Director of Communications and Engagement

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT

THE OPPORTUNITY
A newly elevated leadership role for a strategic, hands-on communications executive who can build an integrated function, strengthen two-way resident engagement, and translate city priorities into clear, proactive, measurable communications.

The Director will establish the strategic direction, operating rhythm, and performance standards for a developing communications and public engagement function. This leader will serve as a trusted communications partner to the City Administrator, executive team, departments, and City Council while ensuring residents receive timely, useful, consistent information and meaningful opportunities to engage.

To have impact in this position, the Director will:

• Create one integrated strategy across communications, digital content, brand, website, social media, employee communications, outreach, and public engagement.
• Move the organization from reactive or activity-based communications toward proactive planning, disciplined execution, and measurable outcomes.
• Build capacity in a small team through clear priorities, coaching, accountability, and practical support.
• Help City leaders and departments communicate complex initiatives in ways that are understandable, relevant, and responsive to community needs.
• Establish durable processes that improve speed, consistency, quality control, and cross-department coordination.

Important Role Distinction

The City’s current Public Information Officer remains the primary media spokesperson. The Director will collaborate closely with the PIO and coordinate planning, press events, outreach, and communications around city initiatives, but is not expected to assume the spokesperson role immediately.

To view the full position profile, please visit City of Gulf Shores – Communications Director

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
The strongest candidate will be both strategist and practitioner: a credible advisor who can create the plan, build support for it, and work alongside the team to execute. The role calls for a mature, low-ego leader who brings structure without bureaucracy, exercises sound judgment, and is energized by public service and direct community connection.


DEFINING LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES

• Strategic builder: Can assess the current state, establish a clear multi-year direction, and translate strategy into an annual plan, editorial calendar, workflows, priorities, and accountable owners.
• Working director: Comfortable shifting from executive counsel and City Council presentations to editing content, preparing talking points, organizing an event, or troubleshooting a digital channel.
• Proactive storyteller: Finds and develops stories before being asked, connects city services to resident impact, and repurposes strong content across articles, social posts, video, newsletters, web, and internal channels.
• Community-centered communicator: Understands that public engagement is two-way. Designs accessible opportunities for residents, HOAs, businesses, community partners, and employees to listen, ask questions, and participate.
• Measured and accountable: Selects meaningful KPIs, establishes baselines, reviews results, and explains communications value and community response to leadership and Council.
• Collaborative navigator: Builds trust across departments, respects established roles and relationships, handles differing perspectives professionally, and keeps attention on organizational outcomes.
• People developer: Sets expectations, provides useful feedback, coaches diverse skill sets, delegates thoughtfully, and helps a small team grow in confidence, judgment, and execution.
• Calm, credible presence: Communicates with clarity and discretion, manages competing priorities, and maintains sound judgment in visible, time-sensitive, or politically sensitive situations.

• Progressive leadership experience in strategic communications, public affairs, community engagement, marketing, public relations, journalism, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ownership of an integrated communications strategy and annual implementation plan.
• Experience supervising, coaching, or developing communications, engagement, creative, or digital professionals.
• Experience creating content and campaigns across web, social, email/newsletters, print, video, events, and earned media coordination.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and translating organizational priorities into audience-centered communications.
• Experience establishing metrics, dashboards, or reporting practices that connect communications activity to reach, engagement, understanding, sentiment, participation, or action.
• Public-sector, municipal, higher education, healthcare, economic development, utilities, tourism, nonprofit, or other complex stakeholder environment experience is highly valued, but not required if the candidate demonstrates strong transferability.

• Strategy and planning: Integrated communications architecture, audience segmentation, message discipline, channel strategy, annual plans, editorial calendars, resource alignment, and contingency planning.
• Content and storytelling: Strong writing and editing; proactive story development; plain-language communication; adaptable content for web, social, newsletters, video, presentations, and events.
• Public engagement: Listening strategies, community meetings, HOA outreach, citizen programs, event participation, feedback loops, and inclusive methods that reach different resident audiences.
• Digital communications: Website governance, social channel management, email/notification strategy, content accessibility, analytics, and use of tools such as CivicPlus, Canva, OpenGov, or comparable platforms.
• Brand stewardship: Consistent voice and visual identity, appropriate use of marks and logos, quality control, and a balance of creativity with public-sector credibility.
• Executive counsel: Briefings, talking points, presentations, issue framing, stakeholder mapping, and candid, practical advice to leaders.
• Operations and measurement: Budget management, vendors, workflows, service standards, intake/prioritization, approval protocols, KPIs, reporting, and continuous improvement.

Under the administrative direction of the City Administrator, the Director of Communications and Engagement leads the City of Gulf Shores’ integrated communications, brand, digital content, and public engagement strategy. The Director ensures that residents, employees, community partners, media, and other stakeholders receive timely, clear, accurate, and relevant information across multiple channels. As a member of the City’s leadership structure, the Director serves as a strategic communications advisor while also leading day-to-day execution through a small team and cross-department partnerships.

This newly elevated role is responsible for building a coordinated communications function that strengthens the City’s reputation, expands two-way community engagement, improves internal and external alignment, and demonstrates measurable results. The Director supervises the Communications Manager and Public Engagement Manager and collaborates closely with the City’s designated Public Information Officer on media-related activities and public information planning.

Reports to: City Administrator

Direct Reports: 2 – Communications Manager and Engagement Manager

Location: Gulf Shores, AL


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy, Leadership, and Governance

• Develop, implement, and regularly evaluate a comprehensive communications and public engagement strategy aligned with City priorities.
• Create an annual communications plan, editorial calendar, campaign framework, and operating rhythm that move priority initiatives from planning to execution.
• Advise the City Administrator, executive team, departments, and City Council stakeholders on communications strategy, audience needs, message development, timing, channels, and potential risks.
• Establish communications policies, standards, service expectations, review processes, and decision rights that improve quality, coordination, and speed.
• Lead departmental budgeting, resource planning, vendor management, and appropriate stewardship of equipment and technology.

Content, Channels, and Brand

• Lead the proactive identification, development, editing, approval, distribution, and reuse of content across web, social media, newsletters, notifications, video, print, presentations, and other channels.
• Ensure the City website and digital channels contain current, accessible, consistent, audience-centered information, including articles, stories, events, service updates, and calls to action.
• Oversee quality control for external and internal publications, broadcasts, campaigns, and digital content.
• Protect and strengthen the City brand, including voice, visual identity, trademarks, symbols, logos, and consistent application by departments and partners.
• Use plain language, compelling storytelling, imagery, and multimedia formats to help audiences understand City services, priorities, progress, and community impact.

Community and Employee Engagement

• Design and lead a coordinated approach to two-way resident engagement, including listening opportunities, community meetings, HOA outreach, citizen programs, and interaction at public events.
• Partner with departments and community organizations to identify audiences, remove participation barriers, and create meaningful opportunities for input and dialogue.
• Proactively develop, plan, and implement citizen engagement programs such as Coffee with the City Manager (or other City leaders), town halls, Gulf Shores 101 (citizen academy), and other intentional outreach and engagement initiatives.
• Strengthen employee communications so City staff receive consistent information, understand organizational priorities, and can serve effectively as ambassadors for City services.
• Track community questions, feedback, participation, and emerging communication needs and use insights to improve future outreach.

Media and Public Information Coordination

• Collaborate with the City’s designated Public Information Officer to coordinate public information planning, media outreach, press events, and communications related to City initiatives.
• Organize and coordinate press conferences, ribbon cuttings, dedications, groundbreakings, and other high-visibility City events.
• Prepare or coordinate background materials, key messages, talking points, briefing documents, and supporting content for City leaders and subject-matter experts.
• Maintain readiness for urgent, emerging, or crisis communications in coordination with the City Administrator, PIO, public safety, and relevant departments.

Measurement and Continuous Improvement

• Establish meaningful communications and engagement goals, baselines, KPIs, dashboards, and reporting practices.
• Measure reach, engagement, participation, responsiveness, content performance, channel effectiveness, and other outcomes appropriate to City priorities.
• Communicate results, insights, and recommendations to City leadership and Council and adjust strategies based on evidence and stakeholder feedback.
• Evaluate new tools, platforms, formats, and practices that can improve accessibility, efficiency, engagement, and service delivery.

Team and Organizational Leadership

• Direct, mentor, coach, and evaluate assigned staff; set clear goals, priorities, responsibilities, and professional development plans.
• Build a collaborative team culture that values initiative, accuracy, creativity, responsiveness, service, and accountability.
• Coordinate work across departments and foster shared ownership of effective organizational communication.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned, and maintain regular and reliable attendance consistent with the position’s responsibilities.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, public administration, or a related field; an equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
• Significant progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, public relations, public affairs, community engagement, marketing, or a related discipline, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing integrated communications strategies and measurable plans.
• Demonstrated experience supervising or developing staff and working effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Exceptional written, verbal, editing, presentation, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work outside standard business hours when City meetings, events, urgent communications, or operational needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or relevant professional certification.
• Experience in municipal government or another public-sector, civic, regulated, or complex stakeholder environment.
• Experience with community engagement programs, public meetings, issues management, crisis communications, and media coordination.
• Experience with website content management, digital analytics, social media management, design/content tools, mass notification systems, and open-government platforms. Familiarity with CivicPlus, Canva, OpenGov, or comparable systems is beneficial.
• Experience managing departmental budgets, external agencies, production vendors, or creative partners.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of communications strategy, audience analysis, message development, content governance, digital communications, brand management, public relations, and engagement methods.
• Ability to synthesize complex or technical information into clear, accurate, useful communications for varied audiences.
• Ability to balance long-range strategy with hands-on execution and manage multiple visible priorities with sound judgment.
• Ability to build trust, influence without relying solely on authority, navigate organizational dynamics, and resolve competing priorities constructively.
• Ability to interpret performance data, communicate insights, and connect communications activity to organizational outcomes.
• Commitment to accessibility, transparency, responsiveness, ethical communication, and equitable access to public information.

The approved salary range is $87,818 to $127,390, with a midpoint of $107,604. Starting compensation will be evaluated based on the selected candidate’s education, experience, qualifications, internal equity, and applicable approvals. Relocation assistance is available and will be determined based on individual circumstances and approval. The City offers comprehensive benefits to complement the salary provided to staff.