Communications and Engagement Director at City Of Roswell

Roswell, Georgia, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

31 Mar, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

31 Dec, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Public Information, Media Relations, Strategic Communications, Community Engagement, Leadership, Writing, Editing, Presentation, Digital Communication, Analytics, Interpersonal Skills, Public Speaking, Civic Engagement, Event Planning, Budget Management, Transparency

Industry

Government Administration

Description

CITY OF ROSWELL, GEORGIA JOB DESCRIPTION www.roswellgov.com/jobs [http://www.roswellgov.com/jobs] To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions effectively and efficiently. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not explicitly spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental to the performance of their duties, just as though they were actually written out in this job description. Department: Administration FLSA Status: Exempt Job Code: A103 JOB SUMMARY The Director of Communications & Engagement provides strategic leadership for the City’s communications, public information, community engagement, digital platforms, and special events. The role advances transparency and resident partnership by shaping how the City communicates, listens, and shares information. The Director serves as a strategic advisor to city leadership, leads high-impact and emergency public information efforts, and ensures accurate, timely, and consistent messaging across the organization. The position also promotes a constructive civic tone and strengthens public trust through transparent processes, accessible information, and meaningful engagement. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Strategic Leadership * Provides executive leadership for citywide communications and community engagement functions. * Advises city leadership on communication strategy, public information needs, emerging issues, and resident sentiment. * Ensures communications and community engagement activities support the City’s priorities, values, and governance approach. * Shapes the City’s civic tone by promoting consistent, respectful, and constructive communication across the organization and community. * Guides cross-departmental coordination on major initiatives, communications planning, and community engagement efforts. Public Information & High-Impact Communications * Serves as the City’s lead Public Information Officer during emergencies or significant incidents. * Provides review and approval of major or high-impact communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with city priorities. * Oversees timely dissemination of public information, including major announcements, project updates, resident notifications, and leadership communications. * Approves speeches, talking points, scripts, statements, and presentations for city leadership. * Maintains strong working relationships with media outlets at the local and regional levels. * Determines the best method of communication to ensure timely and effective dissemination of all public information. Community Engagement * Leads the City’s approach to resident engagement, ensuring it reflects transparency, clarity, and meaningful two-way communication. * Partners with departments to structure public meetings, listening sessions, community forums, and project-based engagement efforts. * Ensures engagement materials, messaging, and feedback loops are clear, consistent, and accessible. * Monitors resident sentiment and emerging issues through data, analytics, and community feedback. Digital Communications & Technology * Oversees the City’s digital presence, including the website, social media, online dashboards, email platforms, and multimedia channels. * Leads digital modernization efforts to improve transparency, user experience, and public understanding. * Evaluates and implements modern tools that enhance communication, digital service delivery, and public engagement. * Guides standards for video, livestreaming, photography, and multimedia storytelling. Special Events Oversight * Provides strategic guidance for the planning and positioning of citywide events to ensure alignment with city priorities and community engagement goals. * Oversees the Special Events Manager and ensures coordination between special events programming and citywide communication and community engagement efforts. * Approves event messaging, run-of-show materials, and leadership communications for major city events. * Coordinates with departments to ensure cross-functional alignment for high-profile events and ceremonial occasions. Internal Communications * Leads the development of clear, consistent internal communications that support the City’s mission, vision, values, organizational alignment, and employee engagement. * Ensures internal messaging reflects the City’s commitment to transparency and reinforces expectations for a timely and accurate flow of information. * Advises departments on messaging, communication planning, and employee-facing updates. * Supports communication needs during organizational initiatives, leadership transitions, and cross-departmental projects. Brand, Messaging, and Standards * Establishes citywide messaging frameworks, communication standards, and digital guidelines. * Ensures consistency in tone, accuracy, formatting, and branding across city communications. * Provides guidance or advisory support for departmental communications where needed, without assuming operational ownership of program-level marketing. Analytics, Reporting, and Performance * Utilizes data and analytics to assess the effectiveness of communication, resident engagement, and public understanding. * Monitors trends, feedback, and metrics to inform strategy and continuous improvement. * Produces communication plans, reports, and summaries for leadership as needed. Leadership and Administration * Leads, supervises, and develops staff within the department. * Oversees budget development and administration for assigned functions. * Ensures compliance with all applicable laws related to communications, public information, and open government. * Represents the City at meetings, events, and in community settings as required. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: * Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Public Administration, or a related field; Eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in communications, public information, community engagement, media relations, or digital strategy; Four (4) years of supervisory or leadership experience required; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job. * A master’s degree and experience in local government or public-sector communication are preferred. LICENSES OR CERTIFICATIONS: * Possess and maintain a valid Georgia driver’s license with a satisfactory motor vehicle record (MVR). KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: * Deep knowledge of public information, media relations, strategic communications, and community engagement. * Strong leadership, judgment, and decision-making skills. * Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation abilities. * Ability to serve as an effective public-facing representative for the City, including comfort and proficiency with on-camera communication, media interviews, public speaking, and presenting complex information to diverse audiences. * Ability to manage sensitive or high-impact issues with discretion and professionalism. * Skill in digital communication platforms, content management systems, multimedia production, and analytics tools. * Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with community stakeholders. * Understanding of open meetings, open records, and public-sector transparency requirements. * Ability to be responsive, adaptable, and effective to ensure the Communications team is representing the City to the best of its abilities at all times. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The work is sedentary to light, requiring the ability to exert light physical effort, but may involve lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation. Tasks also require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, odors, depth, texture, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally. WORK ENVIRONMENT Work is regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions. The City has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment. The City of Roswell, Georgia, is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees, in compliance with local, state, and federal laws. The City’s policy is to employ qualified persons without discrimination regarding race, creed, color, religion, age, sex, country of national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political affiliation, ethnicity, or status in any other group protected by federal/state/local law.

Responsibilities

The Director of Communications & Engagement provides strategic leadership for the City’s communications and community engagement efforts, ensuring accurate and timely messaging. This role also oversees public information during emergencies and promotes transparency and resident partnership.