PRESS SECRETARY/SUPERVISOR #1899

Reporting to the Director, responsible for the Agency's efforts to obtain positive media coverage and serves as the primary media spokesperson for the Agency. Balances day-to-day media relations and issues management with the strategic planning and execution of longer-term campaigns. Handles sensitive and confidential information in a highly visible leadership role. Maximizes opportunities to deliver the Agency's media coverage and messaging priorities. Supervises the project/event coordinator for education recognition programs, optimizing the Agency's awards programming to tell positive stories about teaching and elevate the teaching profession. The ideal candidate has a keen news sense with the ability to identify the key and newsworthy messages and audiences amidst complex data and information. The ideal candidate has exceptionally strong writing skills and can quickly distill complex topics into concise and accessible language. The ideal candidate thinks critically about data and policy and seeks to understand the broader political context of any media inquiry, news story, or agency initiative. The ideal candidate can manage multiple projects at once, meet deadlines, work independently, and collaborate effectively. The ideal candidate is passionate, positive, energetic, organized, and goal-oriented.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages on a daily basis the development and delivery of timely, accurate, consistent, and on-message responses to inquiries from reporters, working closely with staff and leaders across the Agency, the Governor's Office, and other stakeholders.
• Monitors and maintains the press@isbe.net email inbox to preserve a record of media activities and prior responses.
• Plans and executes proactive media outreach to support the Agency's mission, vision, and goals and to elevate the Agency's initiatives.
• Collaborates with staff and leaders across the Agency to identify media opportunities and to draft and send press releases.
• Develops an understanding of the media landscape and pitches stories.
• Organizes and staffs media interviews and press events.
• With the Agency's messaging, audience, and goals in mind, drafts talking points and remarks to prepare Agency leadership to speak in interviews and at events.
• Conducts media training and interview prep.
• Travels as necessary.
• Supervises the coordination of educator recognition programs, providing thought partnership in the administration of the State's Teacher of the Year and Those Who Excel program and annual 1,000-person banquet, and other awards programming and associated media events.
• Supervises the production of all webinar and online training video production services for the Agency.
• Supervises staff.
• Assists in mentoring and training new employees.
• Plans, assigns/reassigns, prioritizes, and reviews work assignments.
• Approves/denies use of benefit time.
• Establishes annual goals and objectives.
• Completes and signs performance evaluations.
• Provides technical guidance and direction.
• Counsels staff.
• Presents documentation of just cause for disciplinary action to the Director of Human Resources.
• Supervises administrative staff in tracking the results of media outreach (pitches, press events, press releases) and in the preparation of daily media clips and weekly media reports to the Governor's Office, Board, and senior ISBE staff.
• Demonstrating superior writing ability, drafts others written materials as needed, such as columns, op-eds, letters, video scripts, social media content, etc.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)
• Five years of experience in public relations or communications.
• Experience conducting media relations.
• Excellent writing ability.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in Communications or Public Relations.
• Experience with social media and email marketing.
  
  

ISBE provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We actively foster a culture of inclusion and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

Illinois has an urgent and collective responsibility to achieve educational equity by ensuring that all policies, programs, and practices affirm the strengths that each and every child brings within their diverse backgrounds and life experiences, and by delivering the comprehensive supports, programs, and educational opportunities they need to succeed.