Description

This opportunity is open to all interested candidates.

OVERVIEW:
San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in California and one of the top largest urban school districts in the United States, is looking for leaders who care deeply for students, inspire passion in their coworkers through collaborative leadership, and are committed to the communities in which they serve. The District seeks leaders who are committed to educational equity and work to create access and opportunity for our students furthest from education justice. The District is seeking candidates for an Executive Director, Strategic Communications and Information.

The Executive Director, Strategic Communications and Information, will provide leadership within the Communications Department in collaboration with each team member; lead the communications team collectively and individually with meaningful feedback; create conditions that foster an authentic, honest, transparent, strategic, responsive, supportive, reflective environment, and demonstrate emotional intelligence, leadership characteristics among the team; foster a culture that nurtures lateral leadership, ownership, stewardship, and a growth mindset; lead the department in the development of a shared vision and shared goals, aligned with the vision and values of the District that centers on a concentric circle model elevating the experiences and stories of our students, staff, schools, and District; design a clear marketing plan that communicates the investments schools and the District make to align with the values and vision of our families; co-construct a multi-year strategic plan; develop a team that has ownership for specific communication components within the department; and provide coaching that encourages growth and development of team members that promotes independent thinking, responsiveness, and individual ownership.

• Working Location is based out of the Communications Department - 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
• Scheduled full-time for 12 months per year
• This position is anticipated to be filled for the start of the 2024-2025 school year
• Qualifies for District Paid health and wellness benefits for employee and dependents

Examples of Duties

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:
An incumbent may perform any combination of the essential functions shown below. This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification, but is intended to accurately reflect the principal job elements.
E = Essential Functions

Organize and lead the development of a communications team that designs the functions of robust, marketing, public relations, and communications strategic plans. E

Lead an inside-out communications strategic plan aligned to the District’s concentric circle model that prioritizes the experiences of students and their families, educators, school staff, and principals. E

Lead a communications team that educates a wide range of audiences that is richly diverse, multi-ethnic,multi-cultural, and multilingual. E

Provide consultative services and support to students, educators, principals, staff, and others consistent with the concentric circle. E

Build leadership capacity in team members within the Communications Department. E

Lead with authenticity, honesty, and transparency. E

Lead with intention, responsiveness, and strategy to establish public trust. E

Lead professional learning for school staff and central office leaders to develop and implement strategies to communicate with students, staff, families, media, and education partners in a richly diverse, multi- ethnic, multi-cultural, and multilingual community. E

Provide guidance to school and central office leaders to be a spokesperson for their respective school or department. E

Develop story ideas informed by students, principals, and school staff that connect to vision, values, and priorities that tell positive/compelling stories across the District and multiple communications channels. E

Lead direct reports by providing clarity in direction through a shared vision, meaningful feedback, and coaching. E

Collaborate with the District’s Government Relations representative to communicate District advocacy on local, state, and national levels regarding policies, programs, and funding to support implementation of UTK-12 education. E

Create speeches and materials for the Superintendent that provide salient talking points aligned with the District’s vision, values, and key initiatives. E

Stay abreast of the news and public sentiment regarding public education and the District in particular; proactively solicit media coverage that promotes a positive image of public education and the District. E

Provide public safety information during an emergency or natural disaster; and manage crisis communication. E

In collaboration with the Integrated Technology Division, develop and implement policies and practices for safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information, technology, and social media. E

Conduct and supervise personnel administration duties for direct reports, including hiring, evaluating, and providing corrective action when necessary; assign special projects, monitor attendance and leaves, and travel reports. E

Perform special projects and related duties as assigned.

To view the detailed position description for Executive Director, Strategic Communications and Information, click here.

Minimum Qualifications

MININUM QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
A combination of training, experience, and/or education equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in communications, public relations, or related field, and eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in the area of leadership, organizational management, strategic communications, public relations, public affairs, or management at a large school district, municipality, public agency, or non-profit agency. Advanced degree preferred.
LICENSES AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
Valid California Driver's License.

Supplemental Information

APPLICATION PROCESS
To be eligible for consideration, interested candidates must submit the following items. Your application will be considered incomplete if you do not include all required information, including completion of the Work Experience and Education Sections of the online application, required attachments, and responses to all supplemental application questions.

• 
  Online employment application
  • A completed online employment application must be submitted/received electronically by the closing date. This application MUST include all required attachments, current and previous employment history and education to evaluate your qualifications, and all other requirements identified in the recruitment and supplemental questions. It is important to note that a resume does not substitute for completing the Work Experience and Education sections. Your application will be considered incomplete if you do not include all relevant details and attachments.
  • Paper applications are not accepted.
• Answer all supplemental questions
  • The supplemental questions should be answered thoroughly, clearly, and concisely as the responses provided (along with the entire application package) will be carefully reviewed to determine which candidates will move forward in the recruitment process.
• Attach required documents (PDF format recommended)
  • Letter of Introduction
  • Resume
    • Resume must reflect current and past work and accomplishments.
    • A resume is to be attached, but does NOT substitute for completing work history, education sections, or the supplemental questions of the employment application.
  • Letters of Recommendation / Professional References. Must attach at least two (2) Letters of Recommendation and one (1) must be recent Letter of Recommendation, dated within one year.
  • Attach Proof of Education
    • Education, training, or certifications will only be considered if acceptable documentation is attached:
      • Copy of Degree or
      • Copy of OFFICIAL transcript. Note: if degree is not one of the specific concentrations mentioned in the minimum qualifications, education and experience section - attach a copy of your official transcript for evaluation for relatable degree and/or unit credits towards related education.
      • Copy of any other required Licenses and/or Certifications
    • Foreign Equivalency Certification: Individuals who have completed high school or college-level coursework at an institution in a country other than the United States must provide a Foreign Equivalency Certification to satisfy the education requirement. A Foreign Equivalency Certification can be obtained for a fee from a professional organization. For more information, including acceptable providers please see Foreign Transcript Evaluation.
• Additional documents (optional)
  
  • Additional documents to be considered, if any, must be attached to the online employment application.

For questions regarding this job announcement, including priority consideration, please contact Lead Human Resources Analyst Stacy Allen at sallen1@sandi.net.

San Diego Unified School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying by reason of the following actual or perceived characteristics: age, ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, immigration status, marital or parental status, medical condition, nationality, national origin, actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, or on the basis of a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information contact:

Title II Coordinator
Wendy Ranck-Buhr
(619) 725-5678
wranck-buhr@sandi.net

Title IX Coordinator & Uniform Complaint Compliance Officer
Anna Ward
(619) 725-7225
award2@sandi.net