Strategic Communications & Engagement Lead

Albemarle County; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits Eligible

VRS Eligible

Job summary

Albemarle County in Charlottesville, VA seeks a Communications & Engagement Manager to lead the Communications & Engagement Section and serve as a strategic adviser to County leadership.

The role supervises staff, develops countywide editorial plans, leads community engagement initiatives, and provides communications counsel across departments, with a focus on public awareness campaigns and multi-channel storytelling.

Qualifications

• Strong oral, written communication and facilitation skills.
• Knowledge of public relations, mass communications, and marketing principles.
• Experience in data analysis and data visualization.
• Knowledge of media production; including print, photography, video, graphics and web design principles.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to make effective presentations to diverse internal and external audiences, along with communications and engagement planning.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and develop staff within the Communications & Engagement Section.
• Lead section operations and strategic planning with the Director.
• Provide strategic communications support to assigned departments, including communications planning, public awareness campaigns, marketing, messaging, and multimedia storytelling.
• Oversee countywide content across digital, print, web, video, podcast, social media, email, and other channels; manage editorial calendar.
• Lead the County’s community engagement efforts, including advisory committees and public participation programs.
• Provide strategic guidance on communications, public engagement, branding, outreach, and related practices.
• Evaluate communications and engagement effectiveness using performance measures and analytics; recommend improvements.
• Oversee digital communications and web governance across platforms.
• Represent the office on cross-functional teams and external partnerships.
• Support emergency communications and on-call PIO responsibilities.

Skills

Oral communication

Written communication

Public relations

Mass communications

Data analysis

Data visualization

Media production

Presentations

Job description

Albemarle County in Charlottesville, VA seeks a Communications & Engagement Manager to lead the Communications & Engagement Section and serve as a strategic adviser to County leadership.

The role supervises staff, develops countywide editorial plans, leads community engagement initiatives, and provides communications counsel across departments, with a focus on public awareness campaigns and multi-channel storytelling.