Director of Communications and Public Relations (Hybrid)

Responsibilities:

Client Services (60%)

• Oversee the development and implementation of high-quality integrated communications, earned and shared media, and outreach plans with effective short- and long-term strategies to support clients’ objectives and increase campaign visibility. Ensure that all activities complement and support the services being provided by other agency departments.
• Develop strategic communications plans, messaging frameworks, and content that educate, engage, and inspire the intended audiences to take the desired action. Facilitate engagement with and input from clients and stakeholders to align on campaign messaging, and ensure messaging is consistently applied across all communications activities.
• Lead and/or oversee the strategy and execution of earned media for clients, including conducting media outreach and generating earned media; planning media tours, press conferences, and/or launch events; providing media training and interview/presentation coaching, and providing talking points and other materials as needed. 
• Identify and cultivate partnership opportunities with key community-based organizations and like-minded brands to advance client and agency goals. 
• Collaborate on the development of influencer marketing programs that tie in with and maximize the impact of client campaigns. 
• Measure, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of communication initiatives. This includes assessing the value of earned and shared media advertising, conducting sentiment analysis, and evaluating the impact of influencer campaigns.
• Cultivate strong and productive relationships with clients, serving as a reliable advisor with strategic advice on various challenges, including political, regulatory, and organizational issues.
• Stay up to date and push the agency forward with creative and innovative communications and public relations strategies and tactics.

Agency Marketing, Communications, and Business Development (20%)

• Contribute to and support the agency’s external marketing initiatives to promote Civilian’s culture, services, and success stories, including writing feature articles/blog posts, submitting awards, and presenting at conferences. 
• Oversee Civilian’s communications and public relations approach for business development proposals, including contributing to campaign strategy, proposing earned, shared, and owned media approaches, drafting content for proposals and work plans, and providing timelines and budget estimates.
• Help prepare for and participate in business development pitches.

Department Development, Management, and Support (20%)

• Manage an effective and high-performing team. Delegate department assignments; outline expectations of and communicate effectively with team members; leverage the strengths of team members and provide coaching around areas for growth; navigate variances in workload and time requirements for both yourself and your team members.
• Mentor and develop department team members using a collaborative approach based on clearly defined development goals and regular systems for feedback. Provide coaching to assist in each team members’ professional development. Conduct performance reviews, and make merit increase and/or and title change recommendations as appropriate.
• Serve as an ambassador for both the agency and the department. Contribute to a positive, productive, and supportive working environment that lives into the agency’s Core Values. Communicate effectively and proactively with other department heads to address any performance issues and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Supervise high-level subcontractor scopes of work, as needed.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 15 years of experience in strategic communications and public relations within a marketing, advertising, and/or PR agency
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent business experience preferred
• Expert knowledge of and experience developing strategic communications plans and messaging frameworks, ideating and executing high-impact earned media programs, and communicating and building trust with both internal and external stakeholders
• Knowledge of the California media market required
• Experience with the nuances of public sector, government, or CA local, regional, and state politics preferred
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, leadership, supervisory, and organizational skills
• Proven ability to develop and implement communications and public relations plans that achieve specific, measurable results
• Able to develop and tailor communications to effectively connect with diverse audiences; capable of adapting strategies and tactics to respond to client or audience feedback
• Able to manage people and multiple projects with competing priorities
• Sound judgment, self-confidence, and professionalism that equate with a Director-level position
• Self-motivated, proactive, and entrepreneurial; demonstrated ability to work independently
• Strong working knowledge of technology, digital, and social media 
• Agile problem-solver, ability to navigate complex situations and manage ambiguity; excellent attention to detail
• Good listener who includes and engages others and inspires colleagues to their best performance
• Volunteerism, environmental awareness, diversity and inclusion awareness, and a commitment to social justice are all highly preferred candidate traits

CIVILIAN’S CORE VALUES

Civilian expects every employee, regardless of role or responsibility, to uphold its core values. The agency’s core values—and the behaviors that support those core values—are as follows:  

• Seek First to Understand – Communicate with people directly. Listen to other people’s ideas and concerns with genuine curiosity and an open mind. Try to understand where people are coming from and give them the benefit of the doubt. Practice kindness and treat one another with respect.

• Practice We Over Me – Think of the entire agency as your team. Collaborate with, contribute to, and elevate the people around you. Solve problems quickly and constructively and in all things work for the greater good.

• Operate with Integrity – Be trustworthy and reliable. Demonstrate sound judgment. Take responsibility for your actions. Always do the right thing.

• Rise to the Challenge – Greet challenges as opportunities. Work with determination and tenacity to find a way through obstacles (without compromising integrity, boundaries, or protocols). Bring the full breadth of your creativity and ingenuity to the challenge at hand.

• Make Things Better – Every day, make something better for your team, your work, or the world. Embrace steady improvement. Demonstrate passion for the agency’s success and a commitment to producing great work and measurable results.

CIVILIAN’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

Civilian is committed to an ongoing journey in becoming an actively anti-racist, inclusive organization where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and that their diverse experiences, voices, backgrounds, and contributions matter. Through an intentional focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our agency, we harness the unique contributions and lived experiences of our team to create innovative work in response to some of our society’s most pressing challenges.

How We Put This Commitment Into Practice At Civilian:

• We continually aim to create a safe, welcoming, and open environment where all employees and partners feel like they belong, are valued, can bring their whole selves to work, and are key to our agency’s overall success.
• We consistently assess how BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other diverse individuals can thrive in a predominantly white/white privileged industry and organization; and are continually working to create an equitable workplace where each unique employee brings value to the organization’s culture.
• We hire and promote the most qualified individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, parental status, national origin, religion, color, or creed. We only get better when diverse ideas, perspectives, and identities come together, and therefore actively seek out candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, education, experiences, and skills who bring new viewpoints to our agency.

We value the input of all staff in decision-making, policy development, and other day-to-day practices at our agency. 

Location
This position is a hybrid role based in San Diego, California. Remote working options with in-office Wednesdays and biweekly Fridays for collaboration and team building.

Compensation & Benefits
This is a full-time salaried position with a comprehensive benefits package. 

Salary Range: $130,000 – $145,000, depending on experience.

• Tiered medical coverage, with 100% employer-paid after Year 5
•         100% employer-paid Medical Option (coming soon)
•         Company-paid Long Term Disability
•         Company-paid Life Insurance
•         Company-paid Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
•         Company-paid Identify Theft Prevention and Legal Support
•         Dental & Vision
•         Additional Voluntary Benefit:
•   Short Term Disability
•   Additional Life Insurance
•   Hospital
•   Critical Illness
•   Accidental Death & Disability
•   Cancer insurance
•   Pet Insurance
•         Great Work-Life Balance
•         Generous Paid Time Off
•         Work-Anywhere-In-The-World for a month
•         Flexible Working Arrangements
•         Paid Parental Leave (coming soon)
•         Paid Volunteer Time Off
•         Annual Cost of Living Adjustment
•         401(k) Retirement with Employer Match
•         Company-paid Employee Assistance Program
•         Professional Development
•         Educational Assistance
•         On-site company-paid parking or stipend for San Diego office
•         On-site Fitness Center
•         Dog-friendly San Diego office space
•         Happy Hours and Company events
•         Monthly Cell Phone Reimbursements

Let’s Get to Know Each Other
Are you the one? Are we the one? If this sounds like a fit, let’s talk more. Please email careers@civilian.com to tell us why we absolutely, positively need you on our team. Don’t forget to attach your resume. And check out https://civilian.com/careers/ and our Glassdoor reviews for more information on how talented, smart, and delightful we are.