Communications Director

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Summary Description

Under the general direction of the Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer, the Communications Director provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for the District's comprehensive communications program. The position is responsible for leading internal and external communications, media relations, crisis and emergency communications, executive communications, digital and social media strategy, brand management, publication development, and school and department-level communication support.

The Communications Director serves as a senior communications advisor and primary writer for high-level District messaging, including communications on behalf of the Superintendent, Board of Trustees, and executive leadership, as appropriate. The incumbent develops and implements strategic communications plans that advance the District's mission, strengthen public trust, support employee engagement, and ensure students, families, staff, media, and community stakeholders receive accurate, timely, accessible, and consistent information.

This position supervises assigned Communications Department staff and performs related work as required.

Exemplary Duties/Responsibilities

The following duties are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required.

Strategic Communications Leadership

• Provides leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of District-wide communications strategies designed to inform, engage, and build trust with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develops comprehensive communication plans for major District initiatives, Board actions, policy changes, operational updates, school programs, budget matters, labor and employee-related updates, student achievement initiatives, safety matters, and other high-impact issues.
• Ensures District communications are accurate, timely, legally appropriate, culturally responsive, accessible, and aligned with the District's mission, vision, values, strategic plan, and brand standards.
• Provides strategic counsel to the Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer, Superintendent, executive leadership, school leaders, and department heads regarding communication strategy, public messaging, stakeholder impact, and reputational considerations.
• Anticipates emerging communication needs, public concerns, media interest, and community sentiment, and recommends proactive communication strategies.
• Establishes systems, protocols, templates, and standards to improve consistency, quality, responsiveness, and effectiveness of District communications.
  
  

Executive and Board Communications

• Serves as a primary writer and editor for high-level communications on behalf of the Superintendent, Board of Trustees, and District leadership, as assigned.
• Drafts speeches, talking points, public statements, letters, op-eds, scripts, presentations, reports, web content, media responses, and other executive-level written materials.
• Reviews and approves strategic communications intended for broad internal or external distribution, including communications from the District, Superintendent, and Board of Trustees, as appropriate.
• Supports preparation for Board of Trustees meetings by reviewing communication implications, preparing public messaging, coordinating media responses, and attending meetings as needed.
• Maintains a high level of discretion and confidentiality when supporting sensitive District matters, including personnel issues, legal matters, negotiations, crisis incidents, safety concerns, and executive decision-making.
  
  

Media Relations and Public Information

• Leads and coordinates the District's media relations function, including media inquiries, press releases, public statements, interviews, press conferences, and proactive story development.
• Serves as a District spokesperson or supports designated spokespersons, as assigned.
• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with local, regional, state, and national media representatives.
• Coordinates timely, accurate, and appropriate responses to media inquiries, including gathering information from schools, departments, and District leadership.
• Develops proactive media strategies to highlight student achievement, employee excellence, District initiatives, operational improvements, community partnerships, and public education priorities.
• Monitors media coverage and public narratives involving the District and recommends communication strategies to address misinformation, clarify issues, or elevate positive stories.
  
  

Crisis, Emergency, and Incident Communications

• Serves as a key member of the District Emergency Response Team and may assume primary responsibility for communications during emergencies, critical incidents, school safety events, weather events, operational disruptions, or other urgent matters.
• Develops, maintains, and implements crisis communication protocols, including internal notification procedures, parent and family messaging, media response, website updates, social media posts, talking points, and coordination with emergency response partners.
• Works under pressure to provide clear, accurate, compassionate, and timely communications during fast-moving or sensitive situations.
• Coordinates with School Police, emergency management personnel, school administrators, local government agencies, and other partners to ensure public messaging is consistent and appropriate.
• Supports after-action reviews of crisis communications and recommends improvements to communication systems, protocols, and response procedures.
  
  

Internal Communications and Employee Engagement

• Leads strategies to improve internal communication across the District, including communication with school-based staff, central services employees, administrators, supervisors, and employee groups.
• Develops communication plans that help employees understand District priorities, Board actions, operational changes, benefits and employment-related updates, professional learning opportunities, and major initiatives.
• Works with departments and schools to improve clarity, consistency, timing, and accessibility of employee-facing communications.
• Supports leadership messaging to promote alignment, trust, transparency, and shared understanding across the organization.
• Identifies opportunities to reduce communication silos between schools and central services and strengthen two-way communication across the District.
  
  

School and Department Communication Support

• Provides consultation, guidance, tools, templates, and training to school leaders and department staff regarding effective communication, parent and family messaging, media response, issue management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Supports schools in developing consistent, professional, and accessible external communications, including newsletters, community updates, web content, social media, and crisis messages.
• Assists schools and departments in communicating complex or sensitive topics to families, staff, and community members.
• Works with school-based staff to increase consistency in design, tone, messaging, and brand alignment.
• Strengthens communication coordination between schools and central services to ensure District-wide initiatives are effectively understood and implemented.
  
