Chief Communications & Crisis Leadership

WV Department of Human Services; West Virginia; On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

State retirement plan

Paid leave & holidays

Job summary

WV Department of Human Services seeks a Director of Communications to lead public information, crisis management, and media activities for statewide government audiences. You will oversee a team of public information officers and collaborate with the Governor's Office, Legislature, and key stakeholders to ensure transparent, accurate messaging.

This executive role requires strong policy fluency, crisis response experience, and a track record of managing complex communications in the public

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or related field.
• Extensive public sector PR & media experience in complex environments.
• Proven crisis management and rapid-response planning.
• Legislative and policy fluency; translate policy for public narratives.
• Leadership experience supervising communications staff and government relationships.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office; ADA and disclosure knowledge.
• Emergency operations experience with public information oversight.

Responsibilities

• Executive Collaboration: partner with Governor's Office, Secretary, Legislature, and stakeholders to align public engagement with goals.
• Crisis & Media Command: lead rapid-response planning; author statements; direct press logistics for sessions and briefings.
• Campaigns & Digital Ecosystems: oversee multi-channel strategies and large-scale public education campaigns.
• Compliance: ensure accessibility standards, multilingual translation, and public disclosure laws.
• On-Site Operational Leadership: direct agency press conferences and emergency operations.

Skills

Public sector PR

Crisis management

Leadership

Policy fluency

Stakeholder mgmt

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Accessible communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Content management systems

Job description

WV Department of Human Services seeks a Director of Communications to lead public information, crisis management, and media activities for statewide government audiences. You will oversee a team of public information officers and collaborate with the Governor's Office, Legislature, and key stakeholders to ensure transparent, accurate messaging.

This executive role requires strong policy fluency, crisis response experience, and a track record of managing complex communications in the public