Director, Congressional Communications Learning and Development, CAO Coach

Salary Range:  107,685.00 - 168,540.00

Closing Date:  4/7/2025

Job Summary:

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) provides operations support services and business solutions to the community of 10,000 House Members, Officers, and staff. The CAO organization comprises more than 650 technical and administrative staff working in a variety of areas, including information technology, finance, budget management, human resources, payroll, childcare, food and vending, procurement, logistics and administrative counsel.

The CAO Coach program within the Congressional Staff Academy is seeking an experienced current or very recent House Communications Director to train, coach and develop House communications and digital staff.  The Communications Coach will use a variety of formats to convey job-specific information in a way that is relevant, connective, dynamic and efficient.  Coaches teach in-person and virtual classes, write compelling educational tip sheets and email messages, organize trainings and conferences with other trainers and panelists, maintain and update part of the CAO Coach website, collect and share best practices, film how-to videos, teach writing skills and conduct one-on-one coaching sessions with House staff. 

The CAO Communications Coach must have extensive and successful experience with House Member, Committee and/or Leadership earned media, mass communications and social media communications.  CAO Coaches must have a demonstrated passion for training, mentoring and coaching fellow staffers.  They must be able to present written and oral information in a dynamic, clear and engaging manner. 

They must be able to maintain a strong staff network and stay current on the latest needs, trends and best practices of communications and digital efforts in Member offices.  They must be able to work collaboratively and creatively on a teaching team and in a bi-partisan and confidential manner.  They must be able to multi-task, be flexible, produce significant high-quality output and meet deadlines. 

This position is non-supervisory and will provide Communications Director level pay commensurate with experience and standard House benefits. This position is located in Washington, DC.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

• Works within the Congressional Staff Academy CAO Coach program.

• Serves as a member of a training team and directs the instruction of a body of training content related to Member of Congress office communications operations.

• Provides superior training to Members’ Office staff to increase the effectiveness of work performed by House of Representatives staff.

• Using many formats, trains Member office staff to provide their best work product to their supervisors including Members of Congress and also to their respective constituencies.

• Create and convey informative content to Congressional staff by writing lesson plans, teaching virtual and in- person classes, writing educational emails, helping create educational videos, recruiting speakers and panelists for certain classes and programs, conducting one-on-one coaching sessions with Member office staff, sharing best practices among Member offices and marketing the Staff Academy to Member Office staff.

• Develops curriculum which includes all aspects of Congressional office communications, including mass communications, earned media, social media, speechwriting, communications department management, and technical skills including photography, graphic design, web design and video.

• Collaborates with CAO and House colleagues to provide balanced and informative courses and content.

• Establishes, oversees, and continuously improves the quality of Member Office Staff Skills trainings.

 • Maintains a strong House staff network and stays current on the latest needs and best practices of Member offices.

• Maintains familiarity and compliance with, and established standards for, all applicable legal requirements, House Rules, Committee Rules and Regulations and CAO policies and procedures, as well as specific CEC practices and procedures.

• Identifies learning objectives and selects instructional methodologies for course implementation.

• Works with the Congressional Staff Academy development team to provide subject matter expertise that informs and improves the design and development process of courses.

• Applies standards of adult learning where applicable.

• Documents activities and evaluates own instructional performance and efficacy.

• Moderates webinars.

• Collaborates with co-workers and key stakeholders to create a unified, timely, and meaningful student experience that aligns with CAO and CEC strategic objectives.

• Analyzes job tasks, procedures, and processes; recommends practical solutions and determines and promotes effective training.

• Performs other official duties and special projects as assigned

Experience and/or Education Requirements:

·       5+ years of experience as a House Communications Director or senior Communications/Digital Advisor in a House Member office is required, more is preferred.

·       Additional teaching experience is preferred.

·       Additional press experience is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) and Competency Requirements:

·       Demonstrated and extensive experience in training subject areas is required (House communications,).

·       Demonstrated passion for training, encouraging and working with Member office staff and developing their skills.

·       Demonstrated experience in developing effective relationships with House staff and Washington, DC and district stakeholders.

·       Demonstrated experience in mentoring and coaching Member office staffers is required.

·       Demonstrated experience in teaching, training and public speaking is required.

·       Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter is required.

·       Demonstrated ability to convey information in a creative, dynamic, memorable, clear and inspirational manner is required.

·       Demonstrated ability to work in a bipartisan manner is required.

·       Ability to manage multiple projects and have superior time management skills is required.

·       Excellent oral and written communication, organizational and interpersonal skills are required.

·       Ability to apply sound judgement and discretion in communications and interactions with co-workers and students.

·       All employees within CAO are expected to demonstrate the following general competencies: Accountability, Adaptability, Collaboration, Communication, Customer Orientation, Knowledge of Relevant Policies, Procedures, and Processes, Priority Management, and Problem Resolution.

·       All employees in leadership positions within CAO are expected to demonstrate the following leadership competencies: Coalition Building, Decision-Making, Leading People, Results Orientation, and Strategic Planning. 

*Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactorily completing a criminal history records check (or other applicable security clearance) and a pre-employment drug-test (pre-identified position only).