Chief Communications & Engagement Officer 

The Chief Communications & Engagement Officer (CCEO) is the City’s senior executive leader responsible for developing and driving a unified, comprehensive strategy for citywide communications, community engagement, digital experience, and internal information flow. Serving a municipality of roughly 600,000 residents, the CCEO is accountable for strengthening transparency, public trust, civic participation, and the City’s brand across neighborhoods, business communities, and diverse populations. This role leads all aspects of strategic communications, media relations, digital engagement, crisis communications, and executive messaging.

The CCEO reports to the City Manager, and collaborates with the Mayor, City Council and Department Directors to ensure all communications and engagement efforts advance the City’s strategic priorities and reflect the values of transparency, responsiveness, and inclusive civic participation. 

Strategic Executive Leadership

• Build, implement, and continuously refine a long-term, citywide communications and engagement strategy aligned to the City’s mission, strategic plan, and major initiatives.
• Serve as primary strategic advisor to the City Manager on organizational positioning, public relations, brand and reputation management, stakeholder engagement, and high-visibility issues.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team (communications, digital engagement, community outreach) through strong organizational design, coaching, and capacity-building.
• Establish foundational communication governance, operating procedures, brand standards, and performance frameworks including KPIs, dashboards, and evaluation tools to reinforce accountability, quality and strategic alignment.
• Oversee budgets, timelines, and performance metrics for communications initiatives
• Champion a culture of transparency, equity, and trust, ensuring communications efforts reflect the City’s values and commitment to inclusive community participation.

External Communications & Media Relations

• Set and drive the overarching media relations strategy and ensure the City’s public communications are proactive, accurate, consistent, timely, and strategically aligned.
• Build and maintain robust relationships with local, regional, and national media, as well as influencers and strategic partners.
• Oversee the strategic direction, approval processes, and quality standards for all public messaging, external statements, speeches, and executive communications. 
• Develop and deliver executive-level media training for elected officials and City leadership
• Manage narrative development for major initiatives, announcements, and events.

Community Engagement & Public Participation

• Establish and champion a clear vision for accessible, equitable, and inclusive community engagement that reflects resident voice and supports shared decision-making.
• Partner with City departments on engagement strategy for major capital projects, policy initiatives, service delivery changes, neighborhood planning, budget processes, and community forums.
• Integrate resident insight, sentiment data, and engagement outcomes into policy recommendations and service delivery improvements.
• Lead & champion civic education and participation by directing large-scale outreach initiatives, public forums, community events, and citywide engagement campaigns.

Digital Communications & Branding

• Provide executive oversight of the City’s digital communications ecosystem—including websites, social platforms, mobile applications, newsletters, video content, and digital accessibility compliance.
• Develop and enforce brand governance, ensuring consistency in visual identity, messaging, and user experience across all departments and public-facing materials.
• Drive innovation by evaluating and implementing emerging technologies, digital trends, and modernization opportunities that enhance transparency, accessibility, and service delivery.

Crisis & Emergency Communications

• Lead the City’s crisis and emergency communication strategy, including real-time coordination with public safety, emergency management, and regional partners.
• Maintain and regularly test the Emergency Public Information (EPI) Plan.
• Direct high-stakes messaging during emergencies, critical incidents, or issues with significant public impact.
• Lead post-incident communication evaluations and implement improvements to strengthen future readiness.

Internal Communications & Employee Engagement

• Build and oversee a citywide internal communications strategy that strengthens employee engagement, cultural alignment, and organizational understanding of City priorities.
• Partner with Human Resources and executive leadership to ensure employees receive clear, consistent information and understand their role in delivering public-facing services.
• Direct internal campaigns that support organizational change, culture transformation, and employee morale.

Department Evolution & Modernization Expectation

• Create training and upskilling programs for staff.
• Build a culture of high performance, accountability, and service orientation.
• Establish clear cross-departmental partnerships and service expectations.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Executive presence with exemplary written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including storytelling, public speaking, and executive messaging. 
• Strong political acumen, discretion, integrity, and the ability to manage sensitive or highly visible issues.
• Expertise in brand governance and reputation management, ensuring consistency, trust, and positive public perception across all platforms and audiences.
• Deep understanding of proactive media relations, social and digital media best practices, public engagement techniques, and civic participation.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, transparency, and community-centric communication.
• Strategic, forward-thinking mindset with the ability to anticipate issues, shape narratives, and execute proactively.
• Proven ability to build, mentor, and evaluate a high-performing team and create measurable performance outcomes.
• Proven ability to collaborate across functions and influence at executive and board levels.
• Experience with crisis communications, emergency information protocols, or EPI coordination, with the ability to lead emergency messaging and maintain composure under pressure.
• Thorough understanding of municipal government operations, stakeholder ecosystem (residents, business community, media, civic organizations), policy processes, and neighborhood-level dynamics.
• Digital fluency and data-informed communication skills, leveraging analytics, emerging technologies, and best practices to optimize engagement, accessibility and transparency.
• Ability to work extended hours, weekends and nights as needed. 

Qualifications for this position are as follows:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Public Administration, Marketing or related field (Master’s degree preferred).

• Minimum 15 years of progressive responsibility in strategic communications, media relations, public affairs, or community engagement, ideally within public-sector environments or large, complex organizations.

• At least 10 years in an executive or senior leadership role directing organization-wide communications, digital platforms, public affairs, or engagement operations.

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