Senior Director of Communications

SALARY DETAILS

Minimum: $192,787.68/yearly

Maximum: $215,202.36/yearly

APPLICATION FILING DATES

January 16th, 2025 - February 13th, 2025

INFORMATION ABOUT LAUSD

We are LAUSD. We are at the forefront of innovation in public education, focused on a clear and inspiring vision of the future for all of our students as they venture forward on their journey as lifelong learners. Here, you will have the opportunity to exercise your potential in a role supporting the business of education. Our work directly contributes toward the goal of ensuring that our students graduate ready for the world – ready to thrive in college, career and life. LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation with an enrollment of nearly 575,000 students. We serve an area totaling 710 square miles, with over 1,190 schools and educational centers, and we employ over 74,000 individuals, making us one of the largest employers in our city.

LAUSD Employees: Please be advised that all LAUSD employees must sign in to the GlobalProtect Virtual Private Network (VPN) in order to submit an application from an external network outside of an LAUSD location. For assistance with installing the GlobalProtect virtual network, please contact Information Technology Services at (213) 443-1300 or (213) 241-5200.

BENEFITS

Insurance: Paid premiums for your choice of several medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.

Retirement: Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS).

Vacation: Full-time employees earn up to two weeks of paid vacation to start. Three weeks after five years of year-round paid service.

Paid Holidays: Up to 13 days.

JOB DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

- Oversees the planning and development of activities in various areas such as internal and external communications, public relations, and media relations.

- Develops and implements communication strategies for schools and Divisions, and develops District level communications programs for parents, the public and staff.

- Travels to school sites to serve as media liaison or to provide communications support to administrators and other District staff.

- Coordinates public information dissemination relative to new or developing programs; writes or reviews articles, press releases, reports, scripts, and statements; and advises District administrators on public-relations aspects.

- Serves as District spokesperson for the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools in contacts with the media and a wide variety of public and private organizations.

- Writes or reviews reports and speeches for the Superintendent of Schools and senior staff.

- Coordinates media and editorial board briefings and press conferences.

- Initiates and maintains communications with the non-English speaking media and the populations they represent.

- Provides training for Board and staff members regarding relations with the news media.

- Provides leadership for the Office of Communications and Media Relations and its programs.

- Develops and sustains a collaborative team environment within the Office of Communications and Media Relations and any other reporting unit or office.

- Provides immediate responsiveness to emergencies and crises at all times including receiving and assessing information, cooperating with news media and others, and informing and coordinating appropriate District personnel.

- Performs related duties as assigned.

The full class description can be found at: https://bit.ly/41EnKjI 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree, preferably with courses in communications skills, television broadcasting, human relations, the history and philosophy of education, public administration, and educational administration.

Experience: Five years of professional experience within the last 10 years primarily in media and communications activities preferably including television broadcasting. At least two years of the experience must have included supervision or management experience and communications-media relationships involving programs or services regarding major public interest or public education issues.

Special: A valid driver’s license to legally operate a motor vehicle in the State of California and the use of a motor vehicle. Ability to communicate in Spanish, both orally and in writing is highly preferable.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

LAUSD seeks a collaborative communications professional who has strong working relationships with key community members as well as members of the media. They will be strategic in their approach to this role and enthusiastic about sharing novel ideas with our District. They will take a systems-based approach to tracking and evaluating District communications. This candidate will also possess a track record of success working with multiple media outlets. Additionally, they will have experience and facility with:

• Communications media and their most effective uses, including print, radio, television, and social media;

• Best practices in communication strategies, particularly those relating to public education;

• Best practices in management and supervision, including planning, organizing, staffing, leading and evaluating;

• The ethnic, cultural, geographic, and socio-economic diversity of the populations served by the District.

The ideal candidate will possess the ability to:

• Strategize and execute impactful communications solutions that deliver results;

• Create messages that strike an effective tone in response to complex and sometimes negative issues;

• Manage a team of communications professionals to achieve goals and foster a collaborative work environment;

• Manage complex projects including skill in multitasking on multiple high priority assignments;

• Establish objectives for evaluating success by setting overarching objectives, strategies, and tactics; 

• Design, develop and implement systems and protocols that enhance evaluation and overall efficacy;

• Develop effective media and communications strategies for non-English speaking populations;

• Work effectively and credibly with diverse individuals and groups inside and outside the District.

EMPLOYMENT SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process for this position tentatively consists of a training & experience evaluation (T&E), a technical project, and a technical interview. After applications are reviewed and determined to meet the minimum qualifications, qualified candidates will move on to the next phases of our selection process.

THE RETAKE POLICY FOR THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS TEST IS 120 DAYS (4 MONTHS). Please be sure to include correspondence from @lausd.net and @sucessfactors.com as an approved sender so that messages aren't accidentally placed into your spam/junk e-mail folder.

We anticipate receiving a number of well qualified applicants for this position; therefore, there will be a competitive process. The hiring departments have requested that we proceed with the selection process in an expeditious and timely manner. To honor this request we will be adhering to a pre-planned employment assessment schedule. If you are unable to attend the scheduled assessment dates, please note that we recruit for this position on a regular basis. We encourage you to visit our website, http://www.lausdjobs.org periodically to check for the next recruitment and we encourage you to apply again. For more information about the LAUSD employment assessment process, visit the hiring process section of our website at http://www.lausdjobs.org.

APPLICATION PROCESS

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once you submit your application, you should receive an email message confirming that you successfully submitted your application. If you DO NOT receive this message on the same day you apply, it is likely that you did not submit your application.

DO YOU NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE ON-LINE APPLICATION?
Email us at helpmeapply@lausd.net To find out whether the application deadline has been extended, visit the website at: http://www.lausdjobs.org

The Los Angeles Unified School District intends that all qualified persons shall have equal opportunities for employment and promotion. Reasonable accommodations in completing an application and testing are available to individuals with disabilities. Please call (213) 241-3455 for more information.

ADDITIONAL POSTING INFORMATION

The Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to providing a working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct, or bullying. The District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct or bullying based on actual or perceived race or ethnicity, gender/sex (including gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding/lactation status and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, religion, color, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code), ancestry, immigration status, physical or mental disability (including clinical depression and bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, epilepsy, seizure disorder, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease), medical condition (cancer related and genetic characteristics), military and veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age (40 and above), genetic information, political belief or affiliation (unless union related), a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation in any program or activity it conducts or to which it provides significant assistance. For inquiries or complaints contact our Equal Opportunity Section, (213) 241-7685.

Selection and promotion are based on a competitive employment assessment process. Candidates who pass all parts of the assessment process are placed on a hiring (eligibility) list based on their assessment score. Hiring departments may make job offers to candidates on the top three ranks of the hiring list. Eligibility typically lasts for 12 months. The hiring list resulting from this assessment process may be used to fill open positions in related job classifications.

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