Executive Communications Specialist
ABOUT THE SHEFFIELD ADMINISTRATION
Detroit is entering a historic new chapter under Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield, the city’s first woman to serve as Mayor. Elected with a decisive mandate, Mayor-Elect Sheffield brings a steady, community-rooted approach to governing—one focused on listening to residents, healing long-standing divides, and delivering meaningful improvements in daily life across every neighborhood. She will take office on January 1, 2026, with a commitment to building a city that lifts every family and expands opportunity for all.
As she forms her administration, Mayor-Elect Sheffield is assembling a talented, diverse team of leaders who bring deep expertise, lived experience, and the courage to put forward bold, innovative ideas that move Detroit forward. Her team will drive a City government grounded in collaboration, equity, transparency, and results. The Sheffield Administration seeks mission-driven individuals who are ready to serve, ready to build, and ready to help shape Detroit’s future.
ABOUT THE OFFICE
The Office of the Mayor is the executive center of Detroit’s government, responsible for advancing the Mayor’s agenda, coordinating major initiatives, and maintaining trusted communication with residents. The Executive Communications Specialist (Speechwriter) is a central member of the Communications & Public Affairs team, responsible for crafting the Mayor’s voice, message, and narrative across speeches, remarks, written statements, and long-form storytelling. This role ensures that every public communication reflects Detroit’s values, priorities, and diverse communities.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Executive Communications Specialist (Speechwriter) develops all major speeches, prepared remarks, talking points, written communications, and message frameworks for the Mayor. The role requires exceptional writing ability, sound political judgment, and the capacity to translate complex ideas, policy priorities, resident experiences, and community stories into clear and compelling language.
This position works closely with the Mayor, Chief of Staff, Director of Communications, policy teams, and neighborhood engagement staff to ensure every speech is rooted in Detroit’s lived experience and aligned with the Mayor’s strategic goals. The Executive Communications Specialist also identifies storytelling opportunities, researches policy and community issues, prepares briefing materials, and supports the Mayor’s presence across internal and external engagements.
This position is a peer to the Digital & Creative Director and partners closely with that role to ensure aligned messaging, shared themes, and narrative consistency across all digital, written, and spoken channels.
This role will drive the administration’s priorities, including:
Amplifying the Mayor’s voice in ways that reflect her commitment to equity, community healing, neighborhood revitalization, and inclusive growth.
Translating policy, community stories, and resident concerns into accessible speeches and remarks that speak directly to Detroiters.
Supporting major public addresses, including State of the City, major policy announcements, crisis communications, community forums, and neighborhood events.
Ensuring messages align with the Mayor’s priorities such as housing justice, economic opportunity, public safety rooted in dignity, environmental health, and youth empowerment.
Shaping a clear narrative that celebrates Detroit’s identity, its history, its resilience