Job Details

Rancho Santiago Community College District

Interim Chief Communication Officer

Position Number: 6862337
Location: Santa Ana, CA
Position Type: Public Relations, Marketing and Communications

Interim Chief Communication Officer

Rancho Santiago Community College District

Salary Range: Grade C: $184,508.30 - $247,258.76

Job Type: Full Time

Job Number: CL25-01343

Location: Santa Ana, CA

Division: DO Educational Services

Closing: 1/30/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

POSITION DETAILS

About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is one of the most established districts in the state and has been in operation for nearly 50 years. Located in the heart of Orange County, it is one of the largest of California's 72 community college districts, based on the number of credit and non-credit students. RSCCD encompasses 25 percent of Orange County's total area and serves a population of more than 700,000 residents in the communities of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Tustin, and Yorba Linda. The district includes Santiago Canyon College and Santa Ana College, as well as the Centennial and Orange Continuing Education Centers, the Digital Media Center, the Joint Powers Fire Training Center, the Orange County Sheriff's Regional Training Academy, the College and Workforce Preparation Center, and the District Operations Center. RSCCD's three (3) auxiliary Foundations are actively involved in supporting both community and campus programs.
RSCCD's student population is a direct reflection of the diverse communities in the surrounding neighborhoods. As a whole, the district has the honor of serving approximately 55,537 students: 51% Hispanic/Latinx, 20% White, 9% Asian & Filipino, and 2% are African American. RSCCD is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and serves predominately historically underrepresented students. There is a commitment to foster student centered values among our employees to provide equitable student learning, academic excellence, and workforce development. By delivering high-quality educational programs and student support services, the district ensures that students have the appropriate resources to achieve their goals.

At RSCCD, our mission is to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice into all aspects of student academics and employee relations. Thus, creating transformational experiences that prepares students and employees to engage in the world with a renewed sense-of-self. Through this commitment, Rancho Santiago Community College District strives to cultivate a learning environment that prioritizes respect, to ensure that RSCCD stakeholders feel valued and supported throughout their academic and professional careers.

About the Position
The ideal candidate will demonstrate cultural competency in serving diverse community college populations, including faculty, classified staff, and students from varied ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes those with differing abilities, AB 540 students, DACA recipients, Foreign Residents, VACA participants, and Continuing Education students. They will support RSCCD's mission to promote self-awareness, knowledge, and communication skills, enabling all members of the college community to participate creatively and confidently in an ever-changing world.
Candidates will foster an inclusive and collaborative institutional culture that engages and supports faculty, classified staff, and students in achieving the college's mission and goals. The candidate should demonstrate the ability to lead and manage teams effectively while addressing the unique needs of diverse individuals within the organization. They should exhibit sensitivity, equity-mindedness, and a commitment to anti-racism in their decision-making and interactions. Through strategic leadership and inclusive practices, they will empower students to reach their educational and career aspirations while ensuring faculty and classified staff are supported in fostering a creative, confident, and thriving community college environment.

General Responsibilities
Assists the Chancellor and Board of Trustees and provides leadership in the planning, organization, administration, evaluation and policy development for public relations, marketing and communications initiatives for the district. Serves as the central point of contact for media relations, advertising, public affairs and community relations. Responsible for the development, implementation and assessment of the district's operations in the Communications, Marketing and Public Relations department.

Specific Responsibilities
Manages the institution's brand and reputation through strategic surveying, distribution of news, announcements, social media posts and marketing campaigns to ensure that the public views the organization favorably;

Represents Rancho Santiago Community College District at external meetings and events;
identifies opportunities for the Colleges and District to obtain resources, visibility and potential funding;
Serve as the media spokesperson for the district;
Oversees the design and production of print materials and publications, website management, and social media content creation and management;
Develops rapport with members of media agencies for radio, TV, digital publications, podcasts and other channel exposure;
Coordinate communication between the College and District leadership, employees, students, donors, elected officials, media and community members;
Composes internal publications such as newsletters, news releases, announcements, on-line posts, website updates, video productions, special projects and related PR and marketing projects develops pre-emptive, proactive communications plans addressing targeted audiences to mitigate risk and drive communications around key issues;
Develops a comprehensive crisis communications plan and manages crises as they arise (and/or manages outside crisis consultants when appropriate);
Coordinates with the Chancellor's Executive Cabinet, College Presidents' executive leadership, and Public Information Officers to communicate regularly with communities and elected officials;
Analyze the higher education landscape, the role and dynamics that the community college district plays in operating within the region it serves to garner engagement and support;
Implement innovative methods for brand reach to enhance perception and strengthen the images of the District and its Colleges.

