Director of Communications

Responsibilities

• Coordinates with key management to study the objectives, promotional policies and needs of the agency to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate marketing, communications, advertising, and public information/relation strategies for the agency to positively influence public opinion, or promote ideas, products, and services.
• Direct supervision of the Department's communications team.
• Develops and implements the informational and educational programs of the agency to ensure that the public is kept informed of agency programs and activities through newspaper releases, radio tapes, video tapes, film strips,correspondence, social media, website, and direct contact.
• Assigns, coordinates, and reviews activities of marketing and communications staff on special projects and the public-information-related work of technical production and office support staff members to arrange for stories, subjects, facilitate the completion of project assignments and ensure the accuracy and completeness of writing, typing, photography, layout, printing, and/or typesetting.
• Advises agency management and divisions to provide editorial expertise and technical assistance, discuss potential and actual reaction to and impact of agency information releases, and suggest alternative approaches for disseminating information.
• Confers with news media representatives to discuss agency public information needs, develop, and maintain contacts, and facilitate the dissemination of agency and program information through the mass media.
• Negotiates with media vendors and/or contracted advertising agency to determine annual advertising budget for agency.
• Plans, organizes, coordinates, and controls work unit operations and programs to establish operational priorities,coordinate these operations with their functions within the agency, and ensure program objectives and standards are established and attained and are congruent with overall goals.
• Develops and directs the implementation of operational plans pertinent to the operations/programs managed to ensure the establishment of appropriate goals and the development of action steps to achieve those goals.
• Determines and requests/submits staff, material, and equipment needs for the operations/programs managed to contribute to the formulation and justification of budgetary requests for the agency as a whole.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, political science, government management, economics, accounting, marketing, teaching, or another job-related field; plus five years of job-related experience.
• Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in journalism, communications, marketing, public relations; Previous supervisory experience; Event planning experience
• Other: This position requires travel. As such, the incumbent must be able to provide a valid driver's license or another form of reliable transportation. Regular and Reliable attendance is required.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of: the principles and practices of journalism; the principles and practices of public relations; the English language including spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, word usage, and grammar; the techniques, formats, and styles of informational material preparation; the methods and practices of public information dissemination; the principles, practices and processes for marketing/advertising, promotion of ideas, services, imaging and branding; agency operations, rules, policies, and objectives; agency program legislation and goals; statewide and local media sources and operations, including appropriate contact persons, possible costs, and publication/broadcast deadlines; reference sources including agency reference material and external information sources; the inter-relationships of agency marketing, communications, advertising and public relation/information activities; methods of securing adequate publicity for news items; business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership techniques;coordination of people and resources.
• Ability to: communicate effectively in individual or group settings with news media representatives, governmental or program officials, agency staff, and the public, at levels understandable to each audience; apply the principles and practices of public relations/journalism to operation of a public information function; operate electronic hardware and software appropriate for online information development and delivery, including audio and visual formats; write/edit copy to fit assigned space in a layout; compare finished product with established standards and/or original to identify errors; evaluate the public information potential of written, illustrative, and related material for a specific project assignment; develop the information dissemination approach most likely to reach the target audience; assess the impact and effectiveness of specific public information materials or activities in meeting the interests of the public or media and the needs of the agency; develop and apply agency policies and procedures for the public information function; assign and review the work of others; plan and organize the operations of a public information function; coordinate the various aspects of design from layout to design to paste-up; plan small to large scale events.

Preferred

• Previous supervisory experience
• Event planning experience

Benefits

• We offer a comprehensive package of pay, benefits, paid time off, retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.
• Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position, agency and employment status. For more information on benefits, please visit: https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits