Media Relations Director

About the Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis

The Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis serves Harris County, the largest county in Texas and the third largest in the United States. In a fast‑moving policy environment, our decisions shape statewide and national conversations on democracy, justice, health, climate resilience, and economic dignity. Commissioner Rodney Ellis is a nationally respected leader with a decades‑long record of advancing civil rights, justice, and equity in Texas.

Alongside a strategic leadership team, an expert policy division, and a community affairs team with deep ties across the county, we’re building one of the most sophisticated and values‑driven communications shops in local government.

Our communications operation integrates narrative, press, digital, and creative into a unified engine that meets the moment, moves public organizing, and delivers results for the people we serve. We hold high standards and provide high support, offering candid feedback, teamwork without ego, strategic thinking, calm decision‑making, and a shared commitment to human dignity and public service. If you want to do work that leaves a mark—on your career, on this country, and on issues that shape our future—you belong here.

We recruit nationally; relocation to Houston is required.

Harris County is the third‑largest county in the United States and one of the most diverse communities in the nation. What happens here often shapes statewide and national conversations—from voting rights and public health to climate resilience and economic justice. Serving Harris County means working at scale, under real scrutiny, with real consequences for millions of residents. The Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis operates at the intersection of policy, community, and national relevance—offering communications professionals an opportunity to do serious, values‑driven public service work that travels far beyond local headlines.

• Media strategy leadership:
  • Build the annual earned‑media plan aligned with the priorities of the office, the narrative plan, and policy calendar.
  • Define target outlets, key beats, editorial‑board goals, validators, and a forward‑looking moments calendar.
  • Set clear goals for framing, reach, and impact.
• Coverage planning & placement:
  • Plan and place stories with smart sequencing—exclusives and embargoes—line up validators and surrogates and keep an editorial‑board roadmap to land our “why” and “how” in top outlets.
• Rapid response:
  • Lead rapid response—define triggers, agree on a message with the Director of Narrative Strategy, the Communications Director, and the leadership team; keep pre‑approved language current; and meet speed targets.
• Risk & crisis communications:
  • Set crisis posture and holding lines; coordinate legal/policy review; monitor and counter rumors and misinformation.
• Team management & coaching:
  • Manage and coach the Press Secretary and Community Media Manager—set objectives, run 1:1s, review copy, and develop talent.
  • Coordinate Spanish‑language work with County translation services or trusted partners.
• Reporter and editor relationships:
  • Own and deepen relationships with key reporters and editors across local, state, and national outlets; schedule desk visits, background briefings, and media mixers.
  • Maintain a reputation for credibility, speed, and accuracy.
• Integrated launches:
  • Co‑lead launch plans with Narrative, Digital, and Creative teams so press coverage is in sync with other communication channels.
• Spokesperson preparation:
  • Oversee media prep for the Commissioner and principals including briefing materials, key lines, Q&A, pivots, and interview preparation.
• Equity, language, and access:
  • Ensure culturally relevant framing; secure multilingual placements.
• Measurement & learning:
  • Partner with the Digital Director, track how often our framing appears in coverage, placement quality, and audience reach.
  • Publish a monthly “what worked / scale–pause–adjust” note; refresh the priority topics and targets quarterly.
• Standards & systems:
  • Maintain media policies and press playbooks (background and attribution norms, exclusives, response‑time expectations); keep press…