ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE: In November 2018, New York City voters approved a ballot initiative establishing the New York City Civic Engagement Commission. The Commission focuses on promoting civic engagement across all of City government and making New York City decision making accessible to all New Yorkers. Specifically, the Commission is charged with running a citywide participatory budgeting program, providing poll site interpretation services, providing technical assistance to community boards, partnering with community-based organizations and civic leaders to increase awareness of City services, and assisting City agencies in developing civic engagement initiatives.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: The Civic Engagement Commission is seeking a dynamic communications professional to advance the programs of the Commission through multi-faceted communications planning and execution. The Director of Public Affairs will be responsible for communications and press related to all programs and initiatives of the Commission.

Responsibilities will include:
Oversight of all Communications for Commission
- Communications planning and message development consistent with brand guidelines, CEC voice, and values of building inclusive, accessible community engagement;
- Advise and oversee the creation of public communications material by program and outreach staff, including public presentation slides, such as for Commission meetings and public educational events;
- Lead writing, provide editorial direction for press releases, newsletters, web copy, social media posts, blog posts, one-pagers, text messages, outreach scripts, and talking points. Review staff responses to public inquiries as needed. Ensure standards in all communications materials and deliverables;
- Oversee the graphic design and production of program and agency swag and multimedia and multi-lingual assets, including the agency’s annual report, additional reports, flyers, videos, and print materials.

Program Campaign Planning, Execution & Monitoring
- Campaign planning and execution in close collaboration with program staff;
- Work with CEC budget and program staff to build and manage a communications spending plan;
- Contract Planning & Management: Liaise with Office of Community & Ethnic Media to identify approved advertising & marketing vendors; write comms related scopes of work for vendors, review contracts, maintain communication with vendors to track and submit invoices for payment;
- Edit existing creative from past campaigns in Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign). Work with Artist in Residence and vendors as appropriate to develop and/or review creative assets;
- With Chief Information Officer, create an analytical framework for communications data analytics and oversee tracking and reporting of key communications key performance indicators that demonstrate the effectiveness of marketing and communications efforts for audience engagement. Continue to implement and expand upon best practices. Consistently track advertising campaign performance and metrics (impressions, clicks, and engagements) to inform future campaigns;
- Ensure compliance with EO47 Community and Ethnic Media, Local Law 30. Submit relevant reports.

Press/Media: Pitching, Placement, and Response to Incoming
- Develop and lead a central media relations strategy to advance resident engagement in all CEC programs, including strategic leveraging of organizational partners and voice;
- Establish relationships with reporters and news outlets, pitch opportunities, write media advisories or press releases, conduct strategic outreach to press to ensure coverage of major agency events;
- Manage all incoming press inquiries, provide comment to reporters, schedule interviews, engage City Hall to approve quotes, and build interview prep docs;
- Serve as FOIL Officer for the Commission working closely with the Law Department;
- Establish and work with CEC staff to implement protocols for interactions with members of the press.

CEC Social Media Channels, Website, Newsletter
- Create content, oversee content curation & calendaring of posts for social media channels and profiles;
- Build social media toolkits and engage interagency counterparts, along with validators to ensure amplification;
- Lead the maintenance, improvement, and development of CEC .gov site including website sitemap and oversee all ongoing updates from agency program leads, in collaboration with Chief Information Officer;
- Ensure message and design consistency between .gov and affiliate site www.participate.nyc.gov;
- Curate CEC monthly newsletter content, design, production, and promotion; manage newsletter contact list;
- Work with Outreach Director to enhance outreach database with features relevant for digital campaigns.

Intergovernmental & Interagency Communication
- Establish and maintain relationships with City Hall Communications, Office of Engagement, and agency comms leads to support Commission agenda and priorities;
- Develop program briefings and talking points for the Mayor or City leadership.

Intern & Consultant Management
- Build work plans and supervise interns and consultants supporting the above duties;
- Work with HR lead to interview candidates for communications positions and complete hiring paperwork;
- Manage day-to-day work, provide opportunities for professional development, and process timesheets.

HOURS.SHIFT
Day - Due to the necessary support duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION
New York, NY

TO APPLY
* Interested applicants with other civil service titles who meet the preferred requirements should also submit a resume for consideration
Please go to www.cityjobs.nyc.gov and search for Job ID #617759

SUBMISSION OF A RESUME IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN INTERVIEW
APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT APPROVAL

OTI participates in E-Verify

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time experience related to projects and policies required by the particular position;
or
2. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" above.

The successful candidate should possess the following: - BA in English, Journalism, Communication, Public Relations, or related field. - 5+ years of experience in communication, or public relations, ideally 2 years in a government setting. - Familiarity with social media and digital platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. - Strong written and oral communications, public speaking, and presentation skills. - Experience in branding and marketing, and public events. - Strong interpersonal skills including conflict management. - Keen attention to detail, flexibility, and an enthusiastic work ethic. - Experience communicating with diverse stakeholders and mediating diverse perspectives. - Ability to work under pressure against tight deadlines. - Ability to prioritize and manage an array of projects through to completion. - Knowledge of City government institutions. - Ability to think creatively, embrace new approaches for solving.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.