Colorado House Democrats - Deputy Communications Director

[Colorado House Democrats]

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 71st General Assembly. This is a time-limited position; work starts in middle to late November or early December 2017 and runs through May 2018.

The deputy communications director has many masters: the speaker of the House; other members of caucus leadership and the rest of the House Democratic caucus, which currently numbers 37 in all; the speaker’s chief of staff; and the communications director. While the deputy communications director reports directly to the communications director and chief of staff, the successful deputy comms director must skillfully juggle the competing demands of this diverse group.

We plan to significantly increase our video and social media operations in the 2018 legislative session, and the new deputy comms director will be instrumental in shaping that growth.

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
  
• Create, edit and distribute video that advances the messages and goals of the Colorado House Democratic caucus
  
• Contribute to the formulation of press strategy
  
• Develop relationships and be in frequent communication with reporters, editors and news directors and be conversant with caucus members’ bills and policy positions, while being judicious in your communications and keeping all press conversations on background
  
• Pitch TV, radio and print outlets on Colorado House Democrats’ legislative efforts
  
• Support the values and policy initiatives of the Colorado House Democrats
  
• Communicate and coordinate with the policy and outreach shops within the House majority office
  
• Write press advisories for members’ outreach events and press conferences
  
• Set up and staff press conferences
  
• Be adept at Twitter, Facebook and other social media; experience with creating graphics preferred
  
• 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 news outlets
  
• An employment history that includes government, public policy or political campaign work
  
• Journalism experience
  
• 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 video and 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 full-time opportunity within the office or other job opportunities in Colorado.

To apply for this position, send a resume and a cover letter explaining why you are a good candidate for the job to co.hou...@gmail.com. Please put “deputy comms director” in the subject field of your email. 

Application deadline is Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, but applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so please submit promptly.