Director of Communications (Anticipated)

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 JOB DESCRIPTION DIRECTOR of COMMUNICATIONS POSITION TITLE Director of Communications DATE CREATED/AMENDED October 2026 DEPARTMENT Communications LOCATION Administration Building FULL-TIME/PART-TIME Full-Time APPOINTMENT TERM 260 Days FLSA: EXEMPT or NON-EXEMPT Exempt REPORTS TO: TITLE of POSITION SUPERVISOR Superintendent OTHER INFORMATION $90,258 - $107,915 POSITION SUMMARY INFORMATION: Under the direction of the Superintendent, the Director of Communications develops and implements strategic communication initiatives and oversees the development, coordination, and dissemination of both internal and external communications across all media platforms. The Director serves as the District's communications liaison and spokesperson, coordinates media relations, and leads communications during emergencies and other critical incidents. Functions and Responsibilities Communications

Develops

and

directs

the

Districts

strategic

messaging

and

oversees

all

communications

materials

through

all

media.

Develops,

composes,

distributes,

and

implements

policies

to

enhance

the

efficiency

of

the

communications

department

and

maintain

a

positive

corporate

brand.

Oversees

the

development

and

maintenance

of

the

corporate

website,

including

methods

to

deliver

messages,

ease

of

navigation,

and

clarity

of

information;

ensures

that

all

content

is

current

and

relevant. Social Media Management/Monitoring/Production:

Monitor

school

district

social

media

pages.

Schedule

posts,

gauge

sentiment

of

social

media

topics,

watch

trends

and

look

for

ways

to

grow

an

audience

through

page

likes/follows,

investigate

new

social

media

channels

to

use

for

the

District.

Expand

professional

relationships

with

members

of

the

local

and

regional

media.

Guide

effective

relationship-building

to

increase

public

support

and

understanding.

Create

written

communications

and

craft

responses

to

Web

site

form

requests.

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 Media Relation/Crisis Communications/Issue Management:

Work

with

individual

schools,

staff,

and

local

media

to

develop

positive

stories

about

the school District.

Prepare

statements

to

advise/train

staff

in

interviewing

situations.

Prepare

messages

for

the

emergency

notification

system

(robocalls,

texts,

emails).

Identifies,

analyzes,

responds

to,

and

tracks

issues

facing

the

school

district;

troubleshoots

negative

impacts

and

mitigates

if

necessary. Brand Management/Graphic Design:

Photograph

events,

produce

community

newsletter

layout,

maintain/update

Realtor

information

sheets,

create

graphics

for

social

media,

and

maintain

graphic

standards.

Conducts

training

on

a

variety

of

web-related

topics.

Develops,

plans,

and

organizes

significant

school

District

events

throughout

the

school

year.

Recommends

and

implements

market

research

in

support

of

the

communications

strategic

plan/

objectives.

Leadership

Serves

as

District

Cabinet

/executive

member.

Collaborates

with

executive

leadership

and

Board

of

Education

(BoE)

to

develop

the

District's

mission

statement

and

vision.

Oversees

the

District's

international

translation

and

interpretation

services

and

ensures

effective

communication

goes

out

to

multilingual

families.

Assists

executive

leadership

in

developing

presentations,

speeches,

and

other

critical

messages.

Supports

board

policies.

Provide

training

for

cabinet-level

staff.

Fiscal Responsibilities

Prepares

and

manages

the

department

budget.

Processes

and

approves

financial

transactions.

Ensures

transactions

are

processed

in

a

timely

manner.

Obtains

appropriate

approvals.

Maintain

appropriate

financial

records. Supervision:

Supervises

staff

in

the

communications

department.

Sets

performance

and

deadlines

in

ways

that

comply

with

the

Districts

plans

and

vision.

Organizes

workflow

and

ensures

that

employee(s)

understand

their

duties

or

delegated

tasks.

Monitors

employee

productivity

and

provides

constructive

feedback

and

coaching.

Prepares

performance

evaluations.

Communicate

regularly

with

employee(s)

to

ensure

that

assignments/tasks

are

being

completed.

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 Required Education: Bachelor's Degree in English/Communications/Marketing/Journalism Certifications Licenses: N/A Required Experience/Qualifications:

Minimum

of

5

years'

experience

in

a

public

relations,

communications,

or

marketing

environment/organization

or

industry.

Excellent

oral

and

written

communication

skills.

Clear

and

concise

writing

ability

for

many

purposes

(marketing,

web,

advertising,

social

media,

etc.

Expert

in

web

content

management.

Experience

with

media

relations

and

crisis

management. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Excellent

oral,

written,

and

presentation

skills

and

the

ability

to

build

and

retain

positive

relationships.

High

degree

of

creativity,

energy,

self-motivation

and

initiative.

Comprehensive

knowledge

of

publication

and

graphic

design

software.

Basic

knowledge

of

video

recording/editing

equipment/software.

Critical

thinking.

Ability

to

resolve

complex

issues

with

diplomacy.

Ability

to

multitask.

Demonstrates

the

ability

to

work

with

people

from

various

ethnic

groups

and

cultures.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's

Degree

Experience

working

in

an

Education

environment

Knowledge

of

web

content

management

Adobe

Photoshop,

Canva,

or

similar

software

Physical Demands/Work Environment: The usual and customary methods of performing the job's functions require the following physical demands:

occasional

lifting,

carrying,

pushing,

and/or

pulling;

and

significant

fine

finger

dexterity.

Generally

the

job

requires

20%

sitting,

40%

walking,

and

40%

standing.

The

job

is

performed

under

minimal

temperature

variations

and

is

generally

a

hazard

free

environment.

Reasonable

accommodations

may

be

made

to

enable

individuals

with

disabilities

to

perform

the

essential

functions. Acknowledgements:

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position.

Incumbents

will

follow

any

other

directives,

and

perform

any

other

related

duties

as

assigned

by

the

Superintendent.

____

__

Supervisor

Signature

Date

____

__

Employee

Signature

Date