Organizational Relationships
This position reports directly to the designated administrator. This classification works closely with college and district leadership to direct and manage internal and external communications initiatives, publications and media relations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

A bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism or English or another related field. A Master's degree is preferred.

Experience: At least five years' experience in public relations, community relations, marketing or related occupation with direct responsibility for publications, media relations, and communications planning and implementation, including at least three years of project management and supervisory experience. Demonstrated ability as a strong writer and oral communicator.Sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic background of community college students and employees.

Knowledge of:

California Chancellor's Office, federal and state regulations;
Administration, supervision and training principles for staff;
Collective bargaining agreements and shared governance procedures;
Communications research, processes, planning and program implementation;
Current and emerging technology in order to produce content for the websites, intranet, and/or social media

Ability to:

Provide leadership, cultivate and maintain positive relationships with multiple audiences;
Interpret, analyze, monitor and track budget reports;
Manage, supervise, coach and evaluate a team of diverse communications professionals to ensure effective and efficient operations;
Communicate with strong interpersonal and communication skills, written and oral;
Shape and control the flow of information to key constituencies;
Sustain positive and open lines of communication with internal and external stakeholders;
Coordinate a variety of high-profile tasks and responsibilities;
Identify story ideas and shape key messages to generate positive coverage of the district and colleges;
Handle sensitive media relations situations, including on-site crisis communications response;
Demonstrate experience with marketing and public relations campaigns with a thorough understanding of branding and marketing communications strategies and tactics, including content strategy, digital and social media;
Understand and articulate the mission of RSCCD to work collaboratively with varied constituencies, internally and externally;
Sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of students and employees, as well as the needs of individuals with disabilities.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To ensure full consideration, all applicants must submit a complete online Rancho Santiago Community College District application that includes the items listed below by the position's closing date. Recruitment will review all applications for completeness, and only complete application packets will be forwarded to the screening committee for further review.

A Complete Application Packet Must Include the Following:

RSCCD Online Application
Cover Letter
Resume - details all relevant education, training, and other work experience
Academic Transcripts (Unofficial copies of undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate transcripts).

Foreign Degrees

Transcripts from countries other than the United States must be evaluated by an agency that is approved by or a member of the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Service (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE), or Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

Application Screening
In addition to the requirements and responsibilities listed, the following criteria (as appropriate) may be considered in selecting candidates:

Education experience breadth and depth.
Work experience breadth and depth.
Demonstrated leadership capabilities.
Program development.
Community involvement.
Demonstrated experience in working with a diverse socio-economic community.
Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with others.

Based on the information presented in the application materials, a limited number of candidates with qualifications most pertinent to the position will be invited to participate in the selection process, which may include a written test and an oral interview.
Meeting the position's minimum requirements does not guarantee advancement in the selection process. Candidate qualifications will be assessed to determine those who meet and exceed requirements and are deemed the most competitive in the applicant pool.

Interview
Applicants selected for an interview may be required to take additional tests or assessments and will be notified of such prior to the date of the interview. During the oral session, those selected for interviews will, in addition to the above, also be evaluated on the following factors:

Oral communication skills
Presentation
Problem-solving skills

A predetermined set of questions will be asked of all applicants interviewed. Applicants are requested to provide thorough yet concise information on their related experience to ensure the correct evaluation of their qualifications. Evaluation criteria will be applied consistently to all applicants.

Disability Accommodations

Individuals who require reasonable accommodations in the Application or Interviewing Process in accordance with ADA should notify the Recruitment Office in the Human Resources Division at least two days prior to the closing date, by calling (714) 480-7455.

Conditions of Employment
The selected candidate is required to complete the following before employment as part of the onboarding process:

Present original documents for proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
Provide a certificate of Tuberculosis Exam.
Fingerprints (by a Live Scan Agency at the candidate's expense, and clearance must be received before the first day of employment)
Submit official transcripts.

EEO STATEMENT

The Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is an equal opportunity employer. The policy of the District is to encourage applications from persons who are economically disadvantaged and individuals belonging to significantly underrepresented groups within the District's workforce, including ethnic and racial minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. No person shall be denied employment because of ethnicity or race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or political or organizational affiliation.
RSCCD will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional employment offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if RSCCD is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To apply, please visit https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/rsccd/jobs/5196246/interim-chief-communication-officer

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