Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), is accepting applications for a Director of Communications 1 role.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

Schedule: Full-Time (40 Hour), First Shift (8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.), Monday - Friday

WHAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO OFFER YOU

• Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees

THE ROLE

In this role you will be responsible for establishing and leading a centralized communications function for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), with particular emphasis on producing clear, accessible, and high-quality communications products. This role will strengthen internal alignment, improve external transparency, and support effective engagement during major agency initiatives and system changes. This position supports the OEC Commissioner and leadership teams by:

• Utilizing strong technical writing, editing, information design, and content development skills, along with the judgment to strategically tailor communications for staff, providers, families, community partners, and policymakers.
• Develop and lead an agency-wide communications plan aligned with the OEC’s mission, guiding principles, and major initiatives.
• Consult on strategic communications internally and externally regarding program and policy changes.
• Improve internal communication processes to strengthen alignment, coordination, and clarity across divisions and staff.
• Establish communications protocols and standards for consistent messaging.
• Produce and oversee high-quality deliverables, including memos, newsletters, website and social media content, presentations, FAQs, guidance documents, one-pagers, talking points, and stakeholder updates ensuring clarity and accessibility.
• Translate complex policy, operational, data, and systems information into clear, accurate, actionable materials.
• Apply strong editing, formatting, visual design, and information organization skills to improve the quality and usability of OEC communications.
• Provide tools and coaching to improve communication quality across OEC.
• Prepare talking points and briefing materials; assist with public-facing issues or media coordination as needed.
• Lead communications during sensitive or high-impact events or announcements.
• Ensure plain language, ADA compliance and translation processes.
• Use feedback and metrics to assess and improve communications.
• Maintain and strengthen OEC’s visual and narrative identity.

ABOUT US

OEC is a unique state agency in CT that helps families with young children achieve better life outcomes. As a relatively new state agency, OEC is mandated in its enabling statutes to be data-driven, human-centered, and results-focused. We touch the lives of over 200,000 young children, parents, and caregivers annually through our integrated focus on early care and education programs and safety supports, our home visiting programs, and other critical early childhood services. By scale of funding, OEC is one of the largest departments of CT state government, deploying and leveraging approximately half a billion dollars each year in service of vulnerable families and communities. CT is a leader in the coordination of early childhood programs throughout the country. Whereas early childhood programming in most states is fragmented across multiple programs families must navigate, only a handful of states have created agencies dedicated to integrating support families with young children require and only CT has a clear data-driven mandate. New parenthood and early childhood are extremely important moments in a person's life and experiences during this time can have significant and long-lasting impacts. OEC acts on the overwhelming evidence that intervention early in life is the most promising way to break the cycle of poverty.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.

BEFORE YOU APPLY: Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting.

Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.

Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.

Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

Salary Calculations

For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.

AFTER YOU APPLY

Some email providers may experience delays or issues delivering messages. To avoid missing important updates—such as referral questionnaires or interview scheduling links—please check your Personal Status Board regularly. For added convenience, you can also enable text (SMS) notifications. To do this, log in to your Personal Status Board and select “Update My Contact Information.”

Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).

Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!

Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks. The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

This employer may participate in E‑Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I‑9 information to confirm work authorization.

QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:

Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Nicole Frascatore via Nicole.Frascatore@ct.gov.

Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a small to medium state agency this class is accountable for directing agency communications and public relations programs.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in communications, public affairs, and content development.
• Experience developing and editing materials for diverse audiences.
• Experience translating complex policy, program, data, or operational content into plain language communication.
• Experience producing communication materials across multiple formats, including reports, digital content, newsletters, and presentations.
• Experience supporting executive or leadership.
• Experience communicating and coordinating cross teamwork.
• Experience working in early childhood, government, or the public sector.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.