Director of Communications

Job Description

SALARY RANGE (Grade 16) CSA984: $105,000 -- $120,000 / yr. (Commensurate with experience)

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

The OSA Director of Communications performs the function of conveying the values, goals, achievements, and work of the OSA to internal and external audiences consistent with the strategic plan of the OSA and in collaboration with, among others, auditors, fraud examiners, researchers, attorneys, data analysts, legislative and external affairs coordinators, and other subject matter experts.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

The Director works under the direct supervision of the Director of Operations, with extensive contact with the State Auditor.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Exercise direct supervision over the Digital Media Communications Assistant.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Director is responsible for the following work:

• Thoroughly read and comprehend all audit reports issued by the OSA and be able to quickly articulate them to the public, through press releases and engaging social media posts, in a fashion that is educational, informative, and easy to understand;

• Closely monitor news and happenings across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including developments involving state and local government, and be prepared to produce relevant media content;

• Development and execution of an overall communications plan, utilizing all available forms of media suitable to the target audience or audiences;

• Assist with the issuance of releases of audits, reports, newsletters, and other work product to external audiences;

• Providing rapid, knowledgeable, and thorough responses to all media inquiries;

• Development of a social media calendar and implementation of a digital communications strategy;

• Participation in the development of instructive and engaging visual elements for audits, reports, and other work product to aid readers' comprehension and increase interest;

• Building and maintaining relationships with media outlets and opinion leaders and identifying opportunities to relate the work of the OSA to current events and policy discussions;

• Participation in the drafting of speeches, testimony, opinion pieces, journal articles, and other presentations for the Auditor and other staff members;

• Production of written materials for external and internal use (i.e., press releases, op-eds, PowerPoint presentations, videos, newsletters, social media graphics, and other items);

• Assist with ensuring that the OSA external website and internal home page reflect current work and are user-friendly;

• Coaching staff members for audio and visual presentations and media responses;

• Developing quantifiable metrics to monitor communications performance and impact;

• Ensuring communications staff's compliance with the ethical standards of the OSA and of the communications profession;

• Assisting staff in the setting of performance goals, monitoring performance, providing coaching, and evaluating performance on an annual basis;

• Performing other duties as assigned.

Note: Due to the necessary duties of this position, the candidate may be required to be on call and/or work weekends and/or evenings.

The Office of the State Auditor is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. Employment actions such as recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting individuals are based upon a policy of non-discrimination. Employment decisions and actions are made without regard to race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, military status, genetic information, political affiliation, or veteran's status.