Communications Director

The Oregon Youth Authority is looking for a Communications Director who can serve as the steady, strategic voice of an agency that is often in the public eye. When a story breaks about a youth in our care, when the Legislature asks hard questions, when a community is trying to understand what reform really looks like — you are the person who makes OYA clear, credible, and human.

Reporting directly to the agency Director, you will lead OYA’s Communications Office, set enterprise communications strategy, serve as our lead spokesperson, and guide crisis and internal communications across nine close-custody facilities and statewide community programs. This is high-scrutiny, high-trust work: your decisions protect youth confidentiality, shape public understanding of juvenile justice, and carry real consequences for the people we serve.

We are looking for a communicator who leads with both rigor and an equity lens, builds trust at every level of a large and dispersed organization, and turns complex, sensitive issues into honest, accessible messages. If you want your communications work to truly matter, this is where it will.

About OYA

The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) is a national leader in the juvenile justice field, pioneering the implementation of a positive human development framework for its work with staff and youth, and using data to match the right youth with the right services. We seek to foster cultural competence and pursue equitable solutions to support youth under our care. Our agency mission is to protect the public and reduce crime by holding youth accountable and providing opportunities for reformation in safe environments.

If you are looking to join a team that values individual and cultural differences and the opportunity to contribute in the success of youth reformation by enriching our workforce with diversity,

* OYA wants to hear from you
* !

* People of color, women and other members of historically underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply!*

For more information please visit
www.oregon.gov/oya.

Join Us on Tuesday, June 30 between 2:00pm-2:30pm PST for Q&A Career Chat session about this position! You will have an opportunity to ask questions about this position and about OYA. This is not a mandatory requirement to join this session, just a friendly environment to ask questions and to learn a little more about OYA.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor s degree in business administration, public administration, public relations, marketing, journalism, behavioral science, social science, or related field AND five years of professional level experience in public relations or public affairs; OR
• Eight years of experience directly related to the position under recruitment. Five of the eight years must have been at the professional level.

Note:
Professional-level public relations or public affairs experience means work in which the person independently exercised judgment to plan, develop, and carry out communications — writing and shaping messages for external or internal audiences, advising others on communication strategy, managing media or stakeholder relationships, or owning a communications product or campaign. To learn more about the classification specifications, please go here.

Special

Qualifications:

• Driver License
  
  Required:
  
  Driving is an essential function of this position. A valid driver license and an acceptable driving record are required for this position. We will conduct pre-employment driving records checks on our final candidate(s).

Required Skills:

Knowledge and ability to post and manage social media sites, publication tools, and limited video production.

Desired Attributes:

If you have these qualities, let us know! It’s how we will choose whom to move forward!

Note:
You do not need to have all of these qualities to be eligible for this position.

• Strategic communications leadership
  - Experience developing and guiding organization wide communication strategies and advising executives on messaging and direction.
• Media relations and crisis communication — Skilled in serving as a spokesperson, managing media inquiries, and leading communications during urgent or high‑profile…