Chief of Communications and Public Relations

Shelby County Schools•Memphis, TN

About The Position

The Chief of Communications and Public Relations is responsible for setting the strategic vision and direction for the District’s communications, public affairs, board engagement, media relations, and community and family partnerships. The Chief serves as a cabinet-level leader and trusted advisor to the Superintendent, the Board, and District leadership, and leads efforts to ensure the District’s priorities are effectively communicated, public trust is strengthened, and families and community partners are engaged as co-creators of student success. The Chief oversees a portfolio that includes external and internal communications, media relations, board engagement, community and family partnerships, crisis communications, and stakeholder engagement. The Chief is a working leader: in addition to directing the function and the team, the Chief is expected to be able to personally perform the public relations and spokesperson role, e.g. interfacing with the media, conducting interviews, and speaking on behalf of the District as its primary spokesperson, and to be comfortable operating across all aspects of the function. The role requires exceptional judgment, a deep understanding of public education, executive presence, and the ability to build and sustain meaningful relationships across diverse stakeholders to advance the District’s mission. The Chief of Communications and Public Relations holds District-wide oversight of the communications and public relations function across all schools, departments, and public-facing operations. This oversight expressly includes the following areas: External and internal communications, Media relations, Board engagement, Community and family partnerships, Crisis communications, Stakeholder engagement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Communications, Public Affairs, Public Administration, or a related field is required.
A minimum of 10+ years of progressively responsible leadership in communications, public affairs, media, or stakeholder engagement, preferably in a large, urban school district or similarly complex organization, is required.
Proven experience managing high-performing teams and leading change in complex systems.
Demonstrated experience serving as an organizational spokesperson and managing direct media relations is required.
PROOF OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND/OR EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Policy/Administration, Education Leadership, or a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

Sets the strategic vision and direction for the District’s communications and public relations function, providing leadership at a level commensurate with a cabinet officer and ensuring the function operates with the visibility, structure, and accountability appropriate to its criticality.
Serves as the District’s primary spokesperson. Personally manages and conducts media relations, including interviews, press inquiries, and on-record representation of the District, and provides public relations directly when needed, rather than solely directing others to do so. Is comfortable and credible operating across all aspects of the function, from strategy to hands-on execution.
Media relations. Leads media relations and public affairs for the District. Cultivates and maintains professional working relationships with local and regional reporters, editors, and news producers so that the District can respond quickly, accurately, and credibly, manage time-sensitive and embargoed information appropriately, and proactively shape coverage rather than reacting to it.
Ensures that significant public and political events are anticipated, staffed, and managed by the communications function. Provides advance planning, message preparation, and on-site management of media interactions so that the Superintendent and senior leaders are supported at high-visibility engagements and are never left to manage critical public or political interfaces without communications support. Proactively identifies upcoming events carrying reputational, political, or media sensitivity and staffs them accordingly.
Crisis communications. Builds and maintains the District’s crisis communications capability in partnership with District leaders. Establishes response protocols, designated spokespersons, and media procedures for high-stakes situations, and personally leads District communications during crisis events to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timeliness.
Designs and delivers media and communications training throughout the organization. Ensures that leaders at every level, down through the schools and departments, understand their role in the District’s communications chain of command, are equipped to deliver consistent messaging, and present appropriate professional bearing and executive presence in public-facing roles. Conducts regular media training and readiness exercises.
External and internal communications. Leads external and internal communications for the District, ensuring that priorities, decisions, and information are communicated clearly and consistently to staff, families, and the community through official channels.
Board engagement. Oversees board engagement communications, ensuring that communication to and from the Board is managed professionally and supports a strong, well-informed governance relationship.
Community and family partnerships. Leads the District’s community and family partnership communications, engaging families and community partners as co-creators of student success and ensuring that information reaches diverse communities in accessible, understandable form.
Stakeholder engagement. Directs stakeholder engagement and public affairs efforts, building and sustaining relationships across diverse internal and external stakeholders to advance the District’s mission and strengthen public trust.
Directs the planning and production of District communications content, including video, photography, and written features, on a managed, proactive schedule. Ensures recurring content is planned in advance and efficiently produced (for example, batching multiple recordings or posts in a single session) so that production does not depend on day-to-day direction from the Superintendent.
Builds, organizes, and leads the communications and public relations team. Defines clear roles and reporting relationships, establishes performance standards and accountability, and recruits, supervises, develops, and evaluates staff to create a high-performing, well-structured function aligned with the District’s priorities.
Performs other related duties as assigned or directed.