Press Secretary

About the role

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD The Campaign Finance Board is a nonpartisan, independent city agency that empowers New Yorkers to have a greater impact on their elections. Our mission is to make local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by removing barriers to participation. ¿ We make it easier for New Yorkers to vote, meaningfully support candidates for city office, and run for office themselves. NYC Votes, our voter engagement initiative, meets people where they are to share trustworthy election information and help New Yorkers participate. We publish the citywide Voter Guide, which delivers information about candidates directly to voters' doors. Our public matching funds program ensures small contributions can make a big difference, allowing regular people to run for office by relying on the support of other regular people, not just wealthy donors and special interests. And we lift the veil on how candidates raise and spend money, increasing transparency and accountability in local government. We believe that when every New Yorker is empowered to participate meaningfully in elections, candidates will better reflect the communities they serve, elected leaders will be more accountable to the public, and New Yorkers will have a democracy they can truly trust. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT The Public Affairs division¿engages New Yorkers, informs them about elections, and boosts their participation in the democratic process.¿¿We make¿election information accessible and relevant, increase engagement with underrepresented communities, and cultivate a team that reflects our core values of purpose, curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.¿¿ The division includes¿Marketing and Digital Communications, Partnerships and Outreach, Language Access, and Public Relations.¿Our division's work includes publishing the citywide Voter Guide, running the official citywide Debates Program, and managing the voter engagement initiative NYC Votes.¿¿¿ Within Public Affairs, the Public Relations team leads messaging and strategy for internal and external communications and oversees the citywide Debates program as well as Board meetings and other events. The Press Secretary, reporting to the Director of Public Relations, will work closely with journalists to facilitate coverage of the city's public financing program and its impact on local elections. They will be responsible for designing, developing and implementing earned media strategies to strengthen understanding of the matching funds program and amplify important information about local elections. JOB DESCRIPTION The NYC Campaign Finance Board seeks a Press Secretary to serve as the CFB's lead spokesperson and execute the agency's media relations strategy. Reporting to the Director of Public Relations, the Press Secretary will work closely with reporters to fulfill incoming requests (including through Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL, and through the CFB's online Follow the Money and Campaign Finance Summary tools) and shape and secure earned media coverage for the CFB, its voter engagement initiative NYC Votes, and signature programs including the matching funds program and citywide debates program. The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge of NYC politics and the local political media landscape, strong relationship building skills, honed political instincts and professional judgment, and experience with fast-paced, mission-driven communications. They will be comfortable appearing on-camera and in other on-the-record media interviews and adept at preparing other spokespeople for their own media appearances and public speaking responsibilities. The person in this role will play a key role in advancing the CFB's strategic goals to make it easier for New Yorkers to participate meaningfully in their local democracy, whether by casting their vote, supporting their candidate of choice, running for office, or something in between. We're seeking a candidate who is passionate about politics and local government and who understands the power of effective communication and storytelling to boost participation. The Press Secretary will also supervise the Assistant Press Secretary, who is responsible for managing the agency's Community & Ethnic Media strategy and Spanish-language media relations, with an emphasis on amplifying voting and election information to harder-to-reach audiences. The Press Secretary's responsibilities include but are not limited to: - Oversee media relations strategy and tactics including drafting messaging and talking points, compiling and sending press releases and advisories, participating in on-the-record and background interviews - Develop strong relationships with reporters and secure coverage to ensure New Yorkers are well informed about local elections, the city matching funds program, and the spectrum of civic engagement in NYC - Serve as primary on-record spokesperson for the agency - Respond to all media inquiries - Develop comprehensive knowl