Chief of Staff, Office of Communications - 24954

Position Summary: The New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is dedicated to creating a supporting partnership among schools, families, and the community and fostering genuine and impactful family and community empowerment. To achieve these commitments, the Office of Communications is dedicated to getting out important news, critical information, and compelling stories of the NYCPS families, students, educators, staff and all New Yorkers. The Office of Communications uses multiple media platforms to keep audiences informed and inspired by developing trusted resources and deploying them in a compelling, consistent and approachable way. Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the Chief of Staff will provide leadership, strategic coordination, and oversight for the communications, marketing, digital, and media relations functions for NYCPS. The Chief of Staff will work with key internal and external partners to accomplish the agency’s strategic goals. The Chief of Staff is responsible for working cross-functionally with other NYCPS leadership to advance the priorities of the Chancellor and Mayor’s Office. Performs related work.

Reports to: Chief of Communications

Direct Reports: N/A

Key Relationships: Provides counsel as a senior advisor to the Chief Communications Officer, supports oversight of the rest of the leadership team, works closely with all members of the Office of Communications, and serves as a point of contact for Senior Leadership throughout NYCPS.

Responsibilities

Organizational Development and Project Management

• Advises and supports teams across the Office of Communications in overall project management, with a focus on key citywide priorities and areas of cross-team and cross-divisional collaboration.
• Manages cross-functional relationships within the office and agency-wide; works closely across teams to ensure seamless coordination.
• Supports with the development of policies, protocols, and performance indicators that advance a human-centered culture based on data-driven decision-making.
• Fosters creative problem-solving that leads to innovative methods and bold ideas.
• Attends meetings, events, hearings, etc. on behalf of the Chief Communications Officer and addresses issues related to partnerships, communications, and other services within the divisions.
• Serves as a key cabinet member and senior adviser to the Chief Communications Officer and works closely with the rest of the leadership team to develop and implement plans, policies, and procedures.
• Assists the Chief Communications Officer in setting goals and objectives for the various reporting organizations.
• Develops and oversees project timelines, milestones, and deliverables; gathers and aggregates project updates for review and approval by the Chief Communications Officer.
• Manages a variety of special projects; evaluates results and presents recommendations to the Chief Communications Officer.
• Works with leadership to prioritize speaking engagements and meetings; coordinates relevant deliverables and key outputs.
• Oversees escalations related to the Office; partners with appropriate stakeholders to expedite resolution.

Strategic Planning

• Provides counsel, and support on a broad range of strategic, managerial, logistical, and administrative areas.
• Supports with determining big-picture implementation strategies and corresponding operating strategies; establishes clear workflow and escalation processes.
• Identifies best practices and streamlines internal systems to optimize operational efficiencies across the team.
• Develops protocols and documentation to facilitate all aspects of communications, including alignment and efficient collaboration among the communications, marketing, and press teams.
• Ensures transparency around team strategy, goals, and workflow.
• Leads critical strategic initiatives and manages special functions and activities.

Research and Design

• Leads and guides the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and research, and makes recommendations for policy decisions that drive the team’s work.
• Compiles and analyzes quantitative and qualitative information in relation to strategic priorities and emerging issues.
• Oversees design and development for high-level stakeholder engagement plans.
• Liaises with key partners across the agency to develop a coordinated and cohesive infrastructure for information sharing and strategic planning that supports the agency’s overall communications goals.
• Creates documents that effectively communicate key projects and plans to various audiences.

Qualification Requirements

Minimum

• A master's degree from an accredited college in economics, finance, accounting, business or public administration, human resources management, management science, operations research, organizational behavior, industrial psychology, statistics, personnel administration, labor relations, psychology, sociology, human resources development, political science, urban studies, or a closely related field, or a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and two years of satisfactory full-time professional experience, for educational program(s) and/or institution(s) in one or a combination of the following: working with the budget of a large public or private concern in budget administration, accounting economic or financial administration, fiscal or economic research; management or methods analysis, operations research, organizational research or program evaluation; educational, personnel or public administration, recruitment, position classification, personnel relations, labor relations, employee benefits, staff development, employment program planning/administration, labor market research, economic planning, fiscal management, or a related area, 18 months of this experience must have been in an executive, managerial, administrative, consultative or supervisory capacity. Supervision must have included supervising staff performing professional work in the areas described above; or
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "1" above, including the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, consultative or supervisory experience described in "1" above; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to “1”, or “2” above. Graduate education in areas other than those mentioned above, may be substituted for the professional experience, but not for the 18 months of managerial experience described in “1” above, at the rate of 15 graduate semester credits from an accredited college or university for 6 months up to a maximum of 1 year of professional experience. However, all candidates must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and 18 months executive, managerial, administrative, consultative or supervisory experience, as described in “1” above.

Plus

A minimum of ten (10) years of consultative, managerial, or executive capacity experience in a large public or private organization.

Preferred

• Ability to think strategically, mobilize disparate groups of people toward a common and ambitious goal, manage horizontally, and translate insights into action.
• Excellent communication skills, including writing, editing, and public speaking.
• Strong project management skills with experience leading significant cross-functional initiatives in diverse and complex settings.
• Experience supporting NYCPS organizational change and strong understanding of relevant NYCPS systems and structures.
• Creative problem-solver with the ability to perform independent, thoughtful analysis on important educational issues.
• Flexible and optimistic approach; committed to overcoming obstacles.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at once, work under pressure, and meet frequent and changing deadlines.
• Strong strategic thinking skills and attention to detail; ability to proactively identify key issues and risks.
• Strong customer service skills; ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues and constituents.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and good sense of humor.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint and Excel.

Salary: $165,000 - $175,000

(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not earn less than their current salary.)

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application.

NOTE: The filling of all positions is subject to budget availability and/or grant funding.

• New York City Residency is NOT Required *

We encourage all applicants from the New York City tri-state area to apply.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DOE Non-Discrimination Policy
The Department of Education of the City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's actual or perceived sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or pregnancy. For more information, please refer to the DOE Non-Discrimination Policy.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at .