Associate Director of Public Relations and Communications

Primary Responsibilities

• Partner with the Senior Director to operationalize enterprise communications strategy across institutional initiatives, leadership priorities, and organizational communications efforts.
• Translate high-level communications direction into actionable messaging plans, communications initiatives, and coordinated execution strategies.
• Help ensure organizational messaging remains aligned, consistent, responsive, and strategically integrated across departments and stakeholder groups.
• Crisis Communications and Issues Management Support:
• Support execution of institutional crisis communications strategies and rapid response communications efforts.
• Develop statements, FAQs, talking points, stakeholder messaging, response frameworks, and supporting communications materials.
• Monitor emerging issues, reputational dynamics, and public narrative trends while helping coordinate institutional response efforts.
• Assist in maintaining organizational readiness during periods of heightened visibility or complexity.
• Executive Communications Support:
• Draft, edit, and coordinate communications on behalf of executive leadership.
• Support executive visibility, thought leadership initiatives, speaking engagements, interviews, and stakeholder communications preparation.
• Help ensure executive messaging aligns with enterprise communications strategy and institutional priorities.
• Media Relations and Institutional Storytelling:
• Manage proactive media engagement efforts and support institutional visibility initiatives.
• Develop stories, pitches, messaging opportunities, and communications campaigns that elevate the BSO’s artistry, mission, civic role, educational work, and institutional priorities.
• Cultivate relationships with journalists, media contacts, and external communications partners.
• Support execution of media strategy established by departmental leadership.
• Internal Communications and Cross-functional Coordination:
• Help lead the organization’s internal communications strategy during periods of organizational change, institutional visibility, leadership transition, or reputational sensitivity.
• Partner with Human Resources and executive leadership to develop communications approaches that strengthen employee trust, organizational clarity, alignment, and transparency.
• Support development of internal messaging frameworks that reduce ambiguity, improve communication consistency, and reinforce organizational cohesion during complex institutional moments.
• Coordinate cross-functional communications planning to ensure alignment between internal stakeholder communications and external institutional messaging.
• Help operationalize a more proactive and strategically integrated internal communications capability across the institution.
• Department Leadership and Operational Depth:
• Serve as deputy communications leader and acting departmental lead as needed.
• Help strengthen departmental processes, execution standards, communications workflows, and operational coordination.
• Mentor junior staff, interns, and operational team members while helping build long-term departmental capability.
• Provide additional strategic depth and leadership redundancy within the communications function.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in communications, media relations, executive communications, or public relations.
• Experience supporting complex organizations or high-visibility leaders strongly preferred.
• Crisis communications experience preferred.
• Experience in arts and culture, nonprofit, higher education, media, or mission-driven organizations preferred.
• Exceptional writing and editorial skills.
• Strong strategic judgment and interpersonal maturity.
• Ability to manage sensitive communications with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong media relations and storytelling capability.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous, and high-pressure environments.