Director of the Office of Strategic Communications and Civic Engagement

$128,297 - $214,244/Yr

City Of Richmond Va - Richmond, VA

Full-time - Director

Richmond, VA

1,001-5,000 employees

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

About the position

The City of Richmond is seeking an innovative and enthusiastic individual to serve as the Director of the Office of Strategic Communications and Civic Engagement (OSCCE). This pivotal role is responsible for coordinating the City’s public, media, marketing, and intergovernmental relations. The OSCCE Director will design and implement strategies that cultivate relationships within the community, engage targeted audiences, and enhance the City of Richmond's brand, "One Richmond." The Director will act as a change agent, furthering the implementation of this brand through best-in-class communications, marketing, and civic engagement capabilities, driven from a city-wide departmental perspective. The OSCCE Director will develop and execute strategies intended to create and uphold a positive public image for the City. This position requires a strong conceptual and strategic thinker who will collaborate closely with various City departments to design and implement effective communications and advocacy strategies. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in leadership and communication, particularly within the federal, state, or local government sectors. They will be adept at establishing productive relationships with media, City departments, businesses, and the community, and will have a proven track record of successfully envisioning, developing, and implementing comprehensive long-term communications strategies with multiple internal and external partners. In this role, the Director will manage, direct, and integrate broad media and public relations services for the City, providing strategic leadership and recommendations. Responsibilities include overseeing city communications, managing community engagement initiatives in conjunction with the Mayor and City Council, and acting as the City's representative during community events. The Director will ensure the success of all civic engagement programs through quality control monitoring and will cultivate key relationships with community leaders and organizations. Additionally, the Director will supervise and manage the Strategic Communications staff and volunteers, grow the City’s various communication channels, and enhance the City’s reputation through effective public relations efforts.

Responsibilities

• Managing, directing, and integrating broad, comprehensive media and public relations services for the City.
• Providing strategic leadership and recommendations for city communications.
• Overseeing community engagement initiatives in conjunction with the Mayor and City Council.
• Acting as the City's representative during community events and overseeing public information activities.
• Ensuring high quality success of all civic engagement programs through quality control monitoring.
• Cultivating key relationships and partnerships with community leaders and organizations.
• Supervising and managing civic engagement and Strategic Communications staff and volunteers.
• Growing the city's various communication channels including web, e-newsletters, social media, and broadcast services.
• Researching and analyzing public opinion and communicating findings to leadership.
• Enhancing the city's reputation and informing leadership on market trends.
• Setting objectives for the team and monitoring performance.
• Maximizing brand presence on various channels.
• Cultivating and maintaining relationships with media and influential professionals.
• Arranging interviews and press releases to promote the City.
• Ensuring brand consistency in all communication efforts.
• Organizing events to increase awareness of the city.
• Assigning tasks and projects to the team.
• Tracking and influencing media coverage.
• Distilling information from various sources and communicating effectively to senior leaders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Public Relations, and/or Journalism.
• At least ten (10) years of relevant experience designing and implementing communications strategies for a federal, state, or local agency.
• Five (5) years of supervisory experience.
• Five (5) years of experience developing and implementing a strategic communications plan in a governmental organization.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience overseeing an organization's external-facing branding, including marketing materials and social media accounts.
• Track record of successfully placing written publications and managing media relations.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools such as Tableau, R, or Python.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including public speaking.
• Experience with developing communications campaigns in support of academic projects.
• Experience developing grant proposals and managing contracts.

Benefits

• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program