DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR PRESS & PUBLIC INFORMATION

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York is seeking an experienced Deputy Commissioner of Public Information & Media Relations to lead the agency’s press operations and digital strategy. You will direct rapid-response activities, manage a multi-disciplinary team, and shape public messaging across HRA, DHS, and DSS.

The role requires a data-driven storyteller with a strong track record in crisis PR, brand management, and inclusive communications for a diverse city audience. Position is full-time and NYC-based.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and five (5) years of full-time relevant experience in public relations or related field.
• Education and/or experience equivalent to above is acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Oversee editorial and creative direction for all public-facing materials and rapid-response press operations.
• Direct media relations, press releases, advisories, briefings, and crisis communication.
• Provide executive leadership and performance management for a multidisciplinary team.
• Champion the agency’s digital ecosystem and data-driven audience engagement.
• Ensure content meets privacy, accessibility, and inclusive design standards.
• Lead branding and marketing campaigns to raise awareness of services.

Skills

Media relations

Crisis PR

Ethical profiling

Analytics literacy

Strategic agility

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications/public relations/journalism or related field

Tools

Media monitoring software

Web analytics

Job description

The Department of Social Services (DSS) is comprised of the administrative units of the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). HRA is dedicated to fighting poverty and income inequality by providing New Yorkers in need with essential benefits such as Food Assistance and Emergency Rental Assistance. DHS is committed to preventing and addressing homelessness in New York City by employing a variety of innovative strategies to help families and individuals successfully exit shelter and return to self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.

Operating under the highest level of executive leadership, the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information & Media Relations acts as the Chief Press Officer, Brand Architect, and strategist for the agency’s public narrative. This pivotal role bridges traditional press operations with modern digital communications, directing all public facing media relations, proactive storytelling, and digital marketing strategy across DSS, HRA, and DHS.

The selected candidate will be an experienced communications leader and a sharp, data-driven storyteller. They will manage the agency's daily interface with the press corps, drive impactful coverage across print, broadcast, and digital outlets, and oversee a sophisticated digital ecosystem. This role is intensely strategic, requiring an individual who can seamlessly pivot from an aggressive news cycle or crisis response to high-impact brand management that scales trust across diverse demographics.

DSS-HRA is recruiting for one (1) Assistant Administrator of Public Affairs (HRA) M-V to function as a Deputy Commissioner of Public Information & Media Relations who will:

• Oversee the administration and operation of the Office of Pess and Public Information. Act as the primary editorial and creative director for all public-facing materials. Direct the rapid-response press operation, establishes high-stakes communication protocols, and serves as the primary advisor to the Commissioner and executive leadership during crises. Ensure that all press disclosures are accurate, legally compliant, and carefully aligned with the administration's broader policy goals. Oversee media relations, including press releases, media advisories, briefings, interview prep, and rapid response.
• Provide direct executive leadership and performance management for a multi-disciplinary communications team, including the Press Secretary, graphic designers, editorial writers, and multimedia content creators. This role is responsible for setting clear performance benchmarks, conducting regular evaluations, and cultivating a high-performing culture to ensure the team consistently delivers elite, high-stakes public relations materials under tight deadlines.
• Champion the agency's digital ecosystem, directing high-performing content teams to deliver accessible, high-impact digital experiences that optimize audience acquisition and engagement metrics. Pioneer brand reputation management by continuously evaluating audience sentiment trends and engineering agile communication pivots based on predictive analytics.
• Establish compliance guardrails across the digital lifecycle, ensuring all content meets elite standards for inclusive design (captions, alt text) and secure data privacy practices.
• Spearhead high-impact agency branding and marketing campaigns and serve as the strategic internal communications architect, establishing transparent, top-down messaging channels that clarify complex programs.
• Oversee marketing campaigns that increase awareness and uptake of services; partner with program leads to target priority audiences and create targeted client and public messaging.
• Establish enterprise-level KPIs and performance benchmarks to measure the bottom-line impact of media reach, digital traffic, audience sentiment, and operational outcomes.

Hours/Shift: Monday – 8:30am-5:30pm

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF PUB - 95678

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and five (5) years of full-time progressively responsible experience in public relations, journalism, promotion, advertising, or a related aspect of the communications field; or 2. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• Media Relationships: Deep, established relationships with local, citywide, and national press corps, including print journalists, broadcast producers, and digital editors.
• Newsroom Mastery: Proven track record of running fast-paced press offices or communication departments with expert command of press protocols, public records landscapes, and crisis PR.
• Human-Centric Ethics: Exceptional talent for navigating complex legal, privacy, and consent boundaries while profiling vulnerable populations with dignity.
• Data & Tool Literacy: Comfort with media monitoring suites, social management platforms, web analytics, and modern digital production lifecycles.
• Strategic Agility: Ability to operate under extreme pressure within a complex, highly regulated public sector environment, balancing aggressive media transparency with institutional risk management.

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 https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

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 based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.