Posted On: February 29, 2016

Media-Related Job

Media Organization: NYC Comptroller's Office

Company Description

The New York City Comptroller, an independently elected official, is the Chief Financial Officer of the City of New York. The mission of the office is to ensure the financial health of New York City by advising the Mayor, the City Council, and the public of the City's financial condition. The Comptroller also makes recommendations on City programs and operations, fiscal policies, and financial transactions. In addition, the Comptroller manages assets of the five New York City Pension Funds, performs budgetary analysis, audits city agencies, registers proposed contracts, etc. His office employs a workforce of over 700 professional staff members. These employees include accountants, attorneys, computer analysts, economists, engineers, budget, financial and investment analysts, claim specialists and researchers in addition to clerical and administrative support staff.

Job Description

The New York City Comptroller’s Office is seeking a Press Secretary to join its press and communications team. The press office plays a key role in driving and articulating the Comptroller’s overall policy agenda and media strategy, including supporting all Bureaus on external communications and manage interactions with media and press. The office also responds to journalists’ requests for

information, disseminates news about major initiatives, and communicates with the public through traditional and digital media.
Candidates are expected to be seasoned communications, public relations or journalism professionals who thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, enjoy working within a team, and have deep expertise with New York City media, press relations, public policy and government. This is an ideal opportunity for an accomplished self-starter who can work quickly and write well under time constraints, think strategically and handle a myriad of challenging responsibilities on a wide range of policy areas.
Under the direction of the Communications Director, the Press Secretary’s major responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Serving as the primary spokesperson for the Comptroller and point of contact for inquiries from members of the media, building relationships with print, broadcast, radio and online journalists and regularly pitching story ideas to media, including mainstream outlets, financial press and neighborhood-based media in all five boroughs;

Helping to organize and run press conferences and preparing supporting materials including writing press releases, speeches, talking points and other external-facing materials, while working closely with staff throughout the agency to ensure accuracy;

Working with senior leadership to help implement a comprehensive communications strategy to share the work of the Comptroller’s Office with a wide range of stakeholders;

Helping to coordinate the day-to-day operations of the communications team including press officers, speech writers and social media strategists to ensure efficient execution of goals;

Closely monitoring coverage of City, State and National issues relevant to the Comptroller’s Office to address daily media inquiries; and

Working with existing staff to maintain digital media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and developing strategies to utilize video and new media tools to broaden the Office's outreach efforts.

Performing other related functions and duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
A BA/BS degree from an accredited college in English, journalism, public relations or closely related fields, and five (5) or more years of full-time paid experience in public relations, journalism, speechwriting or advertising or related fields, one years of which should be in an administrative or a supervisory capacity; or
A satisfactory equivalent.

PREFERRED SKILLS IN ADDITION TO MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Demonstrated skill and affinity for writing about a wide range of public policy issues as well as the ability to tailor often complex messages to diverse audiences;

Familiarity with urban policy and experience with government programs, policies and data analysis, most specifically those of New York City;

Superior analytical skills and oral and written communication skills;

Established relationships with the print and broadcast media covering New York City government and the skill to establish and cultivate new relationships with the press corps;

Experience working for an elected official or government agency is desired.

To Apply

TO APPLY, GO TO: Employment Opportunities at www.comptroller.nyc.gov