Career Opportunity

Director of Communications, Executive Director's Office - SF Municipal Transportation Agency (9183)

Recruitment: RTF0154828-01082645

Published: January 17, 2025

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About:

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Permanent Exempt - This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Application Opening: January 16, 2025

Deadline to Apply: January 29, 2025

Recruitment ID: PEX-9183-154829

Salary: $216,216 - $275,860 (Range A)

Division: Executive Director's Office

Section: Strategic Communications and External Affairs

Work Location: 1 South Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 

Work Hours: Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm (Additional hours as needed)

Role description

Company Description:

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a City and County of San Francisco department responsible for managing all ground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit and bicycling, paratransit, parking, traffic, walking, and taxis. The mission of the agency is to connect San Francisco through a safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation system. Our vision is a city of diverse and vibrant neighborhoods seamlessly connected by safe, reliable, affordable transportation for all.

Position Description:

The Director of Communications will serve as the chief communications strategist for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), overseeing executive communication, internal communications and management, strategic communications, government affairs, media and public relations, community engagement and outreach, marketing, and other duties as assigned. This is an executive leadership role tasked with ensuring transparent, proactive, and consistent messaging that aligns with the agency's mission to improve transportation access and safety for all San Franciscans. Reporting directly to the Director of Transportation, the Director of Communications is a core member of the agency’s executive team. This role manages a dynamic team and coordinates closely with agency partners to build public trust and foster collaboration.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Strategic Communications:
  • Ensure that the organizational structure within the Communications Division is aligned to deliver high-quality service to the agency.     
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive, organization-wide communications strategy to promote the SFMTA’s policies, programs, and services.
  • Build internal partnerships creating excitement around developing future goals regarding our customer experience.
  • Communicate strategic core agency values to ensure that the agency is aligned.
  • Develop and approve key strategies for all communications efforts across the agency. 
  • Build and maintain strong positive relationships with media, government officials, and community leaders high-pressure situations effectively.
  • Collaborate with the Director of Transportation and agency division leads to align messaging with organizational goals and priorities.
  • Manage crisis communication efforts to protect and enhance the agency’s reputation.
• Internal Communications and Management:
  • Develop metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies and make data-driven adjustments.
  • Oversee internal communication efforts to ensure staff alignment with agency goals and initiatives.
  • Manage and mentor Division staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
• Government Affairs:
  • Oversee the team that manages SFMTA’s city, state, and federal policy strategy, including budget requests and legislation.
  • Maintain and develop relationships with local, state, and federal officials, including elected officials.
  • Align the SFMTA’s policy interests with city, state, and federal policy and legislation.
• Media and Public Relations:
  • Support agency spokespeople to ensure timely and accurate responses to media inquiries and public concerns that support the agency’s long-term goals.
  • Lead a culture of proactive media engagement and oversee the development and dissemination of press releases, media advisories, and statements.
  • Support and foster agency relationships with local, regional, and national media to enhance coverage of SFMTA initiatives.
  • Identify opportunities to positively position the agency within the public realm in the media and beyond.
• Community Engagement and Outreach:
  • Coordinate strategy for public hearings, workshops, and community meetings to gather feedback and ensure transparency across the agency.
  • Create and support strategies to engage neighborhood organizations, advocacy groups, and elected officials to promote the SFMTA’s projects and initiatives.
  • Lead the development of coordinated campaigns to educate the public on transportation policies, safety, and sustainability efforts.
• Executive Communications
  • Oversee public relations and media training for the Director of Transportation, the Director of Streets, and additional key agency staff.
  • Create opportunities for the Director to speak directly to San Franciscans through proactive and long-form press and digital content.
  • Develop cohesive media and branding guidelines for the SFMTA executives to use in public-facing communications.
• Marketing
  • Oversee agency-wide marketing initiatives.
  • Coordinate with the agency’s marketing lead to develop an annual marketing plan.
  • Direct the use of digital platforms, including the SFMTA’s website, social media, and multimedia tools, to engage diverse audiences.
  • Establish a framework for the SFMTA’s engagement with the public digitally.
  • Oversee digital advertising strategy to promote positive and useful SFMTA-related content.
  • Ensure messaging and graphics are accessible, inclusive, and tailored to the city’s multilingual and multicultural communities.

Nature of Work: This is a 24-7 agency with the expectation that you will work as required to handle crisis communications, media events, and coordination with agency and community partners in the evenings and on weekends, as needed.

Working Relationships: This position will work closely with the Director of Transportation, Board of Directors, Division leads, agency staff, the press, and other city, state, and federal partners.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND;

2. Ten (10) years of verifiable, full-time experience in public relations, communications, or media management. This experience must include three (3) years of management experience.

Substitutions:

• Possession of an advanced degree in Communications, Media, Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing or Public Affairs can substitute for one (1) year of the required experience. The required management experience may not be substituted.
• Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one year.

Notes:

1. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
2. One (1) year full-time experience is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time experience.

Every application is reviewed to ensure that the minimum qualifications are met as listed in the job announcement. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.

• Knowledge of public relations, media strategy, and community outreach practices.
• Strong understanding of public transportation and political landscape, including policy challenges and opportunities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and policy information into accessible language.
• Experience overseeing staff managing communications, media, public relations, community outreach, and marketing.
• Ability to utilize data to track progress and inform successful communications outcomes.
• Demonstrated success overseeing communications in a public sector, transportation, or similarly complex organization.

What else should I know?

Verification:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Education verification information on verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Process:

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience.  Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications.  Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.