Deputy Chief, Communications

District of Columbia Public Schools; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

District of Columbia Public Schools is seeking a Deputy Chief of Communications to lead the Office of External Affairs. You will transform district priorities into engaging campaigns, oversee branding, content, social media, newsletters, and multimedia storytelling, and guide a dynamic team focused on transparency and community engagement.

The role demands strong leadership, strategic thinking, and a track record in delivering data-informed communications across diverse audiences, including

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and eight to twelve years of related work experience.
• Master's degree strongly preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Proven interpersonal skills and leadership experience in managing and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Translates district priorities into data-informed communications campaigns that drive awareness, engagement, and action from external stakeholders.
• Advises program and senior leadership on message development, issue positioning, and public-facing initiatives.
• Directs the creation and deployment of campaigns to support major district priorities—ensuring content is accurate, accessible, and reflective of DCPS’s diversity.
• Leads districtwide editorial calendar planning for timely campaigns around national recognition days and district milestones.
• Designs and manages districtwide communication systems and workflows for clear, timely messaging across channels.
• Monitors the efficacy of campaigns with digital analytics and stakeholder feedback.
• Supervises and develops a high-performing communications team.
• Oversees all digital and strategic communications across websites, social media, newsletters, and media relations.

Skills

Strategic communications

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree strongly preferred

Job description

The mission of the Office of External Affairs (OEA) istoimprove outcomes for every student in DCPS by fostering strong connections between and among schools, families, the greater DC community, and other stakeholders. Through effective communication, meaningful family and community engagement, and collaborative partnerships, we shine a light on the inspiring stories of the students and schools within DCPS and work to ensure our district is an inclusive environment in which all voices are heard.

All our work is designed to accelerate student success by:

• Building and sustaining relationships between and among DCPS, families, communities, and partners that increase trust;
• Increasing transparency and access to information, resources, and DCPS leadership and staff;
• Building capacity in schools and Central Services to enhance communication and engagement with staff,familiesand communities to improve student outcomes; and
• Ensuring DCPS’s stakeholders are well-informed about our priorities and our successes and have context about our challenges.

OEA Divisions/Teams

Strategic Communications:

• Builds and executes communicationssystemsto ensure clear and informative messaging to stakeholders.
• Supports district-wide branding and marketing through photography, videography, graphic design, social media and newsletter engagement, website management, and more.
• Works cross-functionally to transform district initiatives into effective communications campaigns.

Operations Communications:

• Develops and leads overall school-based or district-level incident response communications strategy in response to facilities, weather, climate, health, and personnel matters.
• Identifieskey waysto provide context for incidents andreverse existing narratives about DCPS.
• Works acrossCentralServices to manage crisis communications, often outside of the school day.

Press:

• Manages reactive and proactive engagement with local and national media stories to share the stories ofDCPS’s students, staff, and schools.
• Developsmedia outreach strategies, including press events, to support city-wide and district goals.
• Supports crisis communications work by ensuring media are accurately reporting ondevelopments.
• Ensure that key messaging, talking points, and other media materials align with priorities and guidelines set by the ExecutiveOfficeofthe Mayor.

Family and Community Engagement:

• Aims to build the capacity of Central Services, school administrators, and educators to partner with families to drive student success.
• Listens to and engages our families and community at the district and school level to build trust, using stakeholder feedback to inform the work of DCPS.
• Directly supports schools in their parent and community engagement efforts, including with Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) and parent teacher organizations (PTOs).

Partnerships:

• Serves as the district’s central team foridentifyingand managing strategic partnerships that promote student achievement,buildschool capacity, and advance district priorities.
• Enhances the capacity of Central Services, school administrators, and teachers to maximize the impact of partnerships on key organizational goals.
• Develops andmaintainssystemsand policies that ensure school-based and district-level partnerships are high-quality, compliant, and aligned withthe strategic priorityto ensure students feel connected to their schools.

The Deputy Chief of Communications leads the development and execution of strategic and digital communications across DCPS. As the strategic communications lead for the district, this role manages a dynamic team responsible for branding, content creation, social media, websites, newsletters, and multimedia storytelling. The Deputy Chief transforms district priorities into compelling campaigns that engage and inform families, staff, and the broader community through clear, consistent, data-driven messaging aligned with DCPS’s mission. This role is instrumental in building public trust, promoting key initiatives, and enhancing visibility of the district’s work and that of its 117 schools.

This position has been designated as Safety Sensitive. Pursuant to section 410 of Chapter 4 of the D.C. Personnel Regulations; in addition to the general suitability screening, individuals applying for or occupying safety sensitive positions are subject to the following checks and tests: Criminal background check; Sex Offender Registry check; Pre-employment drug and alcohol test; Traffic record check (as applicable); Reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol test; and Post-accident or incident drug and alcohol test.

If you are hired into this position at an annual salary of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or more, DC government regulations require that you must establish residency in the District of Columbia within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective date of the appointment and continue to maintain residency within the District of Columbia throughout the duration of the appointment.

The Deputy Chief, Communications will report to the Chief, External Affairs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Serves as a key cross-functional leader, translating district priorities and initiatives into compelling, data-informed communications campaigns that drive awareness, engagement, and action from external stakeholders.
• Acts as an advisor to program and senior leadership, providing strategic guidance for message development, issue positioning, and public-facing initiatives.
• Directs the creation and deployment of communications campaigns to support major district priorities such as enrollment, attendance, academic success, and student well-being—ensuring content is accurate, accessible, responsive, and reflective of DCPS’s diversity.
• Leads the planning and execution of a districtwide, centralized editorial calendar to ensure coordinated, timely communications campaigns around national recognition days, awareness months, and district milestones and priorities.
• Designs and manages districtwide communication systems and approval workflows to ensure clear, timely, and consistent messaging from high-priority program areas within Central Services across all channels, including social media, websites, email campaigns, print, and video.
• Develops and monitors the efficacy of communications campaigns, reporting out on digital media analytics, stakeholder feedback, and performance metrics.
• Supervises and manages a high-performing communications team; setting clear goals, coaching for results, and building team capacity to deliver high-quality, timely content.
• Oversees and directs all aspects of the district’s digital and strategic communications, including photography, videography, graphic design, social media, newsletters, email marketing, and website presence, ensuring alignment with the district’s voice, tone, and strategic priorities.
• Ensures all DCPS digital content across websites and social media accounts—including Central Services program areas and individual schools—reflect the district’s branding, messaging, accessibility, and engagement standards.
• Serves as a senior member of the Office of External Affairs, staying abreast of best practices and emerging tools in communications, digital media, and SEO/SEM, bringing innovation and insight to DCPS’s communication efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and eight to twelve years of related work experience.
• Master's degree strongly preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Strong track record of translating programs and initiatives into compelling communications campaigns.
• Proven interpersonal skills and leadership experience in managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent project management and ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Superb written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information concisely to multiple stakeholders.
• Flexibility to staff occasional events on weeknights and weekends.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive, accessible workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals with disabilities. Accommodation and/or application assistance is available upon request at all stages of the application and employment process. To request accommodation, please contact [e-mail].