Communications Officer

Communications Leadership Opportunities Help Shape the Future of Communications in One of Minnesota's Most Dynamic Cities As one of Minnesota's largest and most diverse cities, the City of Brooklyn Park is investing in the future of public-sector communications. Through a newly restructured Communications Division, the City is building a modern communications organization designed to strengthen public trust, elevate resident engagement, support informed decision-making, and position communications as a strategic partner across the organization. This transformation represents more than filling two positions—it is an opportunity to help build a best-in-class municipal communications function from the ground up. The City is seeking two accomplished communications leaders—a Director of Communications and a Communications Manager / Public Information Officer (PIO)—who are energized by strategic leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and meaningful public service. Both positions offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and the opportunity to shape communications for an innovative, growing community committed to equity, transparency, and organizational excellence. Director of Communications About the Communications Director Role The Director of Communications serves as the City's chief communications strategist and a trusted advisor to the Assistant City Manager, City Manager, Mayor, City Council, and executive leadership team. This position leads the City's communications vision, brand, public engagement strategy, executive communications, media relations, and crisis communications while developing a high-performing team that supports every department across the organization. This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced communications executive who enjoys building organizations, mentoring leaders, influencing executive decision-making, and positioning communications as a strategic business function—not simply a service function. Qualifications & Responsibilities The successful candidate will possess a bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, Public Administration, or a closely related field, along with at least eight years of progressively responsible communications experience and four years leading professional teams. The ideal candidate is an experienced strategic communicator, trusted executive advisor, accomplished people leader, and skilled crisis communicator who thrives in a collaborative, politically nuanced environment. Municipal or other public-sector leadership experience is strongly preferred. Responsibilities include: Establish and execute the City's enterprise communications strategy. Advise executive leadership and elected officials on strategic communications, public engagement, and reputation management. Serve as the City's primary spokesperson for strategic and high-profile issues. Lead organizational crisis and emergency communications planning and response. Provide leadership and direction for the Communications Division, including supervision of the Communications Manager/PIO. Champion brand strategy, organizational storytelling, digital communications, and resident engagement. Use data, research, and performance metrics to strengthen communications effectiveness. Foster an inclusive, innovative, accountable culture focused on continuous improvement and exceptional public service. Communications Manager / Public Information Officer (PIO) About the Communications Manager Role The Communications Manager/Public Information Officer is the operational leader of the Communications Division, responsible for translating strategy into execution. Serving as the City's senior operational Public Information Officer, this position oversees daily communications operations, supervises the communications team, manages media relations, coordinates incident and crisis communications, and ensures consistent, timely, and accessible communications across the organization. This role is ideal for an experienced communications manager who enjoys leading people, improving processes, coaching emerging leaders, and delivering high-quality communications in a fast-paced public-sector environment. Qualifications & Responsibilities Candidates should possess a bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, Public Administration, or a related discipline, together with at least six years of progressively responsible communications experience and three years supervising communications professionals. Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience in media relations, Public Information Officer responsibilities or equivalent crisis communications leadership, operational management, and developing high-performing teams. Experience in municipal or other public-sector communications is highly desirable. Responsibilities include: Serve as the City's day-to-day Public Information Officer and primary media contact. Lead operational crisis communications and emergency response communications. Manage the daily operations, workflow, priorities, and quality standards of the Communications Division. Supervise the Internal Communications, External Communications, and Data & Insights teams. Coordinate communications planning across City departments and initiatives. Coach, mentor, and develop communications professionals while supporting leadership development initiatives. Oversee editorial planning, project management, and communications intake. Measure communications performance using analytics and engagement data to support continuous improvement. Ensure compliance with accessibility standards, Minnesota public-sector requirements, and communications best practices. #J-18808-Ljbffr