DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR - 67039644

State of Florida; Tallahassee (FL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual and Sick Leave

Paid holidays

Health insurance options

Retirement plan options

Tuition waivers

Direct Deposit

Job summary

State of Florida is seeking a communications professional to serve as alternate spokesperson and media liaison for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). This on-site role reports to the communications director and influences messaging across external channels.

The position requires managing media relations, drafting communications, and coordinating events, with emphasis on timely responses and collaboration with executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Must have experience managing social media accounts for an organization.
• Must have experience as a spokesperson.
• Must have experience with writing, editing and oral communication.
• Must have 2 or more years’ experience in Communications and/or Public Relations.
• Bachelor’s Degree in related field OR 4 years of experience in a related field can substitute for degree.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Communications Director in generating earned media through press releases, proclamations, social media campaigns, articles, newsletters, and other external deliverables.
• Monitor daily media coverage and advise on matters of interest featured in publications.
• Draft, edit, and approve press releases, advisories, agency statements, and speeches for internal and external publication.
• Assist in managing messaging and strategy for the Agency's social media sites.
• Fulfill public records requests from media, coordinating with program areas and offices.
• Create multimedia scripts for internal and external communications initiatives.
• Plan, produce, edit, and disseminate videos, photographs, reports, and other publications for the Agency.
• Support planning and staffing special events for leadership and manage internal/external web pages.
• Align communications goals with the Office of the Governor and Director.

Skills

Spokesperson experience

Social media management

Writing and editing

Oral communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Job description

This position is not a Telework position and is required to report to the APD office in the area it serves.

Salary: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 Annually $2,307.69 - $2,500.00 Bi-weekly

Posting Closing Date: 09/14/2026

Pay Plan: SES

Benefits

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for eligible employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits, including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits.


• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year.


• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options.


• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please click www.myfrs.com ).


• Flexible Spending Accounts.


• Tuition waivers.


• And more! For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com .


• Paid Maternity and Parental Leave.

The Agency seeks team members who demonstrate the qualities of being humble, hungry, and smart and lead others to embody the same. This entails lacking excessive ego, sharing credit, being self-motivated, and exercising good judgment and intuition regarding the subtleties of group dynamics.

This position with APD will serve staff and management across the Agency. Your work will impact the workplace culture, our community, and the population we serve as we continuously strive to achieve the Agency’s mission.

Position Summary

The position reports to the communications director, who is over the entire communications office. This is a highly responsible position that serves as the Agency for Persons with Disabilities alternate spokesperson and point of contact in response to media inquiries.

The Work You Will Do

• Assists the Communications Director in generating earned media through the writing and development of press releases, proclamations, social media campaigns, articles, newsletters, and other external deliverables.


• Monitors daily media coverage and other published content related to the Agency, its programs, and its personnel. Facilitates appropriate internal communication to advise on matters of interest featured in these publications.


• Drafts, edits, and approves press releases, press advisories, agency statements, opinion pieces, and articles for internal and external publication as well as speeches, messages, talking points, and responses for the Director and the Agency's other members of the executive leadership team.


• Assists in managing messaging and strategy for the Agency's social media sites.


• Assists with fulfilling public records requests from members of the media, including coordinating with appropriate program areas and offices.


• Creates multimedia scripts for internal and external communications initiatives.


• Assists with the planning, production, editing, and dissemination of videos, photographs, reports, and other publications on behalf of the Agency, the Director, or executive leadership.


• Assists the Communications Director the external affairs process by creating and preparing external events and briefs for the Agency including but not limited to strategizing and coordinating between event hosts, stakeholders, partners, sister agencies and others, managing timelines and drafting corresponding materials.


• Supports planning, coordinating, and staffing special events for the Director or executive leadership. Manages Agency’s internal and external web pages.


• Aligns communications goals and plans with the Office of the Governor and the Director.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have experience managing social media accounts for an organization.


• Must have experience as a spokesperson.


• Must have experience with writing, editing and oral communication.


• Must have 2 or more years’ experience in Communications and/or Public Relations.


• Bachelor’s Degree in related field OR 4 years of experience in a related field can substitute for degree.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Managing social media accounts for an organization.

Ability To

• Respond to inquiries from the public on behalf of an organization.


• Develop, maintain and manage ongoing relationships with media representatives.


• Coordinate to multiple under tight timeframes.


• Interact and communicate with high-level officials.


• Develop, maintain and strengthen Agency stakeholder and partner relationships.

Demonstrate Skills In

• Communications and/or Public Relations.


• Writing, editing and oral communication including but not limited to AP style formatting.

Profile Completion

To qualify for this position, applicants must complete all fields in the Candidate Profile, including their work history with the month and year.

Resumes and other documentation can be attached to provide additional information but will not replace the required completed Candidate Profile.

Retiree Notice

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon your retirement date.

Direct Deposit Program

As a condition of employment, a person appointed to a position in the State Personnel System is required to participate in the Direct Deposit Program. Rather than receiving a paper paycheck, your funds will be deposited directly into your account at your financial institution. This will be accomplished by Electronic Funds Transfer. Banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions are eligible to accept such deposits. Retirement funds are also required to be in the Direct Deposit Program.

Background Screening Requirement

It is the policy of the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities that applicants for employment undergo Level 2 employment screening in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, Florida Statutes, as a condition of employment or being permitted to serve as a volunteer. No applicant for a designated position will be employed or permitted to volunteer until the Level 2 screening results are received, reviewed, and approved by the Agency. Level 2 background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for Statewide criminal and juvenile records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Federal criminal records checks through the Federal Bureau of Investigation and may include local criminal records checks through local law enforcement agencies. Pursuant to S. 110.1127(1), Florida Statutes, this position requires a background investigation, including fingerprinting. APD only hires U.S. citizens and those lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. APD participates in the U.S. government’s employment eligibility verification program (E-Verify), which electronically confirms an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. after completing the employment eligibility verification form (I-9). Responses to the qualifying questions are required to be considered for this position. Answers to the qualifying questions must be verifiable based on your submitted application. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.