Communications Director (Legislative Senior Aide I, Grade N18)

Salary: $89,721.00 - $144,272.00 Annually
Location : 100 Maryland Ave Rockville MD 20850 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number:
Department: County Council
Division: CCL 01 Council Members and Staff
Opening Date: 11/09/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
FLSA: Exempt

About the Position
Please Note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $64,104 - $82,149, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

The Office of a Montgomery County Councilmember seeks an experienced, hands-on Communications Director to translate the Councilmember's leadership, the office's work, and legislative initiatives into timely, accurate, and compelling information that helps residents understand, access, and benefit from County government. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and working closely with the Councilmember, this position owns communications strategy and execution across written, digital, visual, multimedia, media, and public-event settings.
The ideal candidate is a proactive strategist and skilled producer who can independently plan ahead, recognize opportunities, manage competing demands, and deliver polished work with limited oversight. The role requires excellent judgment, political awareness, creativity, disciplined time management, and the ability to adjust quickly as legislative developments, community needs, and public priorities evolve.

What You'll Be Doing
Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Advise the Councilmember and Chief of Staff on communications strategy, audience, timing, message, platform, opportunity, and risk; bring forward clear recommendations rather than waiting for detailed direction.
• Translate legislative initiatives, committee leadership, budget decisions, constituent priorities, and the S.M.A.R.T. agenda into accessible, accurate communications that explain why the work matters and how it benefits the local community.
• Develop and manage an integrated communications plan, editorial calendar, and production schedule that balances planned campaigns with rapid-response needs and competing office deadlines.
• Independently, draft and edit speeches, talking points, statements, press releases, media advisories, newsletters, website content, constituent communications, presentations, opinion pieces, and briefing materials.
• Create, schedule, publish, and evaluate platform-appropriate social media, graphics, photography, short-form video, reels, captions, scripts, email content, and printed materials.
• Lead media relations by pitching stories, responding to inquiries, preparing the Councilmember for interviews, monitoring coverage, maintaining relationships, and identifying opportunities for timely amplification or correction.

• Support press conferences, public appearances, community meetings, and office events through advance planning, messaging, media coordination, on-site content capture, and prompt follow-up.
• Work across the office to gather facts, confirm policy and legislative context, coordinate approvals, anticipate communications needs, and ensure staff responsibilities and deadlines remain clear.
• Engage County departments, Council offices, community organizations, businesses, residents, and other stakeholders to communicate initiatives accurately and elevate relevant community voices.
• Use analytics and audience feedback to assess performance, strengthen reach and engagement, and recommend adjustments to strategy.
• Maintain accuracy, accessibility, brand consistency, confidentiality, public-records compliance, and appropriate approval protocols; escalate material risks, uncertainties, or delays early under the office's no-surprises standard.
• Support the Councilmember's Economic Development portfolio through research, constituent correspondence, stakeholder coordination, issue tracking, briefings, and related public information.
• Participate in evening and weekend meetings, community events, and time-sensitive communications as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: One (1) year of progressively responsible experience in legislative/policy research or communications and/or professional level experience in a subject area relevant to local government administration.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to manage digital platforms, create multimedia content, communicate complex information clearly, exercise sound judgment, and meet short deadlines.
• Four or more years of progressively responsible, hands-on communications experience in government, legislative affairs, public policy, advocacy, political communications, journalism, public relations, or another high-volume public-facing environment.
• Independent ownership of communications strategy and production across social media, websites, newsletters, email, graphics, photography, video, speeches, media materials, presentations, and live events.
• A record of proactively identifying communications opportunities, translating complex policy or legislative work for diverse audiences, and producing accurate, publication-ready work with limited substantive revision.
• Strong project management, editorial planning, writing, proofreading, analytics, accessibility, and rapid-response skills, including sound judgment in sensitive or fast-changing situations.

• Knowledge of Montgomery County, local government, economic development, public health, housing, environmental policy, or other issues relevant to the Councilmember's priorities.

Application and Selection

Submit a resume, professional references, a cover letter of no more than one page, and three work samples that demonstrate strategic communications, policy translation, and hands-on multimedia production.
The cover letter should identify one communications opportunity the applicant recognized and advanced with limited direction, explain the applicant's personal role, and describe the result. Applicants should distinguish work they personally created from work they supervised, commissioned, or approved.
Finalists may complete a timed exercise requiring them to translate a legislative or policy briefing into a communications strategy and publication-ready products, prioritize competing demands, identify facts or risks requiring escalation, and revise the work after feedback.
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Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01

MQ Question LEGISLATIVE SENIOR AIDE I (000719)

How many years of progressively responsible experience in legislative/policy research or communications and/or professional level experience in a subject area relevant to local government administration?

• No Experience
• 1 Year Experience
• 2 Year's Experience
• 3 Year's Experience
• 4 Year's Experience
• 5+ Year's Experience

02

MQ Question LEGISLATIVE SENIOR AIDE I(000719)

What is your highest level of completed education?

• N/A
• High School/GED
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctor
• Doctorate

Required Question