Communications Manager - Public Relations

About the role

The Communications Manager-Public Relations leads the Office of Strategic Communications’ efforts to foster an informed, engaged, and connected community through transparent, accessible, and consistent communication. The manager is the chief architect of the division's external messaging, visual identity, and storytelling in a multimedia environment. As a member of the Division Leadership team, the manager collaborates with elected officials, department staff, school administrators, and school staff to ensure consistent and equitable messaging to all students, families, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Leads the Office’s efforts to engage students, families, and community partners, including regular communication with school administration and division leadership to ensure consistency of messaging and brand identity across the division;
• Led graphic design efforts for the division, creating visually engaging assets (flyers, infographics, digital banners, and reports) that align with the district’s brand identity and public relations goals;
• Actively supports the implementation of Albemarle County Public Schools’ strategic plan;
• Develops and executes proactive, content-driven public relations campaigns to highlight the division's strategic initiatives, School Board actions, and student and staff achievements;
• Supervises, mentors, and evaluates communications staff and student interns in the execution of public relations strategies;
• manages workflow, design queues, and project delegation within the department;
• Partners with School Board, Division leadership, and School staff to create strategic communication solutions for the diverse and complex needs of schools, educators, and students;
• Develops multimedia content for the Albemarle County Public Schools website, ensuring accurate content and adherence to brand standards;
• Writes, edits, and audits web content across departmental and school-specific pages;
• Collaborates with school administration to craft effective communication strategies and messages targeted at students, families, and staff within the school community;
• Maintains communication analytics (website traffic, user behavior) and uses data to optimize the division’s digital public relations strategy;
• Manages the division's social media platforms, executing a comprehensive content calendar that drives community engagement and promotes division news;
• Supports school administrators in establishing and managing school-based social media sites;
• Owns the strategy, design, and distribution of all division-wide external email communications and newsletters, ensuring high open rates and mobile-friendly layouts;
• Manages contracts and relationships with external vendors related to printing, mass communication tools, and graphic design tools;
• Collaborates with the Chief Communications Officer and division leadership to develop and implement comprehensive, data-driven communication plans;
• Collaborates with school administrators and teachers to promote consistent messaging that engages students and families across the division;
• Assists in the rapid deployment of crisis communications, formatting and distributing weather-related closures, safety incidents, and community alerts across email, web, and social media channels;
• Serves as an active member of the leadership team for the Division administration;
• Engages in ongoing professional growth and self-directed learning to acquire contemporary knowledge and maintain skills necessary to effectively impact the communication strategies of teachers, administrators, division leadership, and elected officials;
• Manages the Department’s efforts to advance the Division’s strategic plan objectives to engage our school community through effective communications and community engagement strategies;
• Provides leadership for teachers and staff in the creation and dissemination of effective, equitable, and inclusive multimedia communication strategies;
• Supports all departments and schools throughout the Division in collaboration through content creation, graphic design, and strategic communication planning;
• Leads or supports committees and project teams responsible for public relations, marketing, and outreach to advance ACPS initiatives, professional development, and educational offerings;
• Evaluates communication practices and provides support to ensure teachers, staff, and division leadership are engaging communities consistent with the goals set forth in the Division’s strategic plan;
• Keeps informed on emerging technologies, developments, and best practices in the fields of public relations, community engagement, graphic design, and multimedia production;
• Represents the Office of Communication and Albemarle Count Public Schools at regional or national conferences;
• Develops and implements a comprehensive strategic multimedia communication plan to support school division efforts in fulfilling the strategic plan's mission, vision, values, and goals;
• Utilizes communication technologies to increase visibility and engagement between ACPS and the communities it serves;
• Monitors external communication channels to ensure that division leadership engages in dialogue with the community on issues related to the school division;
• Reviews school division web content and directs school principals and content managers on strategies and requirements to improve content;
• Directs school-based Web Content Coordinators through the Academic Leadership Compensation Program (ALCP) and department-based web content managers to ensure that school and department websites are current and in alignment with Division standards and requirements;
• Coordinates and leads external communication projects with other departments and divisions;
• Represents the department as delegated on matters involving external communication and public relations best practices;
• Manages creation, curation, and archival of graphic, photographic, and video content to enhance published information;
• Creates and manages several recurring communication publications;
• Manges Division brand standards and consistent implementation across the school division;
• Assists with redacting information requested through FOIA;
• Drafts news articles and media alerts to create awareness of ACPS events and information;
• Works directly with members of the Cabinet and the School Board to develop presentations and other communications to strengthen public engagement;
• Performs related duties as required.

Qualifications

• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree preferably in Communications, Public Relations, Graphic Design, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of five years’ experience of a responsible nature in public relations, digital marketing, or corporate communications with a strong portfolio demonstrating graphic design and AP Style writing.
• Must include at least two years in a supervisory or project management capacity.
• Experience in K-12 public education, local government, or non-profit sector is preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with absolute mastery of Associated Press (AP) Style and proofreading.
• Strong graphic design skills and high proficiency in design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite) and multimedia content creation.
• Deep understanding of website content management.
• Expertise in managing mass email communications, digital newsletters, and social media management platforms (e.g., Hootsuite, Sprout Social).
• Ability to translate complex educational policies or division initiatives into clear, accessible, and visually appealing content for the general public.
• Strong project management capabilities, including the ability to prioritize concurrent projects, manage a project budget, and meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure, particularly during crisis situations, while maintaining professional composure.

Pay

Competitive pay and benefits, including health & dental coverage, retirement, flexible spending accounts, paid time off, wellness program, employee care clinics, discounts on gym memberships, and more!

Schedule

Full-time position.