Title: Senior Manager Public Affairs
Number of Direct Reports: Two (2) direct reports
Reports to: Director of Education
Number of Indirect Reports: Approximately twenty-five (25) indirect reports through the managers
Departments: Trustees' Office, Director's Office
Requirements: Regular office hours, plus consistent evening Board meetings, and ad hoc meetings (flexibility required)
Salary: Pending evaluation - $133,483-156,173
The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering, and Oshawa. The DDSB employs 10,000 staff in a wide variety of roles and is one of the largest employers in Durham Region. With 136 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the DDSB accommodates more than 79,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses.
The DDSB recognizes Indigenous rights are distinct. In the exercise of those rights, Indigenous staff and students shall not be subjected to actions with the aim or effect of depriving these distinct rights.
The DDSB is committed to learning and working environments that centre human rights and equity and that are safe, welcoming, respectful, equitable, accessible, inclusive and free from discrimination, oppression, harassment and harm.
Job Purpose
The Senior Manager Public Affairs will be responsible for Communications and Board Services. They provide advice on the strategic vision and direction required to build and protect the reputation of the Durham District School Board. The Senior Manager Public Affairs will support senior leadership, provide effective trustee board governance and will be a key driver to achieve strategic alignment, operational flexibility, and high levels of engagement with internal and external stakeholders. The Senior Manager Public Affairs has outstanding communication skills, the ability to build and nurture relationships across all functions, and understands the intersection between communications, policy and advocacy.
Accountabilities:
Leads and Mentors Staff
Lead and inspire teams towards achieving organizational goals by cultivating a collaborative and supportive work culture, fostering growth, and maximizing team performance.
Communications
Lead the design and implementation of a multi-channel communication framework and public affairs strategy to advance the Board's strategic objectives and to enhance and promote DDSB.
accountable for developing strategies to effectively manage relationships with internal and external DDSB communities, including the media and local communities, elected officials and senior officials from various levels of government, and invested organizations, with the goal of securing support to advance the Board's objectives.
Develops and executes an overarching strategic communications plan and associated change management plan for overall communications across the Board.
Oversees Communications/Public Relations and Board Services and departments, aligning their work to the strategic priorities of the Board and the senior team's direction.
Develops, manage, executes, evaluates and reports on a strategic crisis management plan for the Board.
Supports equity and inclusion initiatives undertaken across the system.
Advises on public engagement and consultation strategies to advance Board priorities, policies and procedures.
Coaches and provides advice to senior leaders and communications staff to enable them to be proactive, credible communicators, aligned to their core objectives, for their teams and the Board.
Through communications activities, build a credible, transparent culture that focuses on dynamic and sophisticated programs that encourage two-way dialogue.
Lead the communications team in optimizing the communications strategy, incorporating the development of social media, digital, and video content into the overall communications toolkit.
Board Services
Provides support services to the Board of Trustees, and its various Committees including overseeing the preparation of agenda, issuing of notices, recording of proceedings, advising the Chairperson, and other trustees on points of procedure, the board's by-laws and policies.
Ensures the accuracy of the official record of the Board by reviewing, editing and finalizing all reports prepared in the Board Services areas.
Ensures that minutes and summaries of proceedings are prepared within the required timelines and that recommendations or resolutions are properly worded to reflect the decisions of the Board and its committees.
Provides advice to the Chair of the Board, the Vice Chair and the Chairs of major Committees on procedural issues both in writing and at meeting.
Prepares reports to the Board and its Committees on governance issues, including the Board by-laws and any issues affecting the composition and mandate of committees and trustee representation on external groups or boards.
Oversees all arrangements for the organizational meeting of the Board to ensure that elections of the various Chairs and Committee members take place within the framework of the Board by-laws, and in the case of the organizational meeting, immediately following the municipal election.
Collaborate with legal team on privacy and governance matters.
Develops a Trustee Orientation Program for newly elected trustees.
Provides workshops on chairing meetings, writing motions, rules of order, etc.
Develops and maintains an electronic tracking system for all board motions.
Provides additional support for the Chair, Vice-Chair and other trustees (e.g. editing and finalizing correspondence, daily operational requests and procedural advice prior to and at meetings of the board and its committees).
Knowledge and Skills
Senior leadership skills and strategic communications expertise including public engagement, brand enhancement, and digital and media relations.
Ability to provide senior technical and administrative leadership to high profile communication and public affairs department with multiple projects, stakeholders and competing demands.
Strong data management and understanding of educational quality indicators to inform progression of work.
Superior strategic thinking and facilitating skills to act in integrator role to mitigate against and resolve impediments to project advancement.
Highly developed oral/written/public speaking to develop, present, recommend, implement, and manage reports, projects and programs.
Knowledge of budget development and management processes
Knowledge of public sector, and governance model for public education
Experience with vendor development to management development and delivery of externally provided products and services and monitor service delivery and performance against contract provisions.
Demonstrated capacity to secure accountability to Indigenous Rights, Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion.
Capacity to understand and support the governance model to fulfil the role of parliamentarian.
Education and Experience
Education
Completion of a post-secondary program in a related discipline (e.g., public relations OR, public policy OR governance (board of directors, board of trustees) OR strategic communications leadership.), or a combination of education, training and experience deemed to be equivalent.
Experience
Experience and capacity to develop and lead teams in using strategic frameworks is required.
Demonstrated expertise in effective team and people leadership. Candidates must possess a clear and demonstrable ability to inspire, motivate, and lead teams towards achieving organizational goals. Proven track record of cultivating a collaborative and supportive work culture, fostering growth, and maximizing team performance.
Minimum of 3 years of related experience leading diverse communication functions, developing and implementing multi-stakeholder plans, and senior level problem solving
Experience with agenda and minute preparation.
The DDSB is committed to equity and inclusion in the recruitment and hiring of qualified staff who reflect the diversity of our region. We encourage submissions from candidates who represent the various dimensions of diversity. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs.