Director of Communications and Community Engagement; Public Information Officer

Overview

The Director of Communications and Community Engagement serves as the City’s senior communications professional and Public Information Officer, responsible for leading citywide communications, media relations, community engagement, and public outreach. Under the general direction of the City Manager’s Office, the Director develops and implements comprehensive communication strategies that ensure timely, accurate, and consistent information sharing with residents, businesses, visitors, employees, and external partners.

This position provides strategic leadership to strengthen transparency, build public trust, support informed decision-making, and promote civic participation. The Director plays a critical role in shaping the City’s public narrative, coordinating emergency communications, and fostering meaningful connections between the City organization and the community. This position will have some weekend and extended hours depending upon events occurring within the city.

To be considered, interested candidates need to apply on the City of Rowlett career page:

The City of Rowlett offers a great work/life balance schedule by offering a 4-day work week with normal business hours of 7:30 am - 5:30 pm depending on departmental work schedules. We have great benefit and compensation packages as well as a 7%, 2:1 match TMRS pension.

• Leadership and Management
  • Provide executive leadership and direction for the Communications & Community Engagement Department.
  • Develop departmental goals, policies, work plans, budgets, and performance metrics aligned with City priorities.
  • Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate professional and support staff.
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to the City Manager, executive leadership team, and department directors on communication and engagement matters.
• Public Information and Media Relations
  • Serve as the City’s designated Public Information Officer.
  • Develop and oversee media relations strategies, including press releases, media briefings, interviews, and spokesperson coordination.
  • Ensure consistent, accurate, and timely messaging across all City departments and platforms.
  • Represent the City in interactions with the media, community groups, partner agencies, and regional organizations.
• Emergency and Crisis Communications
  • Lead planning and execution of emergency and crisis communications related to public safety, weather events, infrastructure incidents, and other critical situations.
  • Coordinate communications efforts with public safety agencies, regional partners, and internal departments during emergencies.
  • Maintain readiness through development, testing, and continuous improvement of crisis communication plans.
• Community Engagement and Public Participation
  • Design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive community engagement strategies to promote transparency, participation, and trust.
  • Develop inclusive outreach methods to engage diverse populations, neighborhoods, businesses, and stakeholders.
  • Oversee community forums, town halls, public meetings, and other engagement initiatives.
  • Advise departments on public engagement approaches for major projects, policies, and initiatives.
• City-Sponsored Events
  • Plan, implement, and evaluate all City-sponsored community events, including festivals, celebrations, ceremonies, and public programs.
  • Coordinate event logistics, communications, staffing, vendor partnerships, sponsor ships, and interdepartmental collaboration.
  • Develop event strategies that support community connection, civic pride, and City branding objectives.
  • Evaluate event outcomes and community feedback to inform continuous improvement.
• Digital Communications and Creative Services
  • Oversee the City’s digital platforms, including websites, social media, email communications, mobile applications, and digital advertising.
  • Direct creative services including branding, graphic design, publications, photography, videography, and multimedia storytelling.
  • Ensure accessibility, consistency, and effectiveness of all digital and visual communications.
  • Utilize analytics and performance data to inform strategy and optimize communication efforts.
• Internal and Intergovernmental Communications
  • De…