Director, Communications

Position Description

About Precinct One

There are four precincts in Harris County. The four elected commissioners, along with an elected county judge, serve as members of Harris County Commissioners Court, the administrative head of the county’s government. Commissioner Rodney Ellis represents the constituents of Precinct One.

With approximately 1.17 million residents, Harris County Precinct One is a diverse, urban precinct that covers 363 square miles. Precinct One’s multi-racial, multi-ethnic population is roughly 33 percent African American, 38 percent Latino, 21 percent Anglo, 6 percent Asian and 2 percent other or multiple races. Precinct One stretches south to Brazoria County and reaches into eastern and northern sections of Harris County. The Precinct’s territory includes a large section of Downtown Houston, including the Downtown Harris County Courthouse Complex, Toyota Center, Minute Maid Park and the BBVA Compass Stadium. Other notable landmarks include the 263-acre NRG Park Complex and the renowned Texas Medical Center. The Precinct is also the higher educational home to Houston Community College, Rice University, Texas Southern University, the University of Houston and the University of St. Thomas. Precinct One manages more than 21 parks, 10 community centers, numerous hike-and-bike trails, three maintenance service centers and several area offices, all of which provide an array of services to Precinct One residents.

Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ Office Mission Precinct One:

Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ Office, is committed to becoming a national model for delivering responsive public service that utilizes inclusive, innovative, and collaborative approaches to improve the quality of life, advance equality of opportunity, and promote the fair treatment of all people in Harris County. Key Ares of focus for our organization include, but are not limited to:

• Advancing more effective, fair and equitable criminal justice system.
• Furthering economic justice, equity, and opportunity for all Harris County residents, especially those often and historically left behind by government programs.
• Ensuring equitable outcomes in health and access to quality, affordable healthcare
• Fighting for environmental and climate justice that keeps all communities safe and healthy.
• Equitably investing in developing and maintaining resilient infrastructure and transportation for the 21st century
• Building and defending voting rights and a democracy that ensures equitable representation.
• Progressing equity and social and racial justice as common threads through all areas of public policy and public service.
  
  
  

Role and Goal of Communications Division in Our Organization:

The Communications Division of Comm Ellis’ office develops and implements innovative and effective communications strategies and diverse content to advance our organizational mission.

What you will do at Precinct One :

Reporting directly to the Chief of Staff, t he Director of Communications is responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies to advance the organization’s goals and objectives. As a key part of the organization’s leadership team, t his role oversees all external communications, including media relations, digital and social media platforms, direct mail, speech writing and community engagement, fostering positive relationships across key audiences. The position provides leadership in crisis and issues management, builds strategic partnerships, drives the execution of professional communication initiatives, and may serve as spokesperson for the organization. Additionally, the Director of Communications leads the creation, refinement, and deployment of messaging to ensure clarity, consistency, and impact to advance strategic issue advocacy efforts. As a manager and leader, the Director of Communications oversees a staff of approximately 14 team members.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Chief of Staff and relevant departments to identify and establish strategic communications and initiative priorities. Partner with leadership to develop and implement comprehensive communications plans aligned with these priorities.
• Develop and oversee the creation of innovative, high-quality strategic communications content for a variety of platforms. Design and implement strategies to effectively communicate priority information and key issues to diverse communities and target audiences across multiple channels. Lead the development and execution of impactful press and media relations strategies to enhance visibility and engagement.
• Provide daily leadership and oversight in planning and directing the activities of the Communications Division to ensure a high level of proficiency across all responsibilities. Serve as a transformational leader, inspiring and motivating team members to achieve divisional goals and objectives. Establish and enforce clear expectations, guidelines, policies, and procedures, including SOPs and workflows, to maintain excellence in work products, processes, and adherence to deadlines.
• Establish and build a high-performing Communications Division by designing an effective team structure and defining ideal roles to maximize impact, even with limited resources. Lead the recruitment process, including conducting interviews and making strategic hiring recommendations, to ensure the right team members are in place to achieve optimal results.
• Coach, develop, train, and ensure accountability within the Communications Division. Provide coaching and effectively address and resolve performance concerns to maintain a productive and respectful work environment. Evaluate and develop staff performance, ensuring the team operates cohesively and consistently adheres to established policies and procedures. Guide team members through coaching conversations, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving to empower them to make informed decisions and achieve successful outcomes independently. Serve as a mentor, sharing professional expertise and institutional knowledge to deepen understanding of organizational policies, actions, and processes, while explaining the rationale behind them to foster alignment with strategic goals. Plan and oversee training initiatives, equipping team members with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their roles and contribute to the organization’s success.
• Develop and maintain strong professional working relationships while serving as the Communications point of contact for the Commissioner, executive leadership team, division directors, Harris County departments and agencies, external stakeholders, etc. Provide strong leadership in establishing relationships and fostering partnerships with the community, civic and special interest groups.
  
  
  

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net .

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Public Policy, English, Political Science, or a related field of study from an accredited college or university
  
  
  

Experience:

• Five (5) years of experience as a full-time communications, marketing, or public relations professional with demonstrated success in content development, copy writing, and editing.
• Two (2) of those years should be in a supervisory or management capacity.
  
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Demonstrated commitment to racial, social, gender, and economic equity and justice and overall organizational mission
• Advanced skills in strategic communication strategy planning and implementation – particularly in the areas of strategic issue advocacy.
• Strong leadership, coaching, developing, and team management skills with a proven track record of successfully guiding and developing high-performing teams.
• Expertise in social media strategy, press relations strategy, speechwriting, op-ed development, and crafting impactful written communications for diverse audiences.
• Possess exceptional time management and project management skills to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously while meeting sometimes quick and tight deadlines.
• Extensive experience managing multiple high-priority projects simultaneously, ensuring quick turnarounds and consistently meeting tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience and proficiency in developing and implementing communication strategies tailored to effectively engage BIPOC communities.
• Possesses excellent written and verbal communication skills. Has the ability to translate complex concepts into plain oral or written language. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience
• Has a high level of flexibility in fast-paced environments, and is proactive, self-motivated, and mission-driven. Deals effectively with pressure, remains persistent even under adversity, and recovers quickly from setbacks.
• Encourages a respectful and collaborative work environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to develop and create successful working relationships with staff of organizations, partners, grant makers, grantees, and other elected officials at every level throughout Harris County, Texas, and the United States.
• Demonstrates awareness and respect for cross-cultural differences and creates innovative and inclusive programmatic solutions.
• Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion.
  
  
  

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications .

Preferences

Education:

• Masters’ degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Public Policy, English, Political Science, or a related field of study from an accredited college or university ( preferred )
  
  
  

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Full-time | Regular
• Monday - Friday
• Some evenings and weekends may be required
  
  
  

Work Environment:

• Will generally perform duties in an office, though sometimes at external event locations
• Occasional travel within Harris County
  
  
  

What You Get In Return

You will be surrounded by coworkers who bring their best daily. Passionate people who want to make a difference in the communities Precinct One serves and Harris County as a whole. You will be in a mission-driven organization surrounded by colleagues who bring their best to work each day and collaborate to make a difference in the communities Precinct One serves along with Harris County as a whole.

Harris County employees receive a competitive salary plus medical, dental and vision insurance at no cost to the employee after the first two months of full-time continued employment. Vacation, sick time and floating holidays allow our employees to recharge and balance work and personal time. Mandatory participation in our retirement program allows employees to save for retirement. Various other benefits and discounts lead to the satisfaction and engagement of our employees.

How To Apply

If this job sounds interesting, you meet the required qualifications and you can see yourself working for Precinct One, we invite you to apply.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards. Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.