Director of Communications and Media Relations

Job Description:

The City of Topeka is seeking a dedicated Communications professional to serve as its Director of Communications and Media Relations. This position serves as the City’s spokesperson and is responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies that are consistent with the City’s goals and objectives.

What you’ll do:

• Serve as the City’s official spokesperson with all media outlets. This requires 24/7 availability for emergency and/or critical incidents.
• Lead, develop, and execute communication strategies through collaboration with the City’s leadership team.
• Develop and implement broad public engagement strategies.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal staff, representatives of the news media, and with regional partners’ public information officials.

The ideal candidate:

• Possesses exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to craft compelling messages.
• Has the ability to maintain composure and effectiveness while working in stressful, high-pressure situations.
• Is comfortable working independently and exercising sound judgment in decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, mass communication, public relations, public administration, English, or closely related field.
• Two years of related experience is required; municipal government experience is preferred.
• A combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the minimum qualifications is acceptable.
• Must be insurable within the standards set by the City of Topeka insurance carrier and must possess and maintain a valid Kansas driver’s license.

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The City of Topeka offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Health/Dental Insurance
• Kansas Public Employee Retirement System which totals over 315,000 active, inactive and retired members and manages approximately $20 billion in assets for KPERS members’ benefits.
• Generous paid vacation leave and separate paid sick leave, and one additional paid personal leave day each year
• Paid Life/Long Term Disability Insurance
• (457) Deferred Comp Savings Plan
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Free Onsite Health & Wellness Clinic
• Free in-house Wellness Center, a full-service fitness facility
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program.