Director of Communications and Special Projects

Primary Purpose:
Organize, lead, and execute district projects assigned by the Chief of Communications & Operations and
Superintendent that may fall outside the scope of regular school operations. This position creates the project plan,
defines the strategic implications of the project and determines the requirements to achieve a successful
implementation. Help present Crandall ISD to the world in an accurate, appealing manner. Through communications,
websites, social media, stories, newsletters, articles, photos, videos and constant contact with stakeholders—
internally and externally—you have the chance to tell the story of our district, our students and our teachers.
 

Qualifications:

Education/Certification:
Valid Texas teacher certification
Principal certification
Master's degree in Education-Related field
 

Special Knowledge/Skills:
Critical thinking and problem solving skills
Planning and organizing skills
Demonstrated decision-making skills
Strong writing, editing, and research skills
Ability to lead and work collaboratively in teams
Ability to delegate
Negotiations skills
Ability to manage conflict
Ability to adapt to changing and stressful situations
 

Experience:
Five (5) years teaching experience
Five (5) years leadership experience
 

Major Responsibilities and Duties:
Essential Functions
1. Initiate, plan, execute, monitor, control, and close each project in a proper timeline.
2. Serve as a liaison to campuses, directors, departments, school districts, companies, and other stakeholders
involved in the projects. (This includes the Heartland Education Foundation)
3. Ensure the scope of the projects assigned are innovative and successful and that staff complete each phase
of the project within the scheduled timelines.
4. Troubleshoot and make quick, informed decisions about potential and foreseen technical problem areas.
Implements and manages project changes and interventions to achieve project outputs.
5. Develop full-scale project plans including review of workflow, establishment of controls, defining project
tasks and resource requirements, execution timeline, integration and recommendations for continuous
improvement.
6. Manages project budget, quality assurance, resource allocation, and schedule project timelines.
7. Ensures on-going monitoring of the project and provides updated on progress of the project to all
stakeholders. Reporting will include progress update, problems and proposed solutions.
8. Manage vendor services and relationships.
9. Prepare press releases and publish articles and photos in local media and other publications, including district
website news and internal/external communications.
10. Identifies training needs, develops user guides and training materials, and coordinates and delivers training
with other staff - training for campus/district website, newsletters, digital signage, social media
11. Manage the strategic and creative design
12. Manage the district website; District webmaster and web-service support for district and campuses.
13. Provide support to both internal and external communications needs of the district and campuses with a
focus on social media, stories, newsletters, articles, photos and videos.
14. Works with the all district departments to provide public information and public
relations activities in support of programs and services within those departments.
15. Skill in utilizing multiple communication mediums to convey information, internally and externally.
16. Creation and gathering of material for internal and external communication
17. Coordinate, organize and train all appropriate staff for digital signage on campuses
18. Serve as district reporter for newsgathering and write articles for a variety of district publications.
19. Cover events throughout workweek as needed.
20. Create, edit and proofread all marketing materials such as brochures, emails and advertisements.
21. Coordinate, monitor and oversee editorial/social media calendars and timelines.
22. Participate in event planning which may include community events.
23. Available via phone during an emergency.
24. Work flexible hours; evening and/or weekend work required.
25. Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures.
 

Supervisory Responsibilities:
May supervise assigned staff.
 

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:
Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment including personal computer, laptop, iPad and digital camera
Posture: Prolonged sitting; occasional bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting
Motion: Repetitive hand motions, frequent keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching
Lifting: Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds)
Environment: May work prolonged or irregular hours; occasional districtwide and statewide travel
Mental Demands: Work with frequent interruptions; maintain emotional control under stress