Manager, Digital Communications

The mission of the Office of External Affairs to improve outcomes for every student in DC Public Schools by fostering strong connections between and among schools, families, the greater DC community, and other stakeholders. Through effective communication, meaningful family and community engagement, and collaborative partnerships, we shine a light on the inspiring stories of the students and schools within DCPS and work to ensure our district is an inclusive environment in which all voices are heard.

All our work is designed to accelerate student success by:

• Building and sustaining relationships between and among DCPS, families, communities, and partners that increase trust;
• Increasing transparency and access to information, resources, and DCPS leadership and staff;
• Building capacity in schools and Central Service to enhance communication with staff, families and communities to improve student outcomes; and
• Ensuring DCPS’s stakeholders are well-informed about our priorities and our successes, and have context about our challenges.

Divisions/Teams

• Strategic Communications:
  • Builds and executes communications systems to ensure clear, specific, and strategic communications to stakeholders.
  • Supports district-wide branding and marketing through photography, graphic design, logo creation, social media and newsletter engagement, and more.
  • Works cross-functionally to understand district priorities and strategies and apply them to messaging.
  • Stays closely aware of progress of projects, high-level initiatives, and emerging issues across the organization and proactively helps to adjust communications approach based on changes in direction, priorities, and resources.
• Operations Communications:
  • Develops and leads overall school-based communications strategy with clear and specific guidelines.
  • Approves and writes school-based communications on issues including facilities, building modernizations, health, school climate, and other crisis communications.
  • Leads the implementation of school-operations communications, including a districtwide process of approved communications.
  • Identifies key ways to turn crisis communications into opportunities to reverse existing narratives about DC Public Schools.
  • Works across several Central Service teams to manage crisis communications, often outside of the school day.
• Press:
  • Manages reactive and proactive engagement with local and national media stories to share the stories of DCPS students, staff and schools.
  • Devises media outreach strategies to support strategic communications objectives.
  • Supports crisis communications work by ensuring media are accurately reporting on developments within the DCPS community.
  • Prepares and supports school leaders and staff to represent DC Public Schools in media.
  • Ensure that key messaging, talking points, and other media materials align with priorities and guidelines set by the Executive Office of the Mayor.

The Manager, Digital Communications will serve as the lead for Digital Communications for DCPS. In this capacity, they will actively manage the district's social media and digital presence, setting a strategy for how the district engages with families and other stakeholders through social media, email outreach, and owned digital platforms. The head of digital media will identify and implement tactics to increase audience growth and engagement across our platforms, improve social listening efforts, integrate digital platforms into new and existing communications and marketing efforts, improve coordination with social media and web account managers across Central Services and DCPS schools.

The Manager, Digital Communications will report to the Deputy Chief, Communications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Manages day-to-day activities to create, capture, and curate relevant content for promotion across all digital channels (social media, email and Central Services managed websites) including visual and written assets).
• Develops and manages the district's editorial calendar, builds comprehensive digital campaigns to support district-wide priorities.
• Strategically tracks performance for all current content and uses that analyst to inform, plan, and execute future content strategy and digital growth goals.
• Serving as a resource and advisor to schools and program teams across DCPS; creates materials and resources to train staff on digital communication tools and best practices.
• Stays closely aware of progress of projects, high-level initiatives, and emerging issues across DCPS to proactively adjust digital communications based on changes in direction, priorities, and resources.
• Builds relationships and liaises with program and school-based staff to drive collaboration and project sucess; and interacts with and responds effectively to urgent requests from multiple internal and external DCPS stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and four to six years of related work experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in managing digital media channels, graphic support staff and vendors.
• Proven expertise for building and engaging a digital audience (SEO, SEM, paid social ads).
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Highly organized and detailed-oriented.
• Works under tight deadlines, while executing at high levels.
• Flexibility to staff occasional events on weeknights and weekends.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.