Deputy Communications Director, House Dems-Denver, CO
Riley Kitts
Deputy Communications Director, Colorado House Majority Office
The majority office in the Colorado House of Representatives is looking to fill the vacant position of deputy communications director for the second session of the 70th General Assembly. Work starts Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, and runs through the end of May 2016.
The deputy communications director has many masters: the speaker of the House, currently Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst ; other members of caucus leadership and the rest of the House Democratic caucus, which currently numbers 34 in all; the majority chief of staff, currently Ian Silverii; and the communications director, currently Dean Toda. While the chain of command runs downward in the order just described, those lines are sometimes blurry and the successful deputy comms director must skillfully juggle the competing demands of this diverse group.
The successful candidate will also:
- Write lots of press releases with clear, clean,
concise and above all accurate prose under deadline pressure in the high-energy,
fast-paced atmosphere of the legislative session, which runs from the first
week of January to the first week of May
- Be chatty with reporters, editors and news
directors and conversant with caucus members’ bills and policy positions, while
keeping all press conversations on background
- Support the policies of the Colorado House
Democrats. Such support will be hard to maintain unless one’s political
inclinations lean toward the progressive side of the spectrum
- Communicate and coordinate with caucus members
and with the policy and outreach shops within the House majority office
- Write press advisories for members’ outreach
events and press conferences
- Contribute to the formulation of press strategy
- Set up and staff press conferences
- Be adept at Word, Twitter and Facebook
- Be familiar with Associated Press style
Bonus points will be awarded for:
- Sufficient fluency in spoken and written Spanish
to fully engage Colorado’s Spanish-language press corps
- An employment history that includes government,
public policy or political campaign work
- A degree in communications, journalism or
political science from an accredited college or university
Salary will be commensurate with experience.
This is a fun and exciting position for an individual with writing skills and a strong work ethic. Though this is a temporary position, a successful tenure as deputy comms director may open the door to a variety of campaign job opportunities in Colorado or elsewhere just as the 2016 election season gets into full swing.
To apply for this position, submit to co.hou...@gmail.com a resume and a cover letter explaining why you are a good candidate for the job. Application deadline is Friday, Sept. 25, 2015.