Communications & Marketing Director

Salary : $87,849.15 - $144,951.11 Annually
Location : Newton, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 02352
Department: County Manager
Opening Date: 06/26/2026


New as of 01/01/2026:

Your well-being matters from the start - benefited new hires are eligible for up to 40 hours of advanced annual leave and 40 hours of advanced sick leave.

Position Description
Catawba County seeks a highly motivated, creative, and community-minded Communications & Marketing Director to lead the County's public information, marketing, branding, media relations, and engagement efforts. The Communications & Marketing Director promotes Catawba County's story throughout the community and increases awareness of County services, programs, and issues. This position serves as Catawba County's chief storyteller and seeks ways to connect with the community through creative engagement methods and media that appeal to all audiences. This position also develops and implements internal communication tools to cultivate an informed and engaged county employee workforce.

For more information:

Position is Open Until Filled. First review of applicants will be on July 13, 2026.

Responsibilities

• Drives County communications efforts: Oversees the development of content, messaging, and design for Catawba County's public-facing communication materials and tools (including written, audio, graphics, and video); coordinates, evaluates, and adapts the social media presence; responds to public and media inquiries for information; maintains the integrity of and develops new applications for Catawba County's brand and graphic guidelines.
• Promotes County services, initiatives, and programs: Develops, implements, and evaluates communication and marketing strategies to increase awareness of services and citizen engagement opportunities; develops and maintains promotional and advertising campaigns; uses a variety of communication strategies to generate awareness of and participation in County initiatives and programs; maintains relationships with local media; develops media coverage opportunities for County initiatives, issues, and messages; writes press releases to promote County services, information, and resources; distributes and cross-promotes press releases generated by County departments; fulfills interview requests either as a spokesperson or by coordinating interviews for other County staff and preparing them with relevant context.
• Coordinates crisis communication responses as appropriate: Assists in developing crisis communication plans and materials and coordinates crisis communications for County departments; participates in relevant drills and training; contributes to developing and implementing County crisis response and continuity of operations plans.
• Liaisons with community and professional organizations: Serves as the County's ambassador to the community, representing Catawba County in a positive manner; develops and maintains strategic community partnerships to collaborate on messaging and share pertinent County information; interfaces with regional, state, and national organizations (as appropriate); maintains positive relationships and open communication channels.
• Coordinates and executes outreach programs and events: Identifies opportunities for and coordinates County participation in appropriate community events.
• Develops and delivers internal communications messages and initiatives, including employee newsletters, special announcements, etc.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, English, or related field and a minimum of 5 years of professional-level experience in public relations, communications, or marketing

Preferences:

• Master's degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, English, or other related field is preferred

Additional Requirements

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate complex information in written, verbal, and graphic forms to a variety of audiences
• Ability to think strategically and creatively about ways to achieve short- and long-term organizational goals
• Ability to respond effectively and accurately in crisis situations under extreme deadline pressure
• Valid Driver's License with a safe driving record (Driving is an occasional function of this position)
• Willingness to establish residency in Catawba County within a reasonable timeframe after appointment

As of 7/1/2025:
You will find that Catawba County has one of the best benefits packages around. Our Human Resources staff are dedicated to keeping in touch with trends in benefits on both a local and national level, listening to employees' suggestions regarding benefits, and continually reviewing to ensure our benefits package is of good quality and meets the needs of both our employees and our organization.
Available benefits include:

Health Care

• Health: For a small bi-weekly premium, employees may choose between a traditional (co-pay) health plan and a high deductible health plan coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Coverage may also be purchased for spouse, child(ren), or family.
• Dental Insurance: At no cost to full-time employees, the County covers preventive, routine, and non-routine care. Coverage for the same benefits may also be purchased for spouse, child(ren), and family. In addition, a $2,000 benefit toward orthodontia coverage is provided for children up to age 19.
• Vision Care: Coverage is available, at group rates, for employee and dependents,with 2 plan options to choose from.
• Supplemental critical care and accident insurance plans: These optional coverage plans are available at a nominal cost.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Pre-tax accounts that can be used to pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision expenses.

Employee Wellness

• Employee Health Clinic (EHC): An employee medical clinic, available to all County employees, which operates 40 hours a week. Services provided include acute care, first aid, evaluation and care for workers' compensation injuries, pre-employment screenings, health education, and behavioral health referrals. Services are offered both in person and through telehealth. Acute care is available to employee's children ages 3-17, regardless of health insurance coverage, and for employee's adult children (ages 18-26) or employee's spouse if covered on the county's health insurance.
• Wellness: The County recognizes the importance of our health and well-being. We maintain a very proactive and effective Wellness Program, including reimbursement and discounts for gym membership, incentives for physical activity, on-site nutrition counseling, free exercise opportunities, wellness education, and more.
• Employee Assistance Program: Counseling services are available to all County employees and immediate family members in the home. Services are provided in a private and confidential setting (in-person or virtually). The County provides coverage for the first six visits.

Work Life Balance

• Annual Leave: Full-time employees earn from 10-24 days annually based on years of service. Service credit from other NC and Local Governments in the retirement system may be transferred to the County.
  • To help new employees settle in, up to 40 hours of annual leave is advanced upon hire, with first-year accruals adjusted to align with established annual limits.
• Sick Leave: Full-time employees earn one day (8 hours) of sick leave per month. Sick leave from other NC and Local Governments in the retirement system may be transferred to the County.
  • New hires are advanced up to 40 hours of sick leave, with first-year accruals adjusted to align with established annual limits.
• Holiday Leave: Throughout the year, 11 days of paid leave are provided in recognition of holidays.
• Flexible work schedules.
• Time off for activities that support our local schools.
• Continuing educational assistance.
• Discount tickets to recreational venues.
• Employee appreciation days/activities.
• Tax-free flexible spending account to pay for dependent care.

Financial Security

• Local Governmental Employees Retirement System: For employees assigned to work 20 hours per week or more in a benefitted position, participation in this program is automatic. Employees contribute 6% of their salary, which is tax-deferred. After (5) years of creditable service, you become fully vested in the retirement system. Employees may also take advantage of individual and group retirement counseling through the Human Resources department.
• 401K: The County provides a 2% contribution plus an additional 1% match (up to 3% total contribution by the County). Our sworn law enforcement officers receive a flat 5% contribution to their 401k.
• Other Tax Deferred Programs: Other tax-sheltering programs are available through IRS Code 125 (Cafeteria Plan), and a 457 supplemental retirement plan (Deferred Compensation).
• Longevity Pay: After 5 years of creditable service, employees receive an annual longevity payment that is paid every year thereafter. This lump sum payment rewards employees for their length of service to Catawba County. The amount is based on years of service.
• Life Insurance: Death benefit equal to one times the employee's annual salary, with a minimum coverage amount of $25,000. Optional supplemental life insurance coverage is also available for both employee and dependents through payroll deduction at group rates.
• Short Term Disability: Available at no cost to employees, benefits are available after a 55-day waiting period.
• Long Term Disability: Available through payroll deduction at group rates.
• Eligibility for membership and financial services at State Employees Credit Union (SECU)/Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU).

01


Describe a communications or marketing strategy you developed from the ground up. What problem were you solving, and how did you measure its success?
02


How do you approach reaching audiences who are difficult to engage, such as those who may not follow traditional media or use social platforms?
03


Describe strategies you have used to keep employees across a large, multi-department organization informed and engaged. What methods were most effective, and why?
Required Question