Under the direction of the Director for Temporal Affairs (DTA), the Area
Publishing & Communication Director works closely with the Area Presidency. The
Area Communication & Publishing Director leads a team of managers,
professionals, and called staff that will help The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints communicate clearly and with one voice to priority audiences
in the area, thereby assisting the work of salvation and exaltation.
This role will be used in Church Areas located in the United States. This senior
manager-level would have 2-3 direct reports in management roles dividing the
ownership of communications and publishing. These managers would then have teams
of employees reporting to them.
RESPONSIBILITIES
This role will play a crucial part in the following efforts:
Increase understanding of the Church among all God’s children through effective
audience understanding and unified communication efforts across the area.
Manage the Church’s organizational identity and reputation within the area in
close alignment with the area efforts and the Global Church Communication Guide.
Develop internal and external campaigns.
Build and lead the establishment of strategic relationships with key opinion
leaders across the area to help achieve the mission of the Church, strengthen
its reputation, and promote religious freedom. This includes government,
interfaith and other community leaders.
Extend the reach of Church communication (e.g., identity, unified messaging, and
communication channels) in a way that reflects a desire to understand and
minister to the needs of priority audiences as identified by the Area
Presidency.
Work closely with the Correlation Department to ensure that 1) appropriate
research is supporting local product and content development, 2) excellent local
product planning is taking place, and 3) that what the Area is producing has
appropriate doctrinal, IP, data privacy, and Visual Identity Office (VIO) review
and certification to protect the Church.
Direct the effort to unify Church communication and publishing at the area level
through an integrated planning process and alignment with the area plan.
Responsible for the area's annual planning of publishing products including
budget forecasting, resource planning, and timelines.
Develop a team that will help leaders, employees, volunteers, and partners
understand audience needs, values, and experiences to increase understanding.
Oversee product management capability to support area products and the
adaptation of global products and initiatives.
Support the preservation of intellectual property, doctrinal accuracy, data
privacy, and product plan alignment for all deliverables.
Establish a team that will identify, develop, and maintain key relationships of
mutual understanding and trust with leaders, organizations, and influencers.
Direct the team who will work to extend the reach of the gospel of Jesus Christ
by coordinating and assuring the effective use of Church channels at the area
level.
Oversee a unified production operation that includes, but is not limited to,
print, video, animation, broadcasting, photography, social media, and web
publishing.
Oversee the work of independent contractors, vendors, and volunteers to
accomplish product deliverables.
Manage the relationship with independent contractors and vendors including the
measurement of work quality, sourcing and negotiation with the new resources,
and the termination of contracts.
Manage the work of other employees (may include mixed workforce).
Responsible, in partnership with HR, to hire employees and recommend
advancement, promotion, or any other change of status of employees within their
reporting line. This includes performance management and recommendations for
discipline and termination.
The employee reports to a Director for Temporal Affairs.
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent post-secondary education/certificate in
business, public relations, or a communication-related field.
7 years of professional-level experience.
A combination of education and experience for a total of 11 years may be
considered.
A proven track record of effective people management with at least three (3)
years of people-management experience.
Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and organizational development
skills.
Experience in developing, designing, and executing strategic communication
plans.
Active listener and learner with ability to understand the needs of a wide
variety of audiences to communicate effectively to them.
Experience managing organizational brand, reputation, internal communication,
and/or external media relations.
Ability to communicate complex ideas and processes in a straightforward way to
leadership and communication teams at all levels.
Extensive experience with a wide variety of communication channels.
Solid understanding of public relations and relationship building.
Skilled at utilizing research methods and strategies to address practical
problems.
Excellent writing and editing skills.
Ability to think critically and solve problems.
Experience in crisis management.
Leadership and management experience with strong people skills.
Competency in the use of technology, including the Microsoft Office product
suite.
Preferred:
Master's degree.
Church employees find joy and satisfaction in using their unique talents and
abilities to further the Lord’s work. From the IT professional who develops an
app that sends the gospel message worldwide, to the facilities manager who
maintains our buildings— giving Church members places to worship, teach, learn,
and receive sacred ordinances—our employees seek innovative ways to share the
gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. They are literally working in His
kingdom.
Only members of the Church who are worthy of a temple recommend qualify for
employment. Apart from this, the Church is an equal opportunity employer and
does not discriminate in its employment decisions on any basis that would
violate U.S. or local law.
Qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race,
national origin, color, gender, pregnancy, marital status, age, disability,
genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected categories that
apply to the Church. The Church will make reasonable accommodations for
qualified individuals with known disabilities.