Employee & Executive Communications Manager (WMS BAND 1)

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) provides centralized business services to state government agencies, other public entities, and Washington residents. DES' mission is to strengthen the business of government for a sustainable and just future. The Communications department ensures DES connects with its audiences to achieve strategic goals, manage risk, build and protect the agency’s reputation, and help customers understand and access DES services. This role is critical for policy and government relations, providing aligned messaging for agency budget and legislative requests, and managing high-risk, sensitive, and politically charged issues. The work involves strategic communication planning, media relations, crisis response, brand management, graphic design, digital platforms, internal communications, public outreach, and all communication activities. The department also creates communication plans for implementing federal, state, and agency laws, rules, and policies. The Employee and Executive Communications Manager (EECM) reports to the Communications Director and serves as a confidential advisor on employee and executive operation communication activities. This position manages the Employee and Executive Communications team, which plans, implements, and measures communications for employees and executive operations. As a member of the Communications leadership team, the EECM helps shape communication policy, manages strategies that support agency goals and enhance employee culture, and ensures DES messages reach the right audiences effectively. The role recommends, coordinates, approves, and supplies communication strategies for internal and external planning. It monitors and measures the effectiveness of employee, executive, and legislative/budget communications, gauges potential issues, and ensures alignment with the agency's mission, vision, values, and goals. The EECM provides round-the-clock support, especially during Legislative Session, and must safeguard confidential and sensitive information.

Requirements

• Five (5) years of professional experience in communications, public information, journalism, public relations, marketing, or closely related field; AND Two (2) years of supervisory experience.
• Bachelor’s degree with major study in English, communications, public information, journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, or a closely related field; AND One year of professional experience in communications, public information, journalism, public relations, marketing, or closely related field; AND Three (2) years of supervisory experience.
• Leading or supervising others.
• Providing expert strategic advice to leaders and peers.
• Developing and carrying out effective communication and outreach plans, including outreach and engagement, media relations, and public education.
• Providing clear direction, performance expectations, timely feedback, and coaching.
• Deciding and measuring effective tactics using performance data.
• Ability to lead through a highly complex process of communication strategies, consensus building, and issue resolution to lead to successful outcomes.
• Ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities and quickly adjust to a changing environment.
• Ability to navigate complex and technical subject matter and quickly acquire specific sets of subject matter expertise.
• Building collaborative partnerships throughout an organization and with external interested parties.
• Experience coaching and advising top-level management on messaging and presentation delivery.
• Advising top management of audience impacts from public policy decisions.
• Producing and reviewing written, verbal, and visual communication materials for a variety of audiences to meet brand, quality, readability, and accessibility guidelines.
• Experience creating, editing, writing, and delivering effective presentations to diverse audiences in a high profile, public setting.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated ability to write and edit to meet the standards of the Associated Press style guide.
• Experience supporting or leading legislative and policy analysis, development, and implementation.
• Experience writing speeches, talking points, and preparing presentations for executive leaders to employees, key interested audiences, and the Legislature.
• Familiarity with user-centered design, graphic design, web content and management principles.

Responsibilities

• Manages agency employee communication strategies, including executive leadership messaging.
• Ensures agency director, cabinet, and senior leaders are adequately prepared and staffed for speaking engagements, including preparing talking points, speeches, presentations, and supporting materials.
• Participates in practice sessions for legislative hearings, committee meetings, and informal meetings.
• Curates tools and training to preserve leadership tone, voice, and communication standards.
• Guides executive to employee communication strategies.
• Manages routine employee communication tactics, including cascading communication plans, leadership toolkits, agency all-staff meetings, the insideDES intranet, and the weekly internal newsletter (DES News).
• Manages major employee information campaigns.
• Partners and develops relationships with key staff across the agency.
• Ensures content upholds brand standards.
• Partners with Executive Operations, Government Relations, and Finance to create a comprehensive legislative communications plan with key strategies throughout the legislative and budget cycle.
• Partners with leadership and divisions to monitor agency efforts, associated risks, and issues management tied to agency reputation, public policy, budget, and legislative requests.
• Advises on key stakeholder interest and reaction to proposed activities.
• Coaches and advises leadership and spokespeople on effectively communicating and advancing agency priorities.
• Measures and assesses outcomes to adjust strategies, update best practices and guidance, and achieve goals.
• Provides tools and resources to other Communication teams to ensure aligned strategies and messaging.
• Develops and manages complex public information activities.
• Advises staff and topic experts at all levels to develop and deliver communication strategies and materials.
• Assists Government Relations in audience management of authorizers, including the Legislature, Governor's Office, Lieutenant Governor's Office, Office of Financial Management, and authorizing committees.
• Manages audience and issue profiles and anticipates communication needs by audience and risk.
• Manages inventory of vetted materials, including periodic reviews for accuracy and effectiveness.
• Supports Executive Operations and Government Relations in inquiry response and bill implementation.
• Manages legislative report communications strategy.
• Supervises and directs work of the Employee and Executive Communications team.
• Provides daily management, leadership, decision-making, coaching, issue escalation, and resolution for the team.
• Sets and measures team performance standards, connected to division and agency strategic goals.
• Manages and develops employee performance.
• Contributes as a member of the Communications leadership team.
• Contributes to agency and statewide efforts.
• Assesses impacts and provides analysis.
• Informs Communications policy development.
• Provides cross-coverage for leadership absences.

Benefits

• Hybrid work eligible
• State of Washington Employees contribute to ensuring services, programs, workplaces, and interactions are responsive, respectful, accessible, and effective to the people and communities we serve.
• Washington State Enterprise Leadership Competencies are expected to be modeled and championed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager