The Fourth Judicial District is pleased to accept applications for a Communications Manager. This position will provide strategic communications thought leadership while overseeing long-range planning, direction, and oversight of external and internal communications, media interactions, public data requests, legislative affairs, and outreach events. The position will supervise a small team of professional staff members to further the mission of the court and the goals of the district.
 
The Fourth Judicial District, also known as Hennepin County District Court, serves the residents of Hennepin County. We are a large urban district court with over 500 employees, seventy-five judicial officers, numerous high-profile matters and more than 400,000 annual case filings.
 
The position is full-time, exempt, and part of District Administration located in the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. Typical hours for this position are 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. This position will work onsite and remotely, according to business need. Infrequent travel within the Twin Cities or greater Minnesota may be required.

This position is classified as a Court Administrative Manager I.
 
The Minnesota Judicial Branch cares about and invests in you as an employee. Because of that, we offer affordable yet competitive benefits to support you and your family’s wellbeing. Our comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees includes health and wellness benefits, enhanced fertility benefits, short- and long-term disability, pension, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and more. Learn more at mncourts.gov/careers.

Minnesota Judicial Branch employees may also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This federal program allows qualified individuals to have their loans forgiven after meeting certain requirements working in public service. You can learn more about this program from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the office of Federal Student Aid.

• Provides consultation to the Judicial District Administrator, Chief Judge, Assistant Chief Judge, Deputy District Administrators, and Senior Managers on the development of long-range internal and external communication strategies. 
• Develops and manages a sophisticated media engagement plan and social media sites and consults with leadership regarding key internally-focused messages. 
• Establishes and maintains positive professional relationships with local, regional, and national media outlets, responding to a high number of media inquiries.
• Oversees the planning and coordination of public outreach events and initiatives; represents the district externally or internally when serving on task forces, policy committees, and planning groups with judges, state and district court managers, and employees. 
• Develop and maintain District Strategic Communications Plan, including direction for the District public website. 
• Hires, trains, mentors, coaches, assigns, and reviews the work of assigned staff; promotes Branch vision and mission and leads assigned employees through change.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Six years of post-high school education and experience, including a minimum of three years of experience in communication, media relations, or related field.
  • Examples include but are not limited to:
    • A four-year degree and three years of experience in communcations work
    • Six years of experience performing communciations work

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to plan strategic communications. 
• Experience coaching executives in communications strategy and media management. 
• Demonstrated ability to create and lead large-scale communications efforts with external and internal audiences. 
• Knowledge of principles and practices of journalism and public relations, including AP style and PSRA Code of Ethics.
• Good understanding of current and emerging communications technologies. 
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with all levels within an organization and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to develop effective, positive working relationships throughout the organization and with external stakeholders, especially media.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise staff, including delegation of work, performance evaluation, coaching and training.
• Skill in analyzing, interpreting, and summarizing data to inform recommendations and decision making.
• Ability to organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner; organize own work, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate media issues involving matters that come before the court, and develop and implement effective messaging and communication strategies to the media and the public.
• Demonstrated ability to manage media-related issues involving high profile matters that come before the court and are of interest to the public.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5 years of experience in strategic communications planning and organizational
   development.
• Experience in state government, especially communications.

Minnesota Judicial Branch employees consistently express pride in their public service and in the quality of programs and services provided to customers, as well as appreciation for the teamwork and collaboration that is promoted within the MJB.

 We celebrate and are committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion, and actively seek and value diversity in professional background and cultural characteristics. We are intentional and mindful about the organizational culture we are building, seeking broad-minded individuals with robust capabilities who value supporting one another’s growth.

 Equal Opportunity Employer:
 It is the policy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch that all decisions regarding employment are made without discrimination on the basis of disability. Please let us know if you need a reasonable accommodation for a disability to participate in the employee selection process by contacting Human Resources via email: 4th.Human.Resources@courts.state.mn.us.

 The Minnesota Judicial Branch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch that all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotions, and other terms and conditions of employment be made without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, disability, sexual orientation, or age. We value and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds.
 
The expected starting salary range for external candidates is $37.43 (range minimum)-$47.74 (range midpoint) per hour ($78,154 - $99,681 annually). The full salary range for this position is $37.43 (range minimum)-$58.04 (range maximum) per hour ($78,154 - $121,188 annually). This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for State of MN employee benefits.

 
 Instructions for Applying:
Submit your application for this position online. 
 All employment offers are contingent upon satisfactory results of a criminal background check. An employment offer may be rescinded if the background check identifies job related convictions.

 Please contact Human Resources with questions regarding this posting via email: 4th.human.resources@courts.state.mn.us; or phone: 612-348-2298.