LOCATION:
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Office of Communication
400 6^th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

REQUISITION NO.: 2023-42

NUMBER OF VACANCIES: One (1)

OPENING DATE: April 23, 2023

CLOSING DATE: May 8, 2023

SALARY RANGE*: $133,123 - $199,684

*This salary range is within the Excepted Service salary schedule from ES 10. Salary in this range will be based on a multitude of factors including applicable rules, regulations, and guidelines.

PAY PLAN, SERIES, GRADE: ES-301-10

DURATION OF APPOINTMENT: Permanent

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to the Public

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: This position is not in the collective bargaining unit.

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT: The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) is committed to providing the highest quality legal and programmatic services to the district and its residents while ensuring the health and safety of employees, customers, clients, volunteers, contractors, and other visitors.

The District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General values the safety of our employees, our residents, and our visitors. In support of these values, OAG employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except when vaccination is not medically advised or violates sincerely held religious beliefs. The selected candidate must submit proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to your initial HR representative, or you must request an exemption from your representative.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Why Work At OAG?

By leading OAGs Office of Communications, you will join a group of committed, team-oriented, and energized individuals working to protect and improve the lives of District residents. The Office of Communications is fast-paced and comprised of a creative team of communicators and storytellers dedicated to informing the public and the media both locally and nationally about OAGs work and driving thought leadership on important local and national issues, such as criminal and juvenile justice, civil rights, affordable housing, consumer protection, and more. In this unique role, you will work with legal experts and senior leaders to impact media coverage, determine messages, and provide communications advice directly to the Attorney General and OAGs senior leadership team. We envision this new team member will develop thought-provoking ideas, deliver compelling copy on tight deadlines, and challenge us to be better.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seeks a Director of Communications to work in the Immediate Office as part of the agencys senior staff. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia and is charged with enforcing District laws and promoting the public interest. In addition to DC and regional issues, the OAG has had a substantial national media profile as well. OAGs mission is to provide the District government with the highest level of legal advice and service and to promote the interests of District residents.

The Director of Communications manages and directs OAGs internal and external communications and is responsible for planning, directing, and implementing all communications, public relations, narrative development, digital and social media, and marketing strategies. The Director will serve as a senior staffer and key thought partner for the Attorney General and will manage a team of communications professionals.

• Serves as a strategic communications counselor to the Attorney General and other OAG leadership on communications and media strategy and narrative development, including crisis communications. Serves as the internal communications lead for the Immediate Office.
• Supervises OAGs communications staff in carrying out all OAG communications functions, including digital communications.
• Works with senior management to develop and implement communications tools, both internal and external, to raise awareness of OAGs positions on public policy and legal issues and how those positions serve District residents and helps OAG to connect with diverse audiences and stakeholders.
• Develops a long-range strategic communications plan to improve and sustain OAGs mission. Develops and executes short and long-term marketing, communications, social media, and public relations strategies.
• Evaluates problems encountered in communicating the organizations programs. Advises on and recommends specific activities designed to address these problems. Analyzes information needs in terms of the public needs to be met and provides advice on program information problems to program staff.
• Oversees the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of programs and services. Establishes performance measures for the communications office and evaluates program effectiveness in terms of attainment of goals, continuous improvement, and effective resource utilization.
• Directs and approves the production of strategic documents, communications plans and materials, press releases, creative media pitches, talking points, and briefing memoranda for press and media events related to policy, the law, legislation, issues affecting the District of Columbia and its residents, and other priority areas.
• Oversees media relations, including serving as the primary spokesperson for OAG, as the medias primary point of contact, responding to inquiries. Assists the Attorney General in responding to media requests. Engages with local and national media, including print, radio, and television.
• Manages the development of communications materials, ensuring consistency in brand, message, tone and style. Overseeing editorial direction, design, production, and distribution of all organization publications.
• Maintains a strategic online and social media presence.
• Uses appropriate combination of technology and varying communications media, including press releases, blog posts, infographics, and other media to reach both internal and external audiences. Ensure messages are appropriately written for diverse community populations.
• Translates complex legal cases, research and policy into digestible and powerful communications for lay audiences.
• Guides strategic planning in related areas and assures the implementation of the organizational goals and objectives of the various functions and subordinate activities of the office. Provides guidance, counsel, and instruction to staff on both technical and administrative matters that are not resolved.
• Operates as a key member of OAGs executive leadership team.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelors degree required; Masters degree in Public Relations, Journalism, Digital Communications, or related field desired. Candidates must have a least eight (8) years of communications experience and two (2) years of significant management experience equivalent to at least the ES-10 level, or its non-District equivalent, gained from either the public or private sector. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in, or related to the work of the position to be filled.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrated experience and leadership in managing a comprehensive strategic communication, media relations, and marketing program to advance an organizations mission.
• Strong mentoring and leadership abilities including experience managing a large team with a variety of functions and skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize deliverables, and handle unanticipated demands and requests.
• Ability to work with multiple OAG offices and staff collaboratively to ensure that written materials have input from key internal stakeholders, as well as external stakeholders as appropriate.
• Record of recruiting, managing, and leading a diverse and talented staff.
• Proven commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Experience developing metrics and implementing a strategic plan that is tied to measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex materials, including research, into digestible and powerful communications.
• Demonstrated collaborative team player used to generating new ideas and quickly identifying and capitalizing on press
• Ability to build and foster long-term working relationships with OAG senior leaders and experts, public affairs offices at District agencies, community members, and stakeholder organizations.
• Familiarity with managing or commissioning original research.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with attention to clarity and details, for a variety of materials and audiences.
• Top-notch oral and presentation skills.
• Ability to instill confidence in the OAG staff and key partners.
• High level of creativity.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, a collaborative style, ability to engage colleagues at all levels.

