Director, Strategic Communications

Loudoun County Public Schools; Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 152,991 - 236,475; Full time

Job summary

Loudoun County Public Schools seeks a Director of Strategic Communications to serve as the division's senior communications strategist and advisor on public communications, reputation management, and organizational messaging. This leader reports to the Chief Communications Officer and directs a multidisciplinary team to advance division priorities and protect the LCPS reputation.

Responsibilities include developing enterprise-wide communications strategies, guiding executive messaging, and

Qualifications

• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in strategic communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, or corporate communications.
• Five (5) years leading high-performing communications teams in complex organizations.
• Experience advising executive leadership and governing boards.
• Experience leading enterprise communications initiatives across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience managing organizational reputation, issues management, and developing integrated campaigns informed by data.

Responsibilities

• Provides executive leadership, vision, and operational oversight for a high-performing strategic communications team and serves as senior advisor on strategic communications, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, and organizational messaging.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates a division-wide strategic communications plan aligned with the LCPS Strategic Plan and priorities.
• Leads enterprise-wide campaigns using earned, owned, shared, and paid media to influence understanding and engagement.
• Offers strategic communications counsel to the Superintendent, Cabinet, School Board, and Senior Leadership on high-profile initiatives.
• Serves as steward of the LCPS brand with consistent messaging and editorial standards across division communications.
• Leads and grows a multidisciplinary team across writing, editing, video production, digital, marketing, and analytics.

Skills

Strategic communications

Integrated marketing

Public relations

Reputation management

Branding

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in English

Job description

Job Overview

The Director of Strategic Communications serves as the division's senior communications strategist and advisor on public communications, reputation management, and organizational messaging. Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the Director provides executive leadership for a multidisciplinary communications team responsible for strategic communications, digital communications, social media, branding, storytelling, marketing, issues and change management, and content strategy.

The Director develops and executes enterprise-wide communications strategies that advance division priorities, strengthen stakeholder trust, increase employee and community engagement, and protect the reputation of Loudoun County Public Schools. This position collaborates with Cabinet members, School Board members, principals, and cross-functional departments and directors to ensure clear, consistent, and strategic communications that support organizational goals.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Provides executive leadership, vision, and operational oversight for a high-performing strategic communications team and serves as senior advisor on strategic communications, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, and organizational messaging.
• Develops, implements, and continuously evaluates a comprehensive, division-wide strategic communications plan aligned with the LCPS Strategic Plan and organizational priorities.
• Leads integrated enterprise-wide communications campaigns that influence understanding, engagement, trust, coordinated use of earned, owned, shared and paid media.
• Provides strategic communications counsel and executive messaging support to the Superintendent, Cabinet, School Board, and Senior Leadership on high-profile initiatives, emerging issues and organizational priorities.
• Serves as steward of the LCPS brand, ensuring consistent messaging, visual identity, editorial standards, and communications quality across all division communications.
• Protects and enhances the division's reputation through proactive communications, issues management.
• Leads, mentors, develops, and evaluates a multidisciplinary communications team responsible for writing, editing, video production, digital communications, marketing, social media, graphic design, analytics, and stakeholder engagement.
• Establishes performance expectations, encourages innovation, and fosters a highly collaborative, customer-focused culture emphasizing creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Uses marketing research, audience insights, engagement metrics, and performance analytics to evaluate communications effectiveness and guide strategic decision-making.
• Oversees advisory committees and community engagement initiatives that promote two-way communication and meaningful stakeholder participation, including the School Board Advisory committee, LEAF (Loudoun Education Alliance of Families).
• Leads enterprise communications technology initiatives, including digital communications platforms, website governance, communication systems, and change management strategies that improve communication effectiveness and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Education : Bachelor’s Degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field
• Experience :
  • Ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in strategic communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, or corporate communications.
  • Five (5) years leading high-performing communications teams in complex organizations.
  • Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership and governing boards.
  • Experience leading enterprise communications initiatives across multiple stakeholder groups.
  • Experience managing organizational reputation, issues management, and developing integrated communications campaigns informed by audience research and performance analytics.
  • Experience managing cross-functional initiatives involving multiple departments and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in public education, government, higher education, healthcare, or other complex public-sector organizations.
• Experience leading digital transformation or enterprise communications technology implementations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of strategic communications, integrated marketing, public relations, reputation management, branding, stakeholder engagement and change management.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and executive communication skills with mastery of AP Style.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex organizational initiatives into compelling communications for diverse audiences.
• Strong strategic thinking, judgment and decision-making skills.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with executive leaders, School Board members, community leaders and employees.
• Experience using data, research, and analytics to evaluate communication effectiveness and guide strategy.
• Knowledge of Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), FERPA, accessibility requirements, copyright, and communications-related legal considerations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and perform effectively in high-pressure and crisis situations.
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated success developing collaborative, innovative, high-performing teams.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly talking, expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. The employee must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. The employee must possess normal cognitive abilities including the ability to learn, recall and apply certain practices and policies. Work requires frequently sitting and/or remaining in a stationary position for long periods of time; exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and negligible amounts of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Additional Information

• Reports to: Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Months/Days/Hours: 12 months / 254 days / 8 hours
• Salary Level: Universal/Scale B.3 - Level 27
• Salary Scale: https://www.lcps.org/compensation
• Salary Range: $152,991 - $236,475
• Remote Work Eligible: No
• Union Designation: Non-Union