Assistant to the Town Manager

Town of Windsor, CT; Windsor (CT); On-site; USD 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and life insurance

Disability insurance

Paid holidays, vacation, personal days

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

The Town of Windsor is seeking an Assistant to the Town Manager to lead community engagement, communications, and special projects, overseeing the public relations function. The role supervises two full-time communications staff and partners with town leadership to inform residents and stakeholders.

Ideal candidates bring strong written and verbal communication skills, experience in municipal government, and proficiency with MS Office, Canva, Adobe Photoshop, CMS, and social media tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public administration, business management, or related field.
• Two years of municipal government experience, or equivalent combination.
• Experience with media relations and public engagement preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead community outreach, engagement, and communications strategies.
• Develop social media goals, objectives, and monitoring of activity.
• Create and edit video and digital content for Town channels.
• Maintain accuracy and accessibility of the Town website.
• Develop press releases, newsletters, speeches, and public notices.
• Provide media relations support and respond to inquiries.
• Support communications during emergencies and crises.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for leadership.
• Present information to staff, boards, and the public.
• Coordinate meetings and participate in community events.

Skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Research & analysis

Crisis communications

MS Office

Canva

Adobe Photoshop

Social media management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications, public administration, business management, or related field

Two years municipal government experience

Tools

MS Office

Canva

Adobe Photoshop

Social media platforms

CMS (website content management systems)

AI platforms

Job description

The Town of Windsor is seeking a collaborative, experienced, and highly motivated professional to join our team as the Assistant to the Town Manager, with a primary focus on community engagement, communications. This full-time position is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about local government, community engagement, and effective public communication. If you are someone who enjoys working with a wide variety of stakeholders, managing multiple projects, and developing creative communications, we invite you to apply. We are looking for a motivated, team-oriented professional who takes pride in high-quality outcomes, demonstrates sound judgment, and is committed to exceptional public service. We cannot wait to meet you!

Our Community:

A community of 29,500 residents Windsor is a diverse and welcoming community. Settled in 1633, Windsor sits at the confluence of the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers and is located just north of Hartford, CT, the State’s capital city. In addition to being in close proximity to a wide range of cultural and historic attractions Windsor is an important regional employment center in New England’s Knowledge Corridor; it is located on I-91 and adjoins Bradley International Airport. The town is also served by public transit and commuter rail. Key industries include insurance and financial services, precision manufacturing, regional distribution, data management, and hospitality. With a job base of 26,000, windsor ranks fourth among Hartford area communities in total non-retail employment. Major private employers include VOYA, Amazon, SCA Pharmaceuticals, Eversource, CIGNA, Walgreens, and SS&C.

The Position:

As an Assistant to the Town Manager, this position performs high-level administrative, technical, and professional work, with a particular focus on community engagement, communications, and special projects while overseeing the public relations department. This position supervises two full-time communications employees.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the development and implementation of community outreach, engagement, and communications strategies
• Developing and managing social media goals, objectives, and strategies and monitoring departmental social media activity
• Creating and editing video and digital content for the Town website, social media, press, and other communications
• Monitoring the Town website to ensure information is accurate, current, and accessible
• Developing press releases, media alerts, newsletters, presentations, speeches, public notices, and other informational materials
• Maintaining media contacts and assisting with responses to media inquiries
• Providing communications support during emergencies, crises, severe weather, and other critical situations
• Conducting research and analysis and preparing reports, recommendations, presentations, and other materials for the Town Manager, Town Council, boards, commissions, staff, and the public
• Presenting information to Town staff, Town Council, boards and commissions, civic organizations, community groups, and the general public
• Responding to public inquiries and providing professional, responsive customer service
• Participating in meetings, committees, community events, and other activities as assigned

Our Ideal Candidate Will:

• Be a collaborative, organized, and innovative professional with strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate complex information clearly to a variety of audiences
• Demonstrate strong research, analytical, organizational, and problem‑solving skills
• Have an understanding of municipal government, public administration, community engagement, media relations, and crisis communications
• Be comfortable working with elected officials, department leaders, employees, community organizations, the media, and the general public
• Be able to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
• Demonstrate the ability to build effective working relationships and work collaboratively across departments
• Have the ability to coordinate, train, and provide leadership to assigned staff
• Be innovative and receptive to new ideas and technologies that improve Town services and communications
• Be knowledgeable and skilled in the use of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook), Canva, Adobe Photoshop, social media platforms, website content management systems and various AI platforms.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public administration, business management, or a related field and two (2) years of responsible municipal government experience; OR
• Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Salary and Benefits:

The starting salary range for this position is $95,000 to $110,000 depending on qualifications and experience.

Town employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical, dental, and life insurance
• Short and long‑term disability insurance
• Paid holidays, vacation, personal days and sick leave
• Opportunities for professional development

The Town of Windsor is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of the workforce. EOE/AA.