Description
Director of Communications
Full-time
Champion the development of a positive culture of public education in Vancouver
The Vancouver School Board has a high-profile stature in the British Columbia K-12 Education System, and while many of our stories speak positively of student success and innovative practices, the District also receives criticism from the public, local news agencies and on social media which detract from the good that is happening in our classrooms, schools and district. As a senior communications professional with significant experience handling challenging issues and crises, you will be charged with creating a proactive communications strategy that shifts the culture to a focus on students while respecting the rights of people to address concerns, communicate with staff and provide and share perspectives. Under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools and CEO, you will create and lead the strategy and implementation of our internal and external communications initiatives. You will be accountable to ensure the District’s narrative is consistently and effectively presented through various media channels, including social media. As the District’s primary media spokesperson and chief issues management advisor, the District and school-based staff will rely on your expertise to navigate frequent and challenging public issues.
You will also oversee the District’s marketing and public engagement initiatives. You will manage a team of professionals and work closely with the Superintendent to ensure that the Board Chair, the trustees on the Board of Education, senior management, stakeholder groups, District staff and students are all actively engaged. At the same time, you will collaborate with school-based staff, community partners, the media, government and other agencies to ensure the positive messages, stories and initiatives of Vancouver public schools receive the attention they deserve.
You have 10 to 15 years of experience in public relations and have led and trained a communications team in a similarly complex organization, ideally in the public sector. Your well-developed political acumen will support you as you address communication challenges in our fast-paced and complex district. You have strong knowledge of print, broadcast and digital media and possess significant experience managing and inspiring your team of communications professionals to implement a wide range of communications and marketing strategies. In addition to excellent writing, editing and verbal communication abilities, you also have well-developed leadership abilities and interpersonal skills and can work effectively with colleagues in high-pressure situations and under tight deadlines.
The Vancouver School District is an exciting, progressive and dynamic school district. Offering a wide range of educational opportunities for more than 50,000 learners from kindergarten to adults, Vancouver schools have an excellent reputation for being diverse and inclusive, and for providing outstanding, student-centered, choice programs. The District has almost 8,000 employees, 112 schools and a $625 million operating budget with numerous major capital projects underway.
Please include a cover letter and resume with your application to this competition. The closing date for this competition is Monday, February 5, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.
To apply on line , please visit www.makeafuture.ca/vancouver
If you do not have a profile on Make a Future please create a profile to apply for management positions.
Once you have created your profile then, while you are logged in, please search this ad again and then click the "apply now" button at the end of this ad. You will then be able to apply and upload any supporting documents to the competition and answer the job posting questions.
You will automatically receive an email from this website letting you know your application to the competition has been received.
