THE OPPORTUNITY:
Location: Administration or As Assigned
Reports to: Chief of External Affairs
FLSA Status: Exempt
Compensation: $ 146,165.00 - $ 175,398.00
The Communications Officer reports (CO) directly to the Chief of External Affairs and manages a team of professionals that support the organization in reaching its shared goals. The Communications Officer is a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and provides strategic leadership in external affairs programs and initiatives at the District level, including media relations, community relations, branding, and visual identity, printed and digital communications tools, issues and crisis communications; and central operator services.
The person in this role must be a trusted partner, advisor, empathic listener, and problem solver who can help bring understanding to a complex system and bridge gaps when misunderstandings occur. The Communications Officer is responsible for developing an overall communications strategy, including internal communications, external communications, media relations, and social media, that builds understanding and goodwill externally and internally for CMSD and its students. The CO also serves as a liaison between the District and the media and serves as the District's chief spokesperson, handling sensitive and controversial issues.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Directs the day-to-day activities and staff. Duties include hiring, training, counseling, evaluating staff performance, and, when necessary, disciplining and/or discharging staff.
- Develops and implements department goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and standards. Revises division work systems and procedures as necessary to improve the efficiency and productivity of the division.
- Develops and executes the district’s internal and external communications strategy, which aligns with the district’s vision, mission, and strategic plan.
- Provides strategic thought leadership on CMSD initiatives, goals, and priorities to provide comprehensive and proactive communications, strategies, and planning to enhance the district's image and brand while imparting public information in a transparent manner.
- Builds and maintains public support for public education and the school system through proactive communication, marketing, and media relations.
- Serves as a key ambassador for the organization and represents CMSD at community, state, and national functions, as requested by the CEO.
- Communicates with various stakeholders to ensure that expectations are clear and that questions are answered directly and transparently.
- Consult with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and school leaders to develop strategies and recommendations to improve and sustain media relations.
- Under the direction of the CEO, interfaces extensively with Board of Education members to support CMSD initiatives and provide expertise and recommendations to Board members.
- Acts as a liaison between the district and the community, creating a cooperative working relationship between the media, the community, families, and key constituents.
- Partners with leading educational and community organizational leaders, staff, students, and their families to support, inform, improve, and enhance the execution of key initiatives.
- Develops and update key internal and external communications, presentations, fact sheets, and messages - in various multimedia formats - for the CEO and other key officials to use as needed to highlight the exemplary work and achievements of the school system
- Drafts and edits remarks, speeches, addresses, presentations, letters to the editor, submissions for social media, and commentaries (with the input and assistance of subject matter experts within the school district) to be delivered or submitted by the CEO or other senior leadership.
- Ensures that all messages are coherent, consistent, cost-effective, and coordinated.
- Supervises employees and provides ongoing coaching and development opportunities.
- Identify opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and align teams to realize efficiencies.
- Mentors, evaluate and provide professional growth and development opportunities for staff.
- Builds the capacity of district leaders and departments.
- Manages and allocates resources (e.g., money, people, and time) strategically and equitably so that they align to school and departmental needs.
- Develops and analyzes data & metrics for the division. Develops and extracts reports from databases for delivery to internal and external stakeholders. Gathers and organizes documents to satisfy public records requests or other reporting obligations.
- Collaborates with internal and external partners on special projects as assigned.
- Participates in professional development activities (i.e., meetings, seminars, conferences, etc.) to improve and remain abreast of professional & legislative advancements & innovations. Remains abreast of changing and emerging technologies.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Level of Supervision
Directs all assigned staff. Leads interns and other assigned temporary staff when necessary. May direct other staff outside of the span of control for special projects and/or initiatives.
Competencies
- Appropriately judges the right timing to engage executive leadership around key issues.
- Maintains composure when conversations are challenging and decisions are unpopular.
- Comfortable naming issues and addressing them openly as they occur. Not afraid to share difficult news.
- Maintains a keen awareness of the interests and motivations of others, acts with integrity in a politically complex environment, and maintains confidentiality about sensitive issues and student information.
- Able to lead complex and challenging tasks transparently and effectively.
- Exhibit a deep understanding of the intricacies of an urban school system, the political nature of the work, the complexities of teaching, and the tools/supports necessary to improve student outcomes.
- Analyzing complex, nuanced data from multiple angles, exercising judgment in making critical decisions, and communicating the implications to diverse audiences.
- Exhibit critical thinking skills with an ability to analyze data, identify trends, and diagnose root causes; then establish goals and metrics for success and track results.
- Demonstrate leadership presence that gains the confidence of others to fulfill the vision of the CEO.
- Prepares the CEO and other leaders for effective decision-making conversations, anticipating and organizing key questions and data that support productive discussions to direct key priorities.
- Communicate effectively, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of communication.
- Connects purposefully and intentionally with others. Express ideas with clarity, respect, and awareness in conversations and interactions with others.
- Build trust and relationships among district and school leaders, political and community partners, journalists, and media outlets to execute the shared vision for the district.
- Navigate politically complex structures, relationships, and dynamics to challenge ideas and enable thoughtful decisions and positive outcomes for students.
- Listens compassionately with an open mind, seeking to understand other perspectives before establishing the path forward.
- Maintain visibility and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels to achieve convergence in strategy and practice.
- Lead a creative, innovative, high-functioning team; delegate and leverage the team effectively to drive impactful results and achieve ambitious goals.
- Assess team and individual skills and identify development needs; provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent.
- Promote professional learning and utilize effective adult learning techniques.
- Demonstrate belief that each scholar can achieve at the highest levels; hold self and others accountable for promoting high expectations for the academic achievement of CMSD.
- Lead courageously and intentionally to seek the voices of marginalized communities to invite diverse input regarding decisions that impact stakeholders directly.
- Engage in transparent decision-making and share with stakeholders how their input informs district decisions.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s Degree in communications, journalism, public relations, public affairs, marketing, or a related field. A Master’s Degree in communications or a related field is preferred.
- Minimum of five (5) years of full-time, paid, professional experience in a broad-reaching communications role with responsibility for the preparation of public interest information for a public or private agency and five (5) years in a leadership or supervisory capacity (10 years of total relevant experience).
- Experience working in a diverse, urban setting is required. Experience in a large metropolitan school district is preferred.
- A proven record of success in strategy development and tactical execution of communications programs and initiatives for internal and external audiences.
- Proven cultural competence skills with a history of inclusive and relevant equity practices.
- Ability to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity in times of tremendous change and to prioritize work efforts to achieve overall strategy as defined in collaboration with the Board of Education and Mayor.
