Chief of Communications and Marketing

ABOUT CPS:
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) serves 35,000 students preschool to 12th grade in over 65 schools across a 91-square-mile district in Southwest Ohio. Cincinnati Public Schools is Greater Cincinnati's largest school district.

CPS is Ohio's fastest-growing, large-city district, with enrollment up more than 20 percent since 2012-13.

CPS offers families high-quality educational choices and a variety of academic programs. Our innovative approach to education, an investment and caring teachers, and a vast array of collaborative partnerships have accelerated students' achievement to the highest levels in decades - ensuring that students thrive and graduate prepared to enter college, the military and the workforce.

Cincinnati Public is looking for creative, innovative, passionate, problem-solvers to join our team. We seek to have a positive impact on our children and families every day and are looking for staff members who want to not only do an excellent job with their career field but also serve as a role model for the children in CPS. We invite you to become a member of our CPS work family.

CHIEF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

POSITION SUMMARY
This position reports to the Superintendent and is a member of the Superintendent’s Leadership Team.

RESPONSIBILITIES
The essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following fundamental duties:

Strategy, Vision, and Leadership

• Provides overall leadership and direction for strategy, design, and operation of the District’s internal and external marketing and marketing, communications, and engagement activities and outcomes.
• Strategically integrates information and content to build a compelling digital platform that brings together strategy, research, creativity, and data analytics to transform the business of educating children and foster broader interactivity between the District and its many stakeholders.
• Oversees the District’s communications transformation using analytics to create a world-class communications environment to enhance digital experiences that build relationships with key audiences - students, teachers, parents, and the community.
• Provides counsel to the Superintendent, senior management and the Board on marketing, communications, and parental and community involvement.
• Serves as chief spokesperson, chief marketer and chief liaison with all audiences to promote the District’s mission and as an intermediary between school administrators/officials and the media in order to provide information on a varied number of educational policies, programs, and administrative operations.

Media, Community/Public Relations

• Engages the Cincinnati Community by connecting people and stimulating pride while demonstrating appreciation for multiple perspectives.
• Provides leadership and manages proactive and reactive media relations to obtain and shape news and information relating to the District.
• Assist Superintendent to develop and implement major information campaigns for district events and activities.
• Responds to media inquiries in a timely manner; provides information to reporters; arranges interviews with Board members, administrators, or staff.
• Collects, analyzes, and effectively disseminates factual information to the public through the news media and applicable direct channels including social media.
• Establishes and maintains a close working relationship with print media, radio and television news media groups to ensure balanced, accurate and positive coverage of the District.

Internal and External Communications

• Cultivates awareness, facilitates change and growth through communication.
• Anticipates emerging issues and concerns; develops appropriate communications regarding those issues.
• Develops communications strategy, including consistent messaging and brand management to both internal and external audiences.
• Develops and launches District-wide public relations campaigns to increase public support and retain and recruit students and families.
• Establishes and oversees a system to regularly collect and publish stories to showcase programs, partnerships, schools, student and staff achievements through diverse and appropriate channels.
• Leads the creation, planning, content development, layout and production of District level information, including strategic plans, District website, Employee/Human Resource directed communications.
• Plan, coordinate and evaluate effectiveness of all district communications including web, video, print, speakers and community events; Provide leadership to program administrators regarding website use to share and obtain information; Establish guidelines and standards for print, electronic, and other public communication materials.
• Provides communication to inform, educate, elevate and motivate.

Marketing

• Supervises development of the annual marketing plan and the strategies, tactics and resources necessary to achieve goals.
• Leverages the District’s network of schools, community partners, and understanding of the community to create plans and guidelines for establishing marketing priorities, initiatives, and metrics at both a school and system level.
• Develops and launches District-wide and school-specific marketing and public relations campaigns to increase public support and retain and recruit students and families.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in education, journalism, marketing, broadcast media, public relations, public administration, related fields or equivalent work experience.
• Five (5) years of experience, including management, communications, analytics modeling, digital social media, marketing, public relations or public information.

CORE COMPETENCIES

OWNERSHIP

• Leads organization by example, modeling the highest level of personal accountability, putting self on the line in pursuit of breakthrough results.
• Holds leadership accountable for decisions and progress against them.
• Forges a culture of optimism and perseverance in the face of challenge.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

• Ensures perspectives from within CPS and from families and stakeholders are reflected in decision making and planning.
• Embeds a customer-first mentality within the organization, modeling the ability to set aside own feelings and possible prejudices to really understand what customers need and want.

CULTURAL COMPETENCIES

• Forges a district culture where diversity is the norm; recognizes that understanding our biases and working to embrace diversity is a lifelong journey.
• Transforms and upholds talent policies that support diversity and inclusion as an organizational priority.

COLLABORATION ACROSS BOUNDARIES

• Models the highest level of personal and professional trust with families, stakeholders, and people across the organization.
• Contributes to a sense of shared purpose among the leadership team and holds the team accountable for collaboration within and across departments.

CLEAR AND CANDID COMMUNICATION

• Serves as an organizational role model in delivering direct and constructive feedback and coaching.
• Publicly represents the organization, successfully generating support for CPS' work and goals.
• Instills a culture that encourages teams and individuals to raise challenging issues that are essential to moving the district forward.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Drives a results-oriented culture that relentlessly focuses on improving quality based on data.
• Proactively identifies and acknowledges mistakes made and reflects on causes, redesigning efforts based on what was learned.
• Seeks ideas and feedback from employees at all levels, appropriately incorporating input and championing change efforts.

PLANNING AND EXECUTING

• Establishes a cohesive vision, goals, and strategy across the district. Prioritizes human and fiscal resources for greatest impact.
• Makes strategic decisions in the face of uncertainties and pressure. Remove obstacles for others.
• Ensures district’s priority projects are delivered on time and on budget.

CONTRACT PROVISIONS

Type Contract: Limited 260 days

SALARY RANGE: Salary is commensurate with education, experience, and background.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

All interested applicants should submit a resume and application online at http://www.cps-k12.org/, click on employment, then Apply Online.
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Note: A lead teacher in a position may not be appointed to an administrative position while serving as a lead teacher. A lead teacher may apply for an administrative position if the lead teacher resigns the lead teacher position prior to submitting an application, however, selection is not guaranteed. A consulting teacher may not be appointed to an administrative position while serving as a consulting teacher and for one full school year after serving as a consulting teacher.

Certain jobs at Cincinnati Public Schools may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation are available upon request from Talent Acquisition and Staffing.

Cincinnati Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and is subject to federal regulations pertaining to employment. The district has a continuing non-discrimination policy which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. We hire only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States.

CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER