Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs

Requisition Number

AS742P

Job Title

Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs

Pay Rate

$96,000 – $102,000 annually

Position Type

Administrative

Position Summary

Global Ends Policy Statement of Desired Outcomes

Frederick Community College exists to provide all Frederick County residents and others who choose to enroll at the College, with the education, workforce preparation, skills, abilities, and personal growth necessary to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world, at a cost that demonstrates the prudent use of the College’s available resources.

Position Summary:

The Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs (DSCPA) reporting to the Chief of Staff to the President, is a dynamic and creative communications professional responsible for developing and executing comprehensive, research-driven communications strategies while cultivating responsive relationships to advance Frederick Community College’s mission and values. The goal is to foster College-wide collaboration using an integrated communications strategy that promotes the desired outcomes of the College’s Global Ends Policy Statement.

The DSCPA supports the President’s Office with speechwriting, media relations, a cadence and quality control of communication materials to internal and external audiences, proactively leading FCC’s message development and narration to demonstrate impact to all stakeholders. This encompasses institutional public relations matters as well. Working closely with the President and senior leadership, the DSCPA will plan and execute communication campaigns focused on achieving specific organizational goals through clarity in messaging as it relates to College initiatives, employee/student/alumni accomplishments, changes that impact the student and employee experience and crisis and issues management. In collaboration with the Office of the President and Marketing staff, the DSCPA will leverage cross-functional skills across a variety of platforms (including intranet/digital/print/social media), engaging the College’s operational divisions and cultivating relationships to create compelling content that tells the stories of experiences and success unique to the FCC community.

Elevating the importance of strategic communication at the College, this role will lead and support development of College-wide communications policies/procedures, critical communications involving College-wide alerts/emergency/weather/closure messaging, and other initiatives and resources. The DSCPA also serves as the College Public Information Officer (PIO) and handles all Public Information Act requests and public affairs duties as the liaison between the College and regional public information officers, the media, governmental and elected officials and the public in general.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The following are the functions essential to performing this job:

• Lead the development, implementation and ongoing evaluation of an aggressive and comprehensive strategic communication strategy. This strategy will include a College-wide, systematic, comprehensive, research-based plan driven by desired institutional outcomes and to provide leadership in achieving specific organizational goals and be indicative of a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and social justice.
• Prepare regular communications from the President, including, but not limited to speeches, talking points, briefings, correspondences (internal and external), College-wide messages, videos and social media posts. Support speechwriting/talking points for the Chair of the Board of Trustees as necessary.
• Serve as the College’s Public Information Officer (PIO) and liaison to the regional public information officers group and other key community coalitions; process Public Information Act requests in accordance with legal guidelines; coordinate with the President and campus leaders in a College emergency or crisis response.
• Serve as the FCC contact for all aspects of public relations operations, including but not limited to press releases, media inquiries and correspondence and an awareness of professional protocol and publication timeliness. Serve as college spokesperson as directed and provide interview preparation for other College leaders as necessary.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with media members, internal and external stakeholders and partners as organizational goals merit.
• In coordination with the Marketing department, manage content creation and edits to the Office of the President’s web pages and social media. As required, support major College events such as convocations, regional/state site visits, conferences, ceremonies, and special events.
• Serve on all College Committees related to institutional communications. Work collaboratively across the College with all who are involved with institutional communications.
• Serve as a legislative liaison/government relations support for the President.
• Anticipate College-wide needs and engage in an analytical, data-driven approach to problem solving and decision-making support where consistency in message is required.
• A commitment to policy governance operations and facilitation of the institutional support necessary with internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist in the management of the DSCPA budget. Develop budget practices and procedures that meet administrative obligations and maintain a balanced budget.
• Other duties as assigned by the President and/or Chief of Staff to the President.

Required Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited institution OR combination of education and related professional experience
2. Minimum of six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience at the leadership level, to include experience in functional areas such as communication, public relations, crisis communication, media relations, public information, and/or related professional experiences
3. Advanced and refined written and oral communications skills
4. A proven track record of developing and executing communications plans successfully
5. Refined skill in media relations, including work across a variety of media platforms
6. Ability to develop positive and effective working relationships with such groups as the President, the Board of Trustees, College leadership teams and other employees, students, the media and community representatives
7. Demonstrated skill in sensitive, respectful and effective communications with people who are diverse in their cultures, language groups and abilities.
8. Skills which demonstrate a leadership style that is responsive, accessible, creative, collaborative, productive, outcome oriented, and committed to collegial relations
9. Unquestionable integrity, vision, flexibility, and sense of humor
10. Demonstrated skill at successful goal completion in a time sensitive, fast-paced, results-driven environment

Desired Qualifications

1. Master’s degree from an accredited institution, in a related field
2. Knowledge of and skill in communication, community relations, public relations, stakeholder engagement, and crisis communication
3. Experience with developing and managing integrated communications campaigns, drawing from multiple disciplines including media relations, government relations, advertising, and public opinion research
4. A persuasive communicator, skilled in the ability to craft inspiring and persuasive messages to internal and external stakeholders
5. Demonstrated proficiency with planning, scheduling, executing, and managing major projects and campus-wide initiatives, simultaneously if required
6. Strong strategic thinker with understanding of how larger economic and public policy landscapes impact clients’ communications abilities and needs
7. Can quickly understand and distill complex issues

Work Schedule

8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday

Full/Part Time

Full Time

Telework Eligible?

Yes

Essential Personnel?

Yes

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