Police Department Director of Public Affairs (PS Information Officer IV)

The Police Department is seeking an experienced public safety information and media relations professional to serve as Director of Public Affairs. This position provides overall leadership, direction, and strategic guidance for the Department’s public affairs and external communications program.

Duties include:

• Lead and manage the Department’s public affairs program, including all external communications initiatives.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs.
• Supervise and guide a communications team actively engaged in outreach through social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter/X, WordPress, and Instagram.
• Advise and consult with the Chief of Police, Assistant Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs, and other department leadership on public affairs policies, procedures, and messaging strategies.
• Serve as the Department’s principal advisor on media relations and public information matters.
• Coordinate and conduct training for department members on media relations and public affairs practices.
• Manage and coordinate community and media information releases to ensure accuracy, transparency, and public trust.

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

• Serves on 24-hour call, with responsibility for notifying County officials of significant incidents;
• Makes decisions under pressure and deadlines regarding information that may be released to the media;
• Coordinates and provides information regarding emergency incidents and other sensitive matters to the news media;
• Plans, directs, and executes publicity campaigns designed to inform citizens about various county programs, events or legislation;
• Supervises the work of subordinates engaged, in public information activities;
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with members of the media;
• Responds to requests for information regarding agency/County programs;
• Provides assistance to agency/County staff as to the most effective means of communicating information to the general public, government employees, and other target groups;
• May interact directly with the Board of Supervisors and County Executive's Office on behalf of the department;
• Provides strategic communication leadership for the department/division.

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of public safety area of expertise: fire and safety, police, public health, emergency management;
• Knowledge of the principles and methods of public affairs work;
• Ability to write clear, concise and effective informational material and skill in editing written material;
• Detailed knowledge of the requirements of the media regarding content, format, and timing of official releases;
• Broad knowledge of the principles of public administration and public relations as applied to public safety issues and local government operations;
• Ability to plan and execute photographic coverage of complex events;
• Ability to adapt broadly defined policy guidance to specific situations with a minimal amount of supervision;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Ability to participate in meaningful interchange of views on matters of critical importance to the County;
• Ability to plan and review the work of others;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with the public, the press, and County employees;
• Ability to speak extemporaneously on a broad variety of County-related issues and occurrences;
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with County government;
• officials and representatives of the media;
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the National Incident Management System.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for “Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to”)
Bachelor's degree in communication, journalism, public relations or related field or field of public safety specialization (fire, police, health, safety), plus at least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in management and supervision, which includes 5 years as a media or communications professional or first responder communicator to include four years of social media experience.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, credit check, and driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Strong media or public safety communications relations knowledge combined with leadership and management experience.
• Experience implementing and sustaining social media platforms to engage with the community.
• Experience supervising a team of communicators and ability to manage and facilitate team processes and discussions.
• Experience in understanding both technical and business components of strategic communications including media relations, both day-to-day operations and during emergency situations.
• Project management experience.
• Ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders.