COMMUNICATIONS LEAD

SUMMARY

The City of L.A. Office of Major Events (OME) works to welcome the world to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and other events of global significance. OME is charged with coordinating City departments and engaging external stakeholders to deliver safe, successful, and fiscally responsible major events while ensuring that all Angelenos benefit from a lasting positive legacy long beyond 2028.

Specifically, OME leads comprehensive planning and works closely with the LA28 Organizing Committee, City departments, and key regional partners to maximize the public benefit of these events. Within the City of Los Angeles' nine "Games for All" Vision priorities, projects will be implemented and delivered before, during and after the Games. Although many milestones have already been achieved or are nearing completion, the remaining time before the Games will be pivotal in building a prosperous, sustainable, inclusive, and accessible future for L.A.

OME seeks a strategic and dynamic Communications Lead to oversee and execute a comprehensive communications strategy that advances the Office's mission, promotes transparency, and ensures clear, consistent messaging to the public, media, and key stakeholders. The Communications Lead will play a critical role in shaping the narrative around the City's role in major events and their lasting legacy for all Angelenos. Communication will support initiatives across Mayor Bass' nine "Games for All" vision priorities: Community Activation, Arts and Culture, Youth Sports, Workforce Development and Local Hire, Community Business and Procurement, Accessibility, Human Rights, Sustainability, and Streets and Transit.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Communications Lead is a high-impact role responsible for managing internal and external communications related to the City's upcoming global events. Reporting directly to OME leadership, the Communications Lead's responsibilities include the following:

Strategic Communications Planning: Develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the "Games for All" Vision, ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms and initiatives.
Public Messaging and Narrative Development: Shape and articulate the civic narrative around the City's role in major events and their legacy, ensuring messaging reflects the City's "Games for All" values. Draft press releases, statements, talking points, and briefing materials.
Stakeholder Communications: Coordinate with City departments, regional partners, community organizations, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and clarity in messaging.
Digital and Content Strategy: Oversee digital communications, including website content, social media, newsletters, and multimedia storytelling to engage diverse audiences and increase public awareness.
Community Engagement Support: Collaborate with outreach teams to ensure communications strategies effectively reach and reflect the needs of impacted communities, particularly those near event venues.
Communication and Reporting: Provide regular updates to leadership on communications performance, media coverage, and public sentiment; recommend adjustments to strategy as needed.
Design: Create dynamic digital assets and graphic design elements for public communications.
Other Relevant Duties as Assigned
KEY QUALIFICATIONS

The Office of Major Events is looking for candidates who possess the following skills, knowledge, and capabilities:

Minimum of three years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism, public affairs, or strategic messaging roles, preferably in government or a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
Demonstrated expertise in developing and executing comprehensive communications strategies, including message development, campaign planning, and audience targeting.
Exceptional writing and editing skills, with experience drafting press releases, speeches, talking points, reports, and digital content for diverse audiences.
Strong media relations experience, including pitching stories, managing press inquiries, coordinating interviews, and building relationships with local, national, and international media.
Experience managing digital communications platforms, including social media strategy, website content, email campaigns, and analytics tracking.
Ability to translate complex policies, programs, and technical information into clear, accessible, and compelling messaging for the public.
Experience in crisis communications and rapid response, including developing messaging under tight deadlines and navigating sensitive or high-profile issues.
Strong storytelling skills, with the ability to craft narratives that reflect community impact and align with organizational priorities.
Ability to manage multiple communications projects simultaneously, maintain editorial calendars, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and aligning messaging across departments and external partners.
Graphic Design skills and digital content creation.
Familiarity with media monitoring tools, content management systems, and communications analytics to measure effectiveness and inform strategy.
Understanding of equity-centered communications practices and ability to engage diverse communities through inclusive and culturally competent messaging.
Passion for public service and a commitment to transparent, accurate, and impactful communication that benefits all Angelenos.
ROLE EXPECTATIONS

This position may be filled by individuals in all relevant classifications.
This role is based in an office environment at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street 90012, and it will require reporting to the office for in-person collaboration and meetings, as well as working outdoors and at off-site meeting locations at times.

How to apply

HOW TO APPLY

Interested individuals should send a cover letter (with 3 references listed) and resume by email to Cynthia Castellanos ( cynthia.castellanos@lacity.org ) with the subject line OME COMMUNICATIONS LEAD no later than May 29, 2025 .

Suitable candidates may be contacted and hired before the application deadline. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications promptly as the job posting may close before the listed deadline.

This is an exempt, at-will position. The individual appointed to this position will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights, or due process rights. The incumbent may be removed, without any finding of cause, by the hiring authority.

The City of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services and activities. Please call (213) 744-9300 if you need assistance.

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a "property interest" in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.
General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.
Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.