  

Community Engagement and Two-Way Communication

• Develops and supports communication strategies that promote meaningful two-way engagement with students, families, employees, community members, business partners, civic leaders, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.
• Supports public forums, town halls, listening sessions, surveys, focus groups, community meetings, and other engagement opportunities.
• Oversees or supports the development of surveys and other feedback mechanisms to assess public opinion, identify stakeholder concerns, and inform decision-making.
• Interprets stakeholder feedback and communication data to recommend strategies that improve public understanding, trust, and engagement.
• Works with local media, community-based organizations, business leaders, advocates, and public agencies to strengthen communication with historically underserved or underrepresented populations.
• Develops authentic and meaningful relationships with diverse communities to improve the effectiveness of District outreach, communication, and engagement efforts.
  
  

Digital, Social Media, and Brand Management

• Provides leadership for the District's digital communications strategy, including website content, social media platforms, multimedia storytelling, email communications, video messaging, and other digital tools.
• Oversees the creation, review, and distribution of digital and print communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and alignment with District messaging and brand standards.
• Supports the development and implementation of social media plans to inform the public, elevate District stories, respond to emerging issues, and increase stakeholder engagement.
• Monitors digital engagement, social media trends, audience feedback, and communication analytics to improve message effectiveness and reach.
• Ensures District communications reflect professional design standards and consistent visual identity across platforms.
  
  

Publications, Marketing, and Content Development

• Oversees the development of District-wide publications, marketing materials, newsletters, annual reports, informational campaigns, videos, presentations, and other communication products.
• Leads or supports communication campaigns related to enrollment, recruitment and retention, student programs, school choice, budget, capital projects, safety, employee engagement, and strategic initiatives.
• Translates complex, technical, legal, operational, or policy information into clear, accurate, audience-appropriate communication.
• Coordinates with vendors, designers, photographers, videographers, translators, printers, and other partners to produce high-quality communication materials.
• Ensures public-facing materials are accessible, inclusive, and appropriate for diverse audiences.
  
  

Supervision and Department Operations

• Supervises, evaluates, trains, and supports assigned Communications Department staff.
• Assigns and reviews work, establishes priorities, monitors deadlines, and ensures high-quality service delivery.
• Builds a collaborative, responsive, and high-performing communications team.
• Develops department workflows, project management systems, editorial calendars, approval processes, and communication tracking tools.
• Supports budget development, vendor coordination, contract management, and resource planning for assigned communications functions.
• Ensures Communications Department work is aligned with District priorities and responsive to the needs of schools, departments, employees, families, and the broader community.
  
  

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Education/Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and skills would be:

• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in communications, journalism, public relations, English, marketing, broadcasting, public administration, education, or a closely related field;
  
  

AND

• Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in communications, public relations, journalism, media relations, marketing, public information, community engagement, or a related field, including experience developing strategic communications for a large, complex organization;
  
  

AND

• Experience supervising, leading, or coordinating the work of professional staff.
  
  

Experience in a school district, public agency, higher education institution, government organization, nonprofit organization, or similarly complex public-facing environment is preferred.

A master's degree in communications, public relations, public administration, education, business administration, or a related field is desirable.

Knowledge Of

• Principles, practices, and techniques of strategic communications, public relations, public information, media relations, internal communications, community engagement, and crisis communications.
• Methods for developing and implementing comprehensive communication plans for large, complex organizations.
• Principles of executive communications, speechwriting, message development, issue management, and reputation management.
• Media operations, public records considerations, interview preparation, press conference coordination, and spokesperson support.
• Digital communication strategies, including websites, social media, email communications, multimedia content, analytics, and audience engagement.
• Brand management, visual identity standards, marketing communications, publication development, and print and digital production processes.
• Crisis and emergency communication principles, including timely public notification, incident response coordination, message approval processes, and stakeholder-specific communications.
• Principles of culturally responsive, accessible, inclusive, and multilingual communication.
• Research methods, survey development, public opinion assessment, data interpretation, and stakeholder feedback analysis.
• Public education issues, school district operations, Board governance, public agency accountability, and community relations.
• Principles of effective supervision, staff development, project management, workflow coordination, and performance management.
• Applicable laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards related to public communications, confidentiality, student and employee privacy, public records, copyright, accessibility, and public agency communications.
  
  

Skill At

• Lead a comprehensive communications program for a large, complex public organization.
• Develop clear, accurate, strategic, and audience-specific messaging on complex, sensitive, or high-profile issues.
• Write and edit high-quality executive communications, including speeches, public statements, letters, talking points, media responses, presentations, and reports.
• Translate complex, technical, legal, operational, or policy information into plain language appropriate for students, families, employees, media, elected officials, and community members.
• Exercise sound judgment, discretion, and political acumen in sensitive, confidential, controversial, or rapidly evolving situations.
• Respond quickly, calmly, and effectively under pressure during emergencies, crises, media events, and high-volume communication periods.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with District leaders, school administrators, employees, families, students, media representatives, community partners, public officials, vendors, and advocacy organizations.
• Advise senior leaders on communication strategy, stakeholder impact, public perception, and message alignment.
• Supervise, motivate, and develop a diverse team of communications professionals.
• Manage multiple projects, deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Use data, analytics, public feedback, and communication metrics to assess effectiveness and improve communication strategies.
• Develop communication systems that increase consistency, transparency, responsiveness, and trust.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, cultural competence, adaptability, initiative, and commitment to public service.
• Use modern communication platforms, content management systems, social media tools, digital analytics tools, project management systems, and standard office technology.
• Demonstrate commitment to the District's mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
  
  

Licenses/Certificates

• A valid driver's license may be required at the time of appointment or within a reasonable period of time thereafter if the position requires travel to District sites, community meetings, or emergency response locations.
• Professional accreditation or certification in public relations, communications, emergency communications, public information, or related fields is desirable.
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS

The work environment and 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.?

Work Environment

• Primarily performed in an office, school, and community setting
• Occasional attendance at meetings, school sites, and community events, including evenings and weekends
• Occasional travel within and outside the District, including regional and state meetings
• Occasional exposure to outdoor weather conditions when visiting school sites or attending events
• Frequent noise levels typical of office, school, and public meeting environments
  
  

Physical Demands

• Mobility to move between District sites, offices, and meeting locations
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time during meetings and events
• Frequent use of standard office equipment, including computers and mobile devices
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and presentations
• Occasional lifting and carrying of light materials (e.g., documents, laptop, presentation materials)
• Manual dexterity sufficient to operate standard office technology and communication tools.
  
  

THIS JOB SPECIFICATION SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO IMPLY THAT THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE THE EXCLUSIVE STANDARDS OF THE POSITION. INCUMBENTS MAY BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW ANY OTHER INSTRUCTIONS, AND TO PERFORM ANY OTHER RELATED DUTIES AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THEIR SUPERVISOR.

The Washoe County School District is committed to providing a safe and respectful learning and working environments for all students, staff, and visitors. The District prohibits bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, and/or discrimination based on an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, veterans or military status, marital status, disability or the presence of any sensory, physical or mental handicap in any of its educational programs/activities and employment, or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The district prohibits discrimination against any youth group listed in Title 36, as a patriotic society, (i.e., Boy Scouts of America) from access to public school facilities for use.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER STATEMENT

Washoe County School District is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Washoe County School District is committed to providing all applicants and employees equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, military status, or other characteristics protected by applicable law. Here in Washoe County School District, we are a diverse group of people who honor the differences that drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our students and employees. We believe that through a culture of inclusivity, we have the power to reflect on the community we serve.

Internal Job Number 2026-27-P262973

Salary

Grade 31

Annual Salary: 108,457 (Entry Step)

Salaries are subject to adjustment and may increase and decrease each fiscal year. New employees hired by Washoe County School District are normally placed on the entry step of the grade of the position. View the salary schedules here.

Range/Grade 31

Additional Job Information

This position is for the 2026/27 school year with an anticipated contract start date after July, 1st 2026.

Benefit packages are available for all employees, eligible employees who are regularly scheduled to work 27.5 hours per week or more receive full benefits of the District which include but are not limited to;

• No waiting period on Medical, Dental, Vision and Life InsuranceEmployees may select an insurance plan wherein WCSD contributes 100% of insurance premiums.
• Sick Leave, Holiday Pay and Vacation Pay
• Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Contribution options will be explained in detail during the New Employee Orientation.
• Salary Increases
• Longevity Bonuses
• Guidance Resources
• And More - Visit our Benefits page for more information.
• Please be advised health insurance premiums are paid by employees at a prorated percent for those working less than full time.
  
  

New employees will be fingerprinted upon hire and will have $58.50 deducted from their first paycheck to help defray the cost of fingerprinting. Fingerprint fees are subject to change. Your job offer is conditional until a report is returned from the FBI and Nevada Department of Public Safety that meets the standards of WCSD for employment purposes.

Any applicant who would like to request a reasonable accommodation in any step of the selection process should contact Human Resources at (775) 348-0321.