Job Information
City of New York Assistant Commissioner, Public Information in New York, New York
Job Description
The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the City towards the smallest jail system possible without compromising public safety. DOC is solely responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for staff, visitors, volunteers, and people in custody inside our jails. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with over 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledge experts.
The Office of Public Information is dedicated to disseminating up-to-date information about DOC to our personnel and the public and facilitating external communication with the media. DOC seeks to recruit a dynamic candidate to serve as the Assistant Commissioner for Public Information. Under executive direction and with wide latitude for independent decision-making and initiative, the incumbent will report to the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information and will be responsible for ensuring DOC communication strategy is consistent and reflects the organization’s strategic vision. The successful candidate will be responsible for the following tasks:
Develop and deploy effective communication strategies and tactics to inform and engage departmental
employees
Improve audience-focused communication, tailoring messaging to drive impact; serve as a resource
across departments and functional units to advise and align communication planning
Measure effectiveness and engagement through surveys, focus groups and metrics to evolve DOC’s
communication strategy
Support the creation of compelling communication assets that connect employees to departmental
objectives, initiatives and goals
Identify and leverage effective communication channels across the organization; cultivate employee
engagement through building community with impactful messaging
Inform and engage employees through activating an internal network to source news for use across
channels, town halls, newsletters, departmental memos, intranet, lead local intranet content planning
and delivery
Manage departmental ceremonies and events in collaboration with the ceremonial unit
Evaluate and plan modifications and improvements for digital communications
Audit communication channels to increase content quality and navigation; research competitive best
practices and new approaches to influence the evolution of employee engagement and communication
Enhance staff engagement activities and manage strategic and external partnerships
Provide communications advice to the senior leadership team; perform related duties as assigned.
Provide coverage in the absence of the Deputy Commissioner on communication issues, both internal
and external.
Qualifications
A Master’s Degree from an accredited college in Public Administration, Personnel Administration,
Business Administration, Human Services, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Psychology or a related
field, plus three years of satisfactory experience of a nature to qualify for the duties and responsibilities
of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, or
executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities related to the duties of the position; or
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and five years of satisfactory experience of a nature to
qualify for the duties and responsibilities of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in
an administrative, managerial, or executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities
related to the duties of the position; or
A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and nine years of satisfactory, full-time
progressively responsible experience as described in "1" above, 18 months of which must have been in
an administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory capacity.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.