Press Secretary

City of New York • New York City, NY

15h • Onsite

About The Position

The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is a nonpartisan, independent city agency dedicated to making local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by empowering New Yorkers to participate more meaningfully in their elections. The Public Affairs division, specifically the Public Relations team, is responsible for messaging, strategy, and communications, including overseeing the citywide Debates program and Board meetings. The Press Secretary, reporting to the Director of Public Relations, will be the lead spokesperson for the CFB, working closely with journalists to facilitate coverage of the city’s public financing program and its impact on local elections. This role involves designing, developing, and implementing earned media strategies to enhance understanding of the matching funds program and amplify information about local elections. The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of NYC politics and its media landscape, strong relationship-building skills, political acumen, and experience in fast-paced, mission-driven environments. They will be comfortable with on-camera interviews and adept at preparing other spokespeople. The Press Secretary will also supervise the Assistant Press Secretary, focusing on community and ethnic media strategies to reach harder-to-reach audiences.

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.
• 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.

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

What This Job Offers

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