Supervisor, Internal Communications

Job Overview

The Supervisor, Internal Communications leads division‑wide internal and organizational communications and serves as a strategic communications advisor to division leadership and schools. The role develops and coordinates executive messaging, employee communications, school communications, school incident communications, information governance, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) coordination to support clear, consistent, and timely communication across LCPS. This position works across departments and schools to translate complex initiatives and operational information into clear communications for employees, families, and leadership. The Supervisor provides communications support during school incidents, coordinates family and staff notifications and leadership messaging, and partners closely with Public Affairs when an incident also requires media or broader public communications.

Reports to: Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer

Responsibilities

• Leads division‑wide internal communications strategy and develops communications plans aligned with the LCPS Strategic Plan and organizational priorities.
• Provides strategic communications counsel and executive messaging support to the Superintendent, Cabinet, School Board, and senior leadership on organizational priorities, emerging issues, and high‑profile initiatives.
• Leads executive writing and organizational messaging, including Superintendent, Cabinet, School Board, and employee communications.
• Oversees school communications and school incident communications, including family and staff notifications, leadership messaging, and School Board notifications.
• Develops and maintains school incident communications protocols, templates, and processes to support timely, accurate, and coordinated communication during operational incidents.
• Coordinates FOIA administration and response processes, including internal records coordination, timelines, cross‑department collaboration, and consultation with Legal and other appropriate offices.
• Leads communications governance, policies, standards, and internal communications systems to improve consistency, quality, and operational effectiveness.
• Partners with Public Affairs to ensure alignment between internal and school communications and media or broader public communications when issues or incidents have both internal and external dimensions.
• Supervises, mentors, develops, and evaluates assigned communications staff and establishes performance expectations that support collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Uses audience insights, engagement data, and communications metrics to evaluate effectiveness and inform improvements to internal communications.
• Helps develop, implement, and continuously evaluate a comprehensive, division‑wide strategic communications plan aligned with the LCPS Strategic Plan and organizational priorities.
• Leads integrated enterprise‑wide communications campaigns that influence understanding, engagement, trust, and coordinated use of earned, owned, shared, and paid media.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field.
• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, internal communications, public relations, journalism, public information, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of experience leading projects, teams, or complex cross‑functional communications initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership and developing communications for employees, families, governing boards, or other organizational stakeholders.
• Experience managing sensitive, time‑critical, or incident‑related communications in a complex organization.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of internal communications, strategic communications, executive communications, issues management, and organizational messaging.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and executive communication skills with strong knowledge of AP Style.
• Ability to translate complex operational, policy, and organizational information into clear communications for diverse audiences.
• Strong judgment and decision‑making skills, including the ability to manage sensitive information and competing priorities in high‑pressure situations.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with executive leaders, School Board members, principals, employees, and cross‑functional partners.
• Working knowledge of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), FERPA, and communications‑related legal and privacy considerations.
• Ability to lead collaborative work across departments and schools and establish effective communications processes and standards.
• Experience using data, research, and analytics to evaluate communications effectiveness and guide strategy.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly talking, expressing, or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. The employee must possess normal cognitive abilities, including the ability to learn, recall, and apply certain practices and policies. Work requires frequently sitting and/or remaining in a stationary position for long periods of time; exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and negligible amounts of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Pay

Salary Range: $120,700 – $194,156 (Universal/Scale B.3 – Level 21). See the salary scale: https://www.lcps.org/compensation

Schedule

12 months per year, 254 days per year, 8 hours per day. FLSA Status: Exempt.