Press Secretary

City of New York • New York, NY

2d • $80,001 - $100,000

About The Position

The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is a nonpartisan, independent city agency dedicated to making local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable. The Public Affairs division, within which this role sits, focuses on engaging New Yorkers, informing them about elections, and boosting their participation in the democratic process. The Public Relations team leads messaging and strategy for internal and external communications, oversees the citywide Debates program, and manages Board meetings and other events. The Press Secretary, reporting to the Director of Public Relations, will be the CFB's lead spokesperson, responsible for executing the agency's media relations strategy. This role involves working closely with journalists to facilitate coverage of the city’s public financing program and its impact on local elections, designing and implementing earned media strategies to strengthen understanding of the matching funds program, and amplifying important information about local elections. The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of NYC politics and the local political media landscape, strong relationship-building skills, honed political instincts, professional judgment, and experience in fast-paced, mission-driven communications. They will be comfortable appearing on-camera and in other on-the-record media interviews, and adept at preparing other spokespeople for their media appearances and public speaking engagements. This position plays a key role in advancing the CFB’s strategic goals to increase New Yorker participation in local democracy. The Press Secretary will also supervise the Assistant Press Secretary.

Requirements

• Knowledge and understanding of federal, state, and city campaign finance laws and compliance.
• Knowledge of best practices for media relations in politics and government
• Knowledge of professional strategic communications
• Knowledge of New York City government
• Knowledge of politics at the national, state, and local level
• Knowledge of campaign finance and voting rights
• Knowledge of NYC’s boroughs, neighborhoods and communities
• Knowledge of principles of nonpartisanship
• Effective communication skills to interact with internal partners, external partners, and the public.
• Skill of writing clearly and concisely, journalistically and/or in an organization’s voice
• Skill of public speaking, speaking in soundbites, and giving interviews
• Skill of translating complex topics into plain language
• Skill of staff supervision, delivering feedback and managing staff performance
• Skill of creating written materials targeted at specific audiences
• Skill of time management, project management and delegation
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team on agency projects.
• Ability to learn and understand complex political, legal, administrative, and technical systems
• Ability to teach others to navigate government processes, explain complex programs, and use online tools
• Ability to think creatively about media relations and storytelling
• Ability to think strategically, both internally and externally
• Ability to plan and execute a media relations campaign
• Ability to communicate key messages to a range of diverse audiences
• Ability to build positive, productive relationships with colleagues and journalists
• Ability to collaborate effectively and mobilize staff across functions at all levels within the agency
• Ability to mentor staff and manage up
• Accountability and being able to adapt to change and easily consider new approaches.
• High level of emotional intelligence
• Capacity to respond well to unexpected events and rapid-response moments
• Demonstrates a creative approach to achieving goals and problem-solving
• Demonstrates empathy for people across lines of difference
• Demonstrates accountability in achieving results
• Works well with different skill sets and styles
• Works independently and creatively to advance goals and mission
• Demonstrates curiosity in their work
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by at least twelve-semester credits (or the equivalent of twelve-semester credits) in accounting, auditing, business or public administration, computer science, economics, finance, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related area of study and one year of satisfactory full-time experience in accounting, auditing (including compliance or investigative auditing), business or public administration, business analysis, computer science, database administration, economics, finance, fiscal or economic management or research, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related field; or
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five years of experience as described in “1” above; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above.

Nice To Haves

• 4-6 years’ experience working in politics, advocacy, or government workplaces with core communications responsibilities
• Demonstrated relationships with NYC reporters, particularly reporters on the City Hall or politics beats
• Experience managing direct reports

Responsibilities

• Oversee media relations strategy and tactics including drafting messaging and talking points, compiling and sending press releases and advisories, participating in on-the-record and background interviews
• Develop strong relationships with reporters and secure coverage to ensure New Yorkers are well informed about local elections, the city matching funds program, and the spectrum of civic engagement in NYC
• Serve as primary on-record spokesperson for the agency
• Respond to all media inquiries
• Develop comprehensive knowledge of the campaign finance program and ensure media coverage of the agency is nuanced and accurate
• Prepare the Executive Director and other spokespeople for public appearances and media interviews
• Represent the Campaign Finance Board in the press, on social media, at public meetings, at conferences and convenings
• Manage the Assistant Press Secretary

Benefits

• The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree