Senior Director, Communications

City of Savannah•Savannah, GA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Shape the Voice, Reputation, Performance and Story of One of America’s Most Distinctive Cities. The City of Savannah is seeking an exceptional communications executive to lead how our organization communicates with residents, employees, community partners, the media and audiences across the country. The Senior Director of Communications is a member of the City Manager’s executive team and serves as one of the City’s principal advisors on communications, public engagement, media relations, reputation, brand and crisis communications. This is an opportunity to do more than lead a communications department. It is an opportunity to shape how people understand their city government, strengthen public trust, tell Savannah’s story and help position one of America’s most recognized cities for its next chapter. We are looking for a strategic leader, exceptional communicator and trusted advisor who understands that great public-sector communication is not simply about sharing information—it is about connecting people to their government and helping an organization communicate with clarity, credibility and purpose. The City of Savannah offers a competitive executive compensation and benefits package. Savannah is a city with an extraordinary identity, a rich history, a vibrant culture and a growing national and international profile. Communicating effectively in such a dynamic city requires a leader who can see the big picture while responding confidently to the issues of the day. The Senior Director of Communications will lead the development and implementation of the City’s comprehensive communications strategy and oversee the Communications & Marketing Department. Working closely with the City Manager, Mayor and City Council, executive leadership and departments throughout the organization, the Senior Director will help ensure that the City communicates proactively, consistently and effectively. The Senior Director will serve as a trusted strategic advisor, helping City leadership anticipate communications opportunities and challenges, navigate complex and sensitive issues and translate City priorities into messages that are clear, accessible and meaningful to the public. The position will also serve as a leading voice for the organization—building productive relationships with the media, community leaders and other stakeholders and helping strengthen Savannah’s reputation locally, regionally and nationally.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, public administration or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive-level experience.
Six (6) years of progressively responsible communications experience, including significant leadership experience directing a communications function, multidisciplinary team or communications operation within a complex organization.
Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license with an acceptable driving history.
Demonstrated experience in strategic communications, media relations, crisis communications, executive counsel, digital communications and public engagement is required.
Experience in local government, public-sector communications or another complex, highly visible organization is strongly preferred.
Exceptional strategic judgment and the ability to advise executives and elected officials in complex, politically sensitive and high-visibility situations.
Demonstrated political and organizational acumen, with the ability to maintain accurate, professional, transparent and nonpartisan government communications.
Advanced knowledge of strategic communications, public relations, media relations, crisis and emergency communications, reputation management and issues management.
Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex government policies, services, data and decisions into clear and understandable public information.
Ability to develop audience-centered communications strategies using research, segmentation, analytics, community feedback and public sentiment information.
Strong understanding of digital communications, social media, web strategy, multimedia production, email and text communications, mass notification systems and emerging communications technologies.
Ability to evaluate and responsibly use artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to improve communications operations while maintaining accuracy, transparency, security and public trust.
Demonstrated ability to lead community engagement and two-way communications strategies that reach diverse audiences through accessible and appropriate channels.
Ability to establish meaningful performance measures and use data to assess reach, engagement, responsiveness, understanding, sentiment, trust and communications effectiveness.
Strong leadership, coaching, organizational development, budgeting, resource management and team-building skills.
Ability to lead effectively during emergencies, rapidly changing circumstances and high-pressure situations while maintaining message discipline and organizational coordination.
Knowledge of accessibility, plain-language and inclusive communications practices appropriate for public-sector organizations.
Ability to build productive relationships with media, community leaders, employees, partner organizations, elected officials and other stakeholders.
Ability to exercise substantial independent judgment, manage competing priorities and operate effectively with limited direct supervision.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a related field and ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead an enterprise-wide strategic communications program aligned with the City’s priorities and organizational goals.
Serve as a member of the City Manager’s executive team and provide strategic communications counsel to the City Manager, Mayor, City Council, Chief Officers and other senior leaders.
Anticipate emerging issues, identify communications opportunities and help leadership determine when, where and how the City should communicate.
Translate complex policies, programs and decisions into clear, understandable and compelling messages for residents and stakeholders.
Ensure communications efforts across the organization are coordinated, timely and aligned with the City’s strategic direction.
Serve as one of Savannah’s chief storytellers and help shape how residents, employees, community partners and external audiences understand the City and its work.
Lead the development and stewardship of the City’s brand, voice and communications standards.
Identify and elevate stories that demonstrate the impact of City services, employees, investments, partnerships and initiatives.
Protect and strengthen the City’s reputation through thoughtful, credible and proactive communications.
Ensure consistency of messaging, tone and brand integrity across communications platforms and departments.
Build and maintain productive professional relationships with local, regional and national media.
Serve as a principal spokesperson for the organization and prepare City leaders and subject-matter experts for media interviews and public appearances.
Lead proactive media strategies that help the City communicate important initiatives, accomplishments and community information.
Develop strong relationships with community leaders, organizations, influencers and stakeholders.
Create communications approaches that reach diverse audiences and strengthen meaningful engagement between residents and their government.
Lead the City’s communications planning and response during emergencies, significant incidents and rapidly evolving issues.
Provide calm, credible and strategic leadership when information is changing quickly and public confidence is especially important.
Coordinate messaging across departments and external partners to ensure information is timely, accurate and consistent.
Develop and maintain the City’s crisis communications plans and ensure the organization is prepared to communicate effectively during hurricanes, flooding, severe weather and other major events or threats.
Advise executive leadership on reputation risk, sensitive issues and communications strategies.
Lead an integrated communications operation across digital, social, video, web, broadcast, print and traditional media platforms.
Oversee the development of news releases, executive communications, public information materials, speeches, newsletters, digital content, events and other communications products.
Provide strategic direction for the City’s Savannah Government Television channel (SGTV), City publications, video programming and web-based communications.
Continually evaluate emerging communications technologies, platforms and practices and identify opportunities to improve how Savannah reaches and engages its audiences.
Establish meaningful measures of communications performance and impact.
Use analytics, audience insights, media monitoring and other data to understand what is working, identify emerging trends and continuously improve communications strategies.
Move beyond simply measuring communications activity to evaluating reach, engagement, effectiveness and outcomes.
Use data to help City leadership understand public information needs and make better communications decisions.
Lead the City’s Communications & Marketing Department and create an environment in which talented professionals can do exceptional work.
Set clear expectations and priorities while encouraging creativity, collaboration, innovation and accountability.
Recruit, develop, coach and retain high-performing communications professionals.
Establish effective systems and workflows that allow the department to respond rapidly to immediate communications needs while maintaining focus on long-term strategic priorities.
Direct departmental planning, budgeting, staffing and professional development.
Build strong relationships across City departments and establish the communications team as a trusted strategic partner throughout the organization.