Executive Director of Communications – Division of Fire Prevention and Control

Description of Job

The mission of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) is to safeguard those that live, work and play in Colorado, by reducing threats to lives, property and the environment. The Division safeguards the public through: fire prevention and code enforcement; wildfire preparedness, response, suppression, coordination, and management; training and certification; public information and education; and technical assistance to local governments. The Division is composed of the Chief Administrative Office, the Center of Excellence (COE), the Fire and Life Safety Section (FLSS), the Professional Qualifications and Training Section (PQTS), and the Wildland Fire Management Section (WFMS).
    
The purpose of this work unit is to provide all aspects of strategic communications, both internally and externally to increase DFPC’s visibility and branding while supporting the informational needs of stakeholders. To increase DFPC visibility and branding, the work unit will inform and educate stakeholders on DFPC programs and services, and internally provide communication and information sharing.
 

This position serves as a member of the Division Leadership Team to plan and oversee all aspects of the division’s communication and branding functions in support of stakeholders both internal and external to the organization.

This position is the manager of all communication activities related to DFPC. This position routinely interfaces with the senior-level staff of DFPC, the Executive Directors Office in (EDO) CDPS, along with the Governor's Press Secretary due to the high visibility of the Division’s programs and services across the State. The position will be responsible for overall communication strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation and will oversee all communication and marketing strategies to include partnerships, social media, marketing campaigns, etc. Additionally, the position will manage organizational messaging through a variety of channels, including written publications, e-communications, web strategy, and public events.
  
Key Responsibilities: 

Organizational Communication Strategy Management

• Oversees and guides communications in advance of DFPC strategic direction. 
• Directs agency managers and executive staff to establish division wide communications standards and plans, oversees outreach activities and special events, and coordinates the dissemination of accurate information released for DFPC. 
• Responsible for overall communication strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Oversees all communication and marketing strategies to include partnerships, social media, marketing campaigns, etc. 
• Directs the development of agency marketing promotions, agency-wide strategic communications, branding, pro-active community relations, critical strategic partnerships, and community engagement. 
• Oversees and manages the agency's response reactively. This includes communication with all media outlets and platforms to manage the division’s image and provide transparent communication to its customers and the communities it serves. 
• Measures the effectiveness and impact of communication initiatives that are both proactive and reactive, and internal and external. 
• Develops and provides a compressive training program and oversight to each Section's public information lead across the division. 
• Manages organizational messaging through a variety of channels, including written publications, e-communications, web strategy, and public events. 
• During crisis communications, oversees the overall communication strategy from the beginning of the event through its completion. 
• This position is part of the Senior Leadership Team and confers with Division leadership to identify trends or key group interests or concerns to provide advice on public outreach.

Internal DFPC Strategic Communications

• Responsible for internal communications, marketing and supporting critical partnerships within DFPC and CDPS Divisions. 
• Ensures compliance with digital accessibility regulations and requirements by creating content with accessibility in mind.
• Designs, develops, and distributes relevant information and education materials to internal staff including a weekly DFPC update. 
• Oversees the upkeep of the DFPC intranet. 
• Responsible for the communication oversight of internal outreach program initiatives, member wellness and safety, and strategic engagement initiatives. 
• Administers agency-level communication and programs in order to carry out agency objectives and monitors field public information officer initiatives. 
• This position is responsible for developing and implementing an integrated and efficient, strategic, and operational communication process.

External DFPC Strategic Communications

• Responsible for development, coordination, and oversight of communications with external stakeholders, media, and public. 
• Ensures compliance with digital accessibility regulations and requirements by creating content with accessibility in mind.
• Oversees the design and upkeep of the DFPC website. 
• Facilitates and responds to media inquiries and participates in interviews. 
• Provides oversight over DFPC's public information and crisis communication along with overseeing the modern media platforms that support and facilitate these important activities. Designs, develops, and distributes relevant public information and education materials. Utilizes marketing principles to enhance the division's outreach efforts and communicate effectively to external audiences. 
• Responsible for communication strategies related to recruiting, programmatic updates, and other campaigns.
• Designs outreach strategies to publicize DFPC achievements, which may include developing special events or social media campaigns. 
• Prepares videos that enhance the DFPC brand. 
• Coordinates responses to media inquiries that require input from multiple DFPC work units. Attends and represents the DFPC at sponsored community and media events. 
• Develops plans or materials to communicate organizational activities that are beneficial to public safety. 
• Conducts service delivery surveys to external partners.

Special Projects and Other Duties as Assigned

• Position performs other duties as assigned or requested by the Director of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control or Chief Administrative Officer or their designees. 
• Provides support as requested to meet the needs and mission of the Division.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

NOTE:  To be considered for this position, you must meet one of the following options for consideration.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 
 

• Nine (9) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the marketing and communication field. Including experience creating accessible content reflecting diversity and inclusion, using plain language and clear and structured content, and providing alternatives as needed.

OR

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in any field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the marketing and communication field. Including experience creating accessible content reflecting diversity and inclusion, using plain language and clear and structured content, and providing alternatives as needed.  

OR

• Advanced degree from an accredited institution in any field. 
• Three (3) year of progressively responsible professional experience in the marketing and communication field. Including experience creating accessible content reflecting diversity and inclusion, using plain language and clear and structured content, and providing alternatives as needed.  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior professional communications experience in fire or law enforcement.
• Demonstrated experience responding to crisis situations or those involving sensitive issues. 
• Experience developing effective media response strategy.
• Experience creating content that follows Plain Language Guidelines.
• Experience incorporating production of alternatives (e.g., captions, image descriptions) into content authoring workflows.
• Experience incorporating accessibility into content authoring resource, such as style guides.

• Knowledge of digital accessibility and disability inclusion.
• Knowledge of the Plain Writing Act of 2010 and other regulations related to content accessibility.
• Knowledge of WCAG 2.1 AA requirements related to content authoring and production.
• Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. 
• Strong leadership skills.
• Strong critical thinking skills.
• Communication and Media knowledge–Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods.
• Communication–Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience, demonstrating purpose in writing.
• Ability to apply standards and create practical solutions.
• Strong strategy development and execution skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with demonstrated experience in collaborating effectively and building relationships with stakeholders at all levels within an organization as well as external partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to forge strong working relationships with employees at all levels of the organization, community partners, and peers in other agencies.
• Ability to deliver targeted messages clearly, concisely and persuasively
• Strong public speaking skills

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Must be Colorado resident at the time of application.
• Current valid driver's license at time of hire, and must obtain a Colorado-issued driver's license within 6 months of hire.  
• Ability to operate a state vehicle and ability to travel frequently in and out-of-state with overnight stays.
• Requires successful completion of a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam, a fingerprint based criminal history search and drug test.

Supplemental Information

ARE YOU IN NEED OF AN ACCOMODATION?