TRAVEL: Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some evening, out-of-the-area, and overnight travel may be expected.

This is an Excepted Service (ES) At-Will position. All positions and appointments in the ES serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

DOMICILE RESIDENCY: The selectee to the Excepted Service appointment is required by law to either:

• Be a resident of the District of Columbia (District) at the time of appointment; or
• Become a resident of the District within one hundred eighty (180) days of appointment.

To retain your employment in the Except Service appointment, you must maintain District residency during the period of your appointment. Failure to maintain District residency during your appointment period will result in forfeiture of employment.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: A substitution of education for required experience will be allowed as defined in OPMs Qualification Standards. However, to receive credit, applicants must submit official proof of educational attainment at the time of application.

TIME-IN-GRADE RESTRICTIONS: Time-in-grade restrictions must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

SUBMISSION OF RANKING FACTORS: The following ranking factors will be used in the evaluation process. All applicants MUST respond to the ranking factors by submitting responses in the relevant area provided on the application questionnaire. Please describe specific achievements, experience, education, training, etc. that demonstrate the degree to which you possess the job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities described in the ranking factors. The information given in response to the ranking factors should be complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge.

FAILURE TO RESPOND TO ALL RANKING FACTORS WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM CONSIDERATION.

Ranking Factor #1: Demonstrated experience and leadership in managing comprehensive strategic communications, media relations, and marketing program to advance an organizations mission

Ranking Factor #2: Strong mentoring and leadership abilities including experience managing a large team with a variety of functions and skills

Ranking Factor #3: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize deliverables, and handle unanticipated demands and requests

Ranking Factor #4: Record of recruiting, managing, and leading a diverse and talented staff

Ranking Factor #5: Experience developing metrics and implementing a strategic plan that is tied to measurable outcomes

OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTS

GENERAL SUITABILITY SCREENING: The selected candidate will be subject to a background investigation including reference checks.

PRIORITY CONSIDERATION: Displaced Employee Priority Placement: Candidates who are eligible for the District of Columbias Displaced Employee Program (DEP) and Agency Reemployment Priority Placement Program (ARPP) will be given priority consideration for this position if found qualified.

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: Selectee will be eligible for health and life insurance, annual (vacation), and sick leave and will be covered under the District of Columbia governments retirement plan. However, if the selectee was previously employed in the District of Columbias government, under an appointment for which he/she was eligible for Civil Service Retirement (CSR), contributions to CSR will resume upon re-employment.

VETERANS PREFERENCE: Applicants claiming veterans preference must submit official proof at the time of application.

DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE: Pursuant to the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1998, the individual selected to fill this position will be required, as a condition of employment, to notify his/her immediate supervisor, in writing, not later than five (5) days after conviction of or a plea of guilty to a violation of any criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, physical disability, matriculation, genetic information, credit information, or status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION: In accordance with the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977, as amended, D.C. Official Code, Section 2-1401.01 et. seq., (Act) the District of Columbia does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, genetic information, source of income, or place of residence or business. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is also prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above-protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subject to disciplinary action.

HOW TO APPLY: Candidates should apply via Jobvite by 11:59 p.m. of the closing date indicated above.

OFFICIAL JOB OFFERS ARE TO BE MADE ONLY BY THE HUMAN RESOURCES SECTION OF THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

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