Responsibilities

• Communication Oversight & Leadership – Ensures all aspects of City communications are executed effectively, including tracking performance metrics and evaluating communications output to inform continuous improvement.
• Team Guidance & Mentorship – Provides strategic direction and mentorship to communication team members, ensuring alignment with City initiatives and best practices for communication programs, including media relations protocols, AP Style standards, and on-camera spokesperson preparation.
• Operational Coordination – Works across City departments to facilitate various communications, including event notifications, proactive media outreach, emergency notices, community awareness and other necessary communications.
• Public Engagement & Communication – Serves as a contact for press inquiries and public inquiries, collects community feedback for city engagement activities; serves as an on-camera, on-record spokesperson in press conferences, media availabilities, and public events.
• Media Relations & Earned Media – Manages proactive and reactive media relations with DFW broadcast, print, and digital outlets; pitches City-initiated stories; drafts and distributes press releases, media advisories, and statements.
• Crisis Communications – Assist with the implementation of the City’s crisis communication programs, to include implementation of crisis communications policies and plans and provide 24/7 crisis communications support and guidance for the City Manager, City Council, and all City departments, including drafting on-record statements and managing media response during active incidents, as needed.
• Media Events & Spokesperson Preparation – Plans and executes press conferences, groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, and media availabilities; prepares City leadership for on-camera and on-record appearances; oversees photography and videography for City functions and special events.
• Digital & Social Communications – Leads content strategy and supports social media execution, ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms; monitors platform analytics and reports on engagement metrics to evaluate effectiveness and guide content decisions. Performs other duties as assigned. Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential function of this position, as is the ability to create and maintain professional, harmonious working relationships with others.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field is required.
• Three (3) years of experience in communications, media relations, broadcast journalism, or public relations required, with at least one of those years in a senior or supervisory role.
• Experience in a government, public affairs, or news organization setting is strongly preferred, and graphic design skills are a plus.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered
• The Senior Communications Coordinator must demonstrate strong leadership and mentorship abilities, guide team members while ensuring alignment with City initiatives.
• The role requires strategic communications judgment, the ability to advise senior leadership under pressure, and strong media relations skills, including building reporter relationships, pitching stories proactively, and managing sensitive inquiries with discretion.
• On-camera confidence, AP Style fluency, and news writing proficiency are required; experience in broadcast journalism or media relations is strongly preferred.
• The ideal candidate excels in organization and multitasking, managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines efficiently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Canva, Adobe, and social media platforms is required.
• Ability to track and analyze communications metrics — including media coverage, digital engagement, and platform analytics — and apply data to improve communications output is essential.

Preferred

• Graphic design skills are a plus.
• Experience in government, public affairs, or a news organization setting is strongly preferred.
• On-camera confidence, AP Style fluency, and news writing proficiency are preferred.

Benefits

• The City of Rowlett is proud to support a healthy work/life balance by offering a 4-day work week, with standard business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., depending on departmental schedules .
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes vacation, holiday, and sick leave, along with medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, life insurance, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance.
• To support our employees’ long-term financial goals, the City participates in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS), featuring a generous 2:1 match.
• For a more detailed overview of our benefit package, please visit our Benefits Page.