OFFICE TITLE:  DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

CIVIL SERVICE TITLE/LEVEL: DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

DEPARTMENT:   PUBLIC AFFAIRS

NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 1

SALARY: $115,000 - $130,000

POSITION STATUS: FULL-TIME

APPLICATION DEADLINE: UNTIL FILLED

JOB ID #:  580116

Start your career here at the NYC Campaign Finance Board. Click on the link to learn more about the open positions at our agency!  

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD

The New York City Campaign Finance Board oversees New York City’s small donor democracy program and educates and engages voters via NYC Votes. The CFB has enjoyed a tremendous arc of progress over its 30-year history, and our updated flagship small donor democracy program is a centerpiece of this progress.

We eliminate barriers to participation by providing access to the resources New Yorkers need to vote or run for office and amplify the voices of small donors with New York City’s small donor democracy program.

You would be working with a staff and leadership that is mission driven and committed to continuous improvement for the staff and the public. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The CFB Public Affairs Division promotes the agency’s key role in equipping all candidates and voters to power a fairer and more open democracy in New York City. We engage New Yorkers, inform them about elections, and boost their civic participation in the democratic process.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board seeks a Director of Public Relations to lead the agency’s publicity and media relations efforts, increase the agency’s profile, increase public awareness of New York City’s public matching funds program, coordinate, and produce events, and supervise the Public Relations Unit staff of three members.  The role reports to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Create and implement plans to increase public awareness of the agency, its mission, and its role in New York City elections; devise proactive plans to inform the public and the press about the city’s public matching funds program and its voter engagement efforts
• Maintain agency’s public reputation; lead reactive communications strategy
• Oversee preparation of briefing materials and other documents supporting the agency’s publicity efforts; coach Board members, Executive Director, and staff for media interviews, press conferences, and other public appearances
• Publicize candidate disclosure data, independent expenditure data, Board actions, data on audits and enforcement actions, and other public documents and information relating to campaigns
• Coordinate responses to inquiries from members of the press and public about the work of the Campaign Finance Board
• Create an annual plan of action to promote the agency as a leader on democracy issues generally and on campaign finance and voting issues specifically
• Seek placements for agency leadership and staff at panels, presentations, and other events that provide opportunities to highlight the work of the agency and the Board
• Work with relevant agency staff to propose and develop ideas for policy papers and blog posts, including analyses and research that can illustrate the positive impacts of the public matching funds program and the agency’s voter engagement work
• Coordinate the CFB Debate Program for candidates for citywide office and community-based candidate forums or debates, including the selection of sponsors and all other administrative matters relating to debates
• Coordinate and produce events that advance the agency’s mission and profile, including community-based candidate forums or debates, policy conferences, and press events

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Five years of experience in a public-facing media relations, public relations, or communications role, with some experience supervising a team or mentoring staff
• Strategic thinker with a demonstrated ability to plan a publicity campaign with well-defined goals, capacity to track and evaluate its success
• Knowledge of and demonstrated interest in New York City government and politics; established relationships in New York City media and/or established expertise in campaign finance, voting, or elections issues.
• Outstanding written and oral communications skills; comfort using data to make an argument or illustrate a point; ability to understand and communicate complex legal, administrative, or technical issues clearly and simply.
• Experience with crisis communications.
• Comfort with communicating to diverse audiences.
• Relationship builder; a strong collaborator able to communicate with staff at all levels of the agency and able to prioritize external relationships strategically
• Ability to supervise and mentor staff, and set clear standards that ensure consistency in agency’s public messaging

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by at least twelve semester credits (or the equivalent of twelve semester credits) in accounting, auditing, business or public administration, computer science, economics, finance, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related area of study and one year of satisfactory full-time experience in accounting, auditing (including compliance or investigative auditing), business or public administration, business analysis, computer science, database administration, economics, finance, fiscal or economic management or research, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related field; or
2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five-years of experience as described in “1” above; or
3. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above.

TO APPLY:  Internal City Employees must apply through Employee Self-service (ESS), External Applicants must apply through NYC.gov/careers (https://www1.nyc.gov/jobs/).

• Please apply to the job ID number listed above.
• Resume and cover letter are required for consideration.
• Note that only applicants under consideration will be contacted.

For more information on careers with the NYC Campaign Finance Board visit our website at https://www.nyccfb.info/ to access the full listing of job opportunities and to learn more about our agency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Pursuant to Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner’s Directive No. 2020-20 (concerning the Recruitment of Personnel During the Covid-19 Crisis), New York City residency must be obtained within six months after Emergency Executive Order No.98 is rescinded. If that time has passed, residency must be obtained within 90 days of the start date.

The CFB is an equal opportunity employer firmly committed to diversity. All individuals are encouraged to apply. If you anticipate needing any type of reasonable accommodation to apply for an employment opportunity, please contact access@nyccfb.info or (212) 409-1800.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.