web traffic metrics for agency social media, newsletter, and blog content platforms
Production
• Draft copy for and review scripts for video productions
• Edit and review video for use in agency promotions
• Upload video files to agency’s YouTube channel
• Assist agency photographer as necessary including conducting photo/videography, meeting onsite production needs, coordinating with regional staff, filing paperwork, and lifting or carrying objects up to 25 pounds occasionally
• Review and upload photographs to the agency’s Flickr / media kit
Admin
• Keep an accurate calendar of upcoming events and observances
• Draft process documents and spreadsheets for use by bureau staff
• Answer public inquiry phone calls and emails
• Assist with bureau technical needs
• Other duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).*
To be considered for appointment through NY HELPS, or 55 b/c, candidates must meet the open-competitive minimum qualifications for this position. The qualifications are:
Either 1.
a bachelor's degree* in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND two years of experience** in public or governmental relations, and/or in writing or producing content for various media;
Or 2.
a master's or higher degree* in media, new media, English, communications, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, films, TV productions, or digital marketing AND one year of experience** in public or governmental relations, and/or inwriting or producing content for various media;
Or 3.
six years of the experience** described above.
*Non-qualifying degrees:
Examples of non-qualifying degrees include political science, theater, sports science, and education.
**Non-qualifying experience:
Experience limited to blogs, personal business, or personal webpage/website, will not be considered qualifying for the purposes of this examination.
*Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your
degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. This information can be found at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. Candidates are responsible for the evaluation fee.
Candidates may also be qualified for permanent competitive appointment if reachable from the appropriate Civil Service eligible list or eligible for reassignment or transfer in accordance with Civil Service Law.
70.1 Transfer Qualifications:
At least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Grade 16 or higher. The service must be in a title that Civil Service has deemed transfer eligible to the position.
Note: The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.
For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.
If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.
52.7 Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) Qualifications:
As required by the New York State Department of Civil Service, we are posting for this position to determine if there are any qualified OPRHP employees interested in a permanent appointment to the position. To be eligible for NCP, candidates must be in the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation promotion field and have at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Public Information Specialist, Public Information Specialist (Spanish Language), Multimedia Production Technician, Graphic Designer 1, or Photographer 2. If 3 or fewer qualified NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation eligible promotional employees respond to this posting, Civil Service may approve the permanent appointment of one of the qualified employees without further examination.
In order to be considered for appointment via non-competitive promotion, nominations for promotion by non-competitive examination will not be approved if the nominee failed the two most recent examinations for promotion to the title for which they are nominated.
Note: Non-competitive refers to not competing in an examination; the appointment will be competitive.
Subsequent 55-b/c Qualifications:
A subsequent 55-b/c appointment may be considered if you have at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service and have a current Civil Service 55-b/c letter of eligibility.
Reassignment Qualifications:
Current NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Employees only, with at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Public Information Specialist 1; if you have less than one year, you must be reachable on the current Public Information Specialist 1 eligible list for this location, if one exists.
Provisional Appointment:
In the absence of a viable eligible list with three or more candidates willing to accept appointment a provisional may be considered.
Promotion: One year of permanent competitive or non-competitive experience as: either a Public Information Specialist, OR Multimedia Production Technician. Graphic Designer 1, or Photographer 2.
Additional Comments Operational Needs:
Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to legally operate a motor vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment.
Benefits:
The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation offers a generous benefits package that includes but is not limited to:
Paid Time Off:
• PEF and CSEA: 44 days - 13 Vacation days, 13 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
• PEF: Three (3) days of professional leave annually to participate in professional development.
Health Care Benefits:
• Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs.
• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost.
Additional Benefits:
• New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Membership
• NYS Deferred Compensation
• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Paid Parental / Family Leave
To learn more about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx.
*NY HELPS PROGRAM:
For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a permanent non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.
At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.
Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program are restricted for promotional appointment until their position is covered in to the competitive class by the New York State Civil Service Commission (CSC), or they otherwise obtain permanent competitive status. The CSC has recently covered-in employees who were appointed via NY HELPS on a permanent or contingent permanent basis between June 26, 2024, and June 11, 2025. Notification to employees regarding a change in their status is forthcoming. You may wish to apply if you received a permanent NY HELPS appointment to a qualifying title within these timeframes and are interested in this opportunity. Your eligibility for promotion will be reviewed by Human Resources. Employees with a permanent NY HELPS appointment occurring effective 6/12/25 or later will be addressed with a subsequent cover-in.
This position may require a background check and/or medical exam prior to appointment.
Note: For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.
Email Address employment@parks.ny.gov
Address
Street NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
625 Broadway
Notes on ApplyingIf you feel you meet the minimum qualifications and Agency operating needs and are interested in being considered for this vacancy, please submit a resume and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the stated minimum qualifications.
The employment application (Part 1) can be downloaded from the website of NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation at www.parks.ny.gov/employment.
Please submit your application materials to employment@parks.ny.gov. You must include Vacancy id# in the subject line of your e-mail for consideration. It is the responsibility of each applicant to accurately describe their experience and demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications.