Trustee Jobs in Reno, NV (NOW HIRING)

Administrative - Licensed - Director
Job Number 2000017466
Start Date
Open Date 06/02/2026
Closing Date
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
Under the general direction of the Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer, the Communications Director provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for the District's comprehensive communications program. The position is responsible for leading internal and external communications, media relations, crisis and emergency communications, executive communications, digital and social media strategy, brand management, publication development, and school and department-level communication support.
The Communications Director serves as a senior communications advisor and primary writer for high-level District messaging, including communications on behalf of the Superintendent, Board of Trustees, and executive leadership, as appropriate. The incumbent develops and implements strategic communications plans that advance the District's mission, strengthen public trust, support employee engagement, and ensure students, families, staff, media, and community stakeholders receive accurate, timely, accessible, and consistent information.
This position supervises assigned Communications Department staff and performs related work as required.
EXEMPLARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
The following duties are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required.
Strategic Communications Leadership

• Provides leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of District-wide communications strategies designed to inform, engage, and build trust with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develops comprehensive communication plans for major District initiatives, Board actions, policy changes, operational updates, school programs, budget matters, labor and employee-related updates, student achievement initiatives, safety matters, and other high-impact issues.
• Ensures District communications are accurate, timely, legally appropriate, culturally responsive, accessible, and aligned with the District's mission, vision, values, strategic plan, and brand standards.
• Provides strategic counsel to the Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer, Superintendent, executive leadership, school leaders, and department heads regarding communication strategy, public messaging, stakeholder impact, and reputational considerations.
• Anticipates emerging communication needs, public concerns, media interest, and community sentiment, and recommends proactive communication strategies.
• Establishes systems, protocols, templates, and standards to improve consistency, quality, responsiveness, and effectiveness of District communications.

Executive and Board Communications

• Serves as a primary writer and editor for high-level communications on behalf of the Superintendent, Board of Trustees, and District leadership, as assigned.
• Drafts speeches, talking points, public statements, letters, op-eds, scripts, presentations, reports, web content, media responses, and other executive-level written materials.
• Reviews and approves strategic communications intended for broad internal or external distribution, including communications from the District, Superintendent, and Board of Trustees, as appropriate.
• Supports preparation for Board of Trustees meetings by reviewing communication implications, preparing public messaging, coordinating media responses, and attending meetings as needed.
• Maintains a high level of discretion and confidentiality when supporting sensitive District matters, including personnel issues, legal matters, negotiations, crisis incidents, safety concerns, and executive decision-making.

Media Relations and Public Information

• Leads and coordinates the District's media relations function, including media inquiries, press releases, public statements, interviews, press conferences, and proactive story development.
• Serves as a District spokesperson or supports designated spokespersons, as assigned.
• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with local, regional, state, and national media representatives.
• Coordinates timely, accurate, and appropriate responses to media inquiries, including gathering information from schools, departments, and District leadership.
• Develops proactive media strategies to highlight student achievement, employee excellence, District initiatives, operational improvements, community partnerships, and public education priorities.
• Monitors media coverage and public narratives involving the District and recommends communication strategies to address misinformation, clarify issues, or elevate positive stories.

Crisis, Emergency, and Incident Communications

• Serves as a key member of the District Emergency Response Team and may assume primary responsibility for communications during emergencies, critical incidents, school safety events, weather events, operational disruptions, or other urgent matters.
• Develops, maintains, and implements crisis communication protocols, including internal notification procedures, parent and family messaging, media response, website updates, social media posts, talking points, and coordination with emergency response partners.
• Works under pressure to provide clear, accurate, compassionate, and timely communications during fast-moving or sensitive situations.
• Coordinates with School Police, emergency management personnel, school administrators, local government agencies, and other partners to ensure public messaging is consistent and appropriate.
• Supports after-action reviews of crisis communications and recommends improvements to communication systems, protocols, and response procedures.

Internal Communications and Employee Engagement

• Leads strategies to improve internal communication across the District, including communication with school-based staff, central services employees, administrators, supervisors, and employee groups.
• Develops communication plans that help employees understand District priorities, Board actions, operational changes, benefits and employment-related updates, professional learning opportunities, and major initiatives.
• Works with departments and schools to improve clarity, consistency, timing, and accessibility of employee-facing communications.
• Supports leadership messaging to promote alignment, trust, transparency, and shared understanding across the organization.
• Identifies opportunities to reduce communication silos between schools and central services and strengthen two-way communication across the District.

School and Department Communication Support

• Provides consultation, guidance, tools, templates, and training to school leaders and department staff regarding effective communication, parent and family messaging, media response, issue management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Supports schools in developing consistent, professional, and accessible external communications, including newsletters, community updates, web content, social media, and crisis messages.
• Assists schools and departments in communicating complex or sensitive topics to families, staff, and community members.
• Works with school-based staff to increase consistency in design, tone, messaging, and brand alignment.
• Strengthens communication coordination between schools and central services to ensure District-wide initiatives are effectively understood and implemented.

Community Engagement and Two-Way Communication

• Develops and supports communication strategies that promote meaningful two-way engagement with students, families, employees, community members, business partners, civic leaders, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.
• Supports public forums, town halls, listening sessions, surveys, focus groups, community meetings, and other engagement opportunities.
• Oversees or supports the development of surveys and other feedback mechanisms to assess public opinion, identify stakeholder concerns, and inform decision-making.
• Interprets stakeholder feedback and communication data to recommend strategies that improve public understanding, trust, and engagement.
• Works with local media, community-based organizations, business leaders, advocates, and public agencies to strengthen communication with historically underserved or underrepresented populations.
• Develops authentic and meaningful relationships with diverse communities to improve the effectiveness of District outreach, communication, and engagement efforts.

Digital, Social Media, and Brand Management

• Provides leadership for the District's digital communications strategy, including website content, social media platforms, multimedia storytelling, email communications, video messaging, and other digital tools.
• Oversees the creation, review, and distribution of digital and print communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and alignment with District messaging and brand standards.
• Supports the development and implementation of social media plans to inform the public, elevate District stories, respond to emerging issues, and increase stakeholder engagement.
• Monitors digital engagement, social media trends, audience feedback, and communication analytics to improve message effectiveness and reach.
• Ensures District communications reflect professional design standards and consistent visual identity across platforms.

Publications, Marketing, and Content Development

• Oversees the development of District-wide publications, marketing materials, newsletters, annual reports, informational campaigns, videos, presentations, and other communication products.
• Leads or supports communication campaigns related to enrollment, recruitment and retention, student programs, school choice, budget, capital projects, safety, employee engagement, and strategic initiatives.
• Translates complex, technical, legal, operational, or policy information into clear, accurate, audience-appropriate communication.
• Coordinates with vendors, designers, photographers, videographers, translators, printers, and other partners to produce high-quality communication materials.
• Ensures public-facing materials are accessible, inclusive, and appropriate for diverse audiences.

Supervision and Department Operations

• Supervises, evaluates, trains, and supports assigned Communications Department staff.
• Assigns and reviews work, establishes priorities, monitors deadlines, and ensures high-quality service delivery.
• Builds a collaborative, responsive, and high-performing communications team.
• Develops department workflows, project management systems, editorial calendars, approval processes, and communication tracking tools.
• Supports budget development, vendor coordination, contract management, and resource planning for assigned communications functions.
• Ensures Communications Department work is aligned with District priorities and responsive to the needs of schools, departments, employees, families, and the broader community.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
Education/Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and skills would be:

• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in communications, journalism, public relations, English, marketing, broadcasting, public administration, education, or a closely related field;

AND

• Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in communications, public relations, journalism, media relations, marketing, public information, community engagement, or a related field, including experience developing strategic communications for a large, complex organization;

AND

• Experience supervising, leading, or coordinating the work of professional staff.

Experience in a school district, public agency, higher education institution, government organization, nonprofit organization, or similarly complex public-facing environment is preferred.
A master's degree in communications, public relations, public administration, education, business administration, or a related field is desirable.
Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices, and techniques of strategic communications, public relations, public information, media relations, internal communications, community engagement, and crisis communications.
• Methods for developing and implementing comprehensive communication plans for large, complex organizations.
• Principles of executive communications, speechwriting, message development, issue management, and reputation management.
• Media operations, public records considerations, interview preparation, press conference coordination, and spokesperson support.
• Digital communication strategies, including websites, social media, email communications, multimedia content, analytics, and audience engagement.
• Brand management, visual identity standards, marketing communications, publication development, and print and digital production processes.
• Crisis and emergency communication principles, including timely public notification, incident response coordination, message approval processes, and stakeholder-specific communications.
• Principles of culturally responsive, accessible, inclusive, and multilingual communication.
• Research methods, survey development, public opinion assessment, data interpretation, and stakeholder feedback analysis.
• Public education issues, school district operations, Board governance, public agency accountability, and community relations.
• Principles of effective supervision, staff development, project management, workflow coordination, and performance management.
• Applicable laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards related to public communications, confidentiality, student an...