Director Of Internal Communications

About the Position and the Agency

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is looking for an innovative, dynamic professional to develop, implement, and lead the agency’s Internal Communications plan through an unprecedented period of growth and transformation. OPRHP saw record visitation to our 250 parks and historic sites in 2022 with more than 79 million visitors, a number which we likely exceeded in 2023. The agency has benefited from historic capital investment over the past several years which has revitalized our parks and historic sites and has allowed us to develop and open new parks. The state has also made a significant commitment to staffing our parks and historic sites in recognition of the need to maintain our parks and to provide our visitors with a fantastic and memorable experience.

OPRHP is highly decentralized, with 250 parks and historic sites spread out statewide between eleven park regions, all the way from Montauk Point in the Long Island Region, to Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region, to Robert Moses State Park in the Thousand Islands Region. The Director of Internal Communications will facilitate open dialogue between and among regional staff, staff in the Albany Office, and the executive team. The incumbent will report to and collaborate with the Director of Public Information to develop and lead the execution of an Internal Communications Strategy. The goal of this initiative will be to provide agency managers and staff with access to information regarding program updates, projects, and initiatives. The selected candidate will work collaboratively with the executive team, bureau and unit-based staff, and other key agency stakeholders to obtain, maintain, and disseminate information.

You may have heard; Parks is turning 100 years old in 2024! See more about the Parks Centennial here: NYS Parks Centennial - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. The Director of Internal Communications will play a vital role in ensuring that our next 100 years starts off with a bang. We’ll see you out there!

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience. Two years of the experience must have been at a supervisory level.

Our ideal candidate possesses:

• A strong track record of facilitating and leading organizational communications
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment while juggling multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality

Duties Description

• Collaborates with the Director of Public Information to develop and lead the execution of an Internal Communications strategy in support of the agency’s organizational priorities and goals.
• Independently develops communications plans, strategies, messages, and supporting materials for agency initiatives in partnership with other internal teams.
• Assists Executive Staff in shaping and communicating agency priorities and goals
• Provides agency managers and staff with access to information regarding program updates, projects, and initiatives as well as traditionally sought-after employee information.
• Works collaboratively with executive staff, bureau and program-based stakeholders to obtain, maintain, and disseminate information regarding internal and external projects, programs, and policies.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for all Internal Communications.
• Monitors and evaluates Internal Communications effectiveness, awareness, understanding, and support and takes appropriate action based on these findings.
• Creates and maintains an internal content calendar to track and prioritize agency-wide Internal Communications and assure communications are inclusive and accessible to a diverse audience.
• Serves as editor for the agency newsletter.
• Updates, maintains, and disseminates information using the agency’s intranet site.
• Creates various communications products and content to highlight Commissioner priorities.
• Assists in planning and developing materials for the Agency’s leadership meetings.

Make a tangible impact on your community. Parks are for everyone, and all are welcome here: People of every age, ability, color, or creed belong here – without exceptions – yourself included! People of every kind come visit us in order to have experiences – and at OPRHP, we get to be part of these special times in truly meaningful ways. See how you can make a difference as a part of Team OPRHP!

Telecommuting

• Telecommuting is available and can be discussed at interview

If you are interested in being considered for this exciting opportunity, please send a cover letter and resume to the following e-mail address: Albany.Employment@parks.ny.gov .

If you have any questions, you may contact Brian Lee, Director of Personnel for NYS Parks and Recreation at 518-474-0453.

If you would like to learn more about employment with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, please visit our website at Employment - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $97,908.00 - $123,761.00 per year

Benefits:

• Commuter assistance
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

• Do you have 5 years or more of Internal Communications experience for a large company or agency?
• Do you have 2 years or more of supervisory experience of an Internal Communications team within a large company or agency?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Albany, NY 12207: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person