Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunications & Marketing Director City of Port Townsend Job Description Communications & Marketing Director Classification title: Communication & Marketing Director Working title: Communication & Marketing Director Department: Administration Union: No FLSA status: Exempt Wage Classification: Non-represented Hours: Fulltime Effective date: Rev 1/6/23, 11/28/23 Reports to: City Manager Civil Service: No JOB SUMMARY As part of the City of Port Townsend’s Executive Leadership Team and under the general direction of the City Manager, the Director of Communication and Marketing is a highly responsible professional position with oversight of the City’s communications and marketing strategy. Thie position leads initiatives to inspire and instill a positive working environment characterized by teamwork, trust, organizational values, and accountability. The Communications and Marketing Director provides technical expertise as a conduit between internal teams and external organizations to plan, coordinate, and deliver strategic communications, marketing, and engagement with our community and beyond. The role is split between strategic communications and strategic marketing, although both are interrelated. The director works closely with department directors and teams to develop and implement a cohesive and coordinated communications strategy to support internal and external City communications and functions, delivering a compelling and nested set of narratives to build community trust and confidence in the City. The director utilizes, improves and develops communications channels and provides and/or solicits and edits communications from all departments and City Council, including on social media, the City newsletter, the website, press releases and other channels. In addition, the director coordinates strategic marketing, communications, and engagement with the broader community on the local benefits of tourism, helping to link tourism-related industries and agencies, forge stronger local and regional relationships and cooperation, and gather data and measure success that underpins a positive and compelling narrative. The director is a resource to coordinate a more community-facing and visible Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), including their longer-term strategic planning, and amplifies and elevates the work of those represented and served by the committee. The director also identifies and capitalizes on important relationships between the dual objectives, like community and City priorities of climate action and sustainability or our rich local history, which serve both as focus areas for community investment and a point of difference in the region for attracting visitors. The director is integral in helping Port Townsend better proactively actualize and advocate for the benefits of a smart, sustainable and appropriately scaled local tourism economy. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic marketing coordination • Develops and refines strategic approach to marketing Port Townsend and manages the contract and relationship with the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce as the City’s current Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). • Creates or coordinates creation of tourism collateral materials with the City’s DMO. • Provides staffing support to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), including agenda-setting with the LTAC chair, financial and activity updates, retreats and strategic planning, budgeting and budget tracking, contracts, reporting, coordination of LTAC-funded projects, greater LTAC and grants visibility, periodic reporting to City Council, and operations. • Develops, maintains, and leverages strategic relationships with tourism agencies and organizations, local businesses and the business community, local organizations and groups, jurisdictions in the region, and the media to ensure a coordinated approach to marketing and a tangible delivery of measurable, positive and desired tourism benefits, projects, investments, and events. • Supports the Port Townsend Arts Commission (PTAC), PT Main Street, and the Creative District, and their established roles, leveraging Port Townsend’s creative arts talents and ethos to deliver positive benefits for local artists, performers, and organizations. Strategic communications • Manages the coordinated, efficient, and effective development and delivery of a cohesive and compelling City communications strategy, including public information and education, public involvement and engagement, media relations, and marketing. • Serves and represents the City as liaison to organizations, neighborhood groups, and the general public as part of campaigns, engagement events, and activities. • As chief navigator, advisor and coach to the organization, operates as an internal consultant to the City, City Manager, City Council, and City Departments, advising on communications and engagement strategies, plans, content, and implementation as directed by the City Manager. • Manages, coordinates, and develops City communications and engagement channels and tools, including the City website and Engage PT, social media, press releases, the City Utility Billing newsletter, the Annual Report, a new quarterly insert in the PT Leader, and others, to deliver a compelling and nested set of narratives that builds community trust and confidence in the City; develops and refines City communications policies. • Serves as the City’s Public Information Officer (PIO) as the main contact to and coordinator with the media, handling or advising on high profile issues and developing and facilitating strategic approaches to high-profile public policy issues; leads City’s internal and external emergency, cyber- security, natural disaster, and crisis communications in coordination, if appropriate, with and internal teams and the County’s Department of Emergency Management. • Cultivates new audiences and community member partners and ensures all audiences have access to accurate, complete and compelling information, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and by using innovative approaches to storytelling and engagement, including visual storytelling, story- mapping, and development and use of images and graphics embedded in City communications and in media/advertising placements. • Develops, guides, and implements internal and external/coordinated community campaigns, including those that help break down barriers in understanding in the community and build social cohesion, connection, and kindness. • Develops, manages, and implements a unified, clear, positive, and visible City brand and design standards in all materials, marketing, promotions, and communications. Aligns all communication and marketing activities back to organizational goals and mission. • Advises, coordinates and/or delivers internal communications and bolsters staff engagement in coordination with the City Manager, the People and Performance Director and other Department Directors. Aligns internal and external communications for coordinated benefit and impact. • Attends regular day and evening meetings as required, including public events and City Council meetings. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES • Outstanding written, oral and interpersonal communication skills, including concise and accurate business writing and editing to a variety of audiences, active listening, modeling courageous conversations, facilitation, and reflecting without judgement; approachable with an executive presence; inspiring and compelling presentation skills and abilities. • Deep ethical foundations, honesty, and integrity; a positive attitude; a collaborative spirit; an interest in having fun at work. • High level of political and professional acumen, including effective engagement with elected officials, strategic collaboration with department directors, building rapport and partnerships with external agencies, and deft use of tact and diplomacy. • Decisive and able to operate to the full extent of positional authority while also amicably building consensus and bringing along and motivating colleagues, staff, and partners to make tangible progress on a range of initiatives. • Knowledge of and ability to employ crisis and de-escalation tactics and tools, both responding to official emergencies and crisis as well as helping to anticipate, correct, and shift misinformation and public relations problems with clear and compelling information. • Knowledge of principles and practices of communications, marketing, and public engagement, at and beyond the municipal realm; an active innovator and calculated risk-taker who is both pragmatic and visionary. • Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision in a rapidly changing and dynamic politically sensitive environment of high ambiguity. • Knowledge of public opinion research techniques and various methods of application in governmental issues. • Knowledge of public communication strategy and plan development and production of support materials. • Knowledge of public engagement and involvement strategies, including open houses, town hall events, online workshops, tourism and destination marketing, graphic/advertising design, website design and content development, video editing and production, social media, press release writing, media and public relations. • Proven ability to organize complex initiatives and effectively prioritize multiple dependencies, timelines and deadlines. • Proven skills in persuasive writing, speaking, copy-editing, design, storytelling. • Knowledge of current and emerging communications channels, tools, and techniques, with an emphasis on building greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in audience, engagement, and participation. • Knowledge of or willingness to learn about emergency management and natural disaster communications and procedures like the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and all- hazards Public Information Officer resources. • Ability to effectively prepare, coordinate, and manage budgets and contracts. • Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and work on confidential and sensitive matters. • Ability to lead, organize, and manage multi-departmental activities, initiatives, and projects. QUALIFICATIONS Graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or Public Relations or other closely related field. At least five years of increasingly responsible experience in communications, public engagement, tourism, public relations, and/or destination marketing experience. Demonstrated experience and proficiency in managing a communications function in a sophisticated government or business environment. WORKING CONDITIONS Duties are performed primarily in an office environment with sitting for long periods of time, using standard office equipment and personal computer. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet. May be required to deal with upset customers. This position typically requires movement around the office, reaching, pushing, grasping, finger dexterity, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. OTHER CITY REQUIREMENTS • Punctual and consistent attendance. • Possess a Washington Driver’s License and maintain a driving record acceptable to the City’s insurance carrier. • Dress and grooming appropriate to the position. • Safety attire, equipment and practices appropriate to the position. • Deal tactfully and courteously with the public. • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with fellow employees. The City of Port Townsend is an equal employment opportunity employer. The City employs, retains, promotes, disciplines and otherwise treats all employees and job applicants strictly on the basis of job- related qualifications and competence. These policies and all employment practices shall be applied without regard to any individual's sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation (including gender identity), pregnancy, age, marital status, military status, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties to be performed. The employee occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisors. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the City and the employee and is subject to change as the needs of the City and requirements of the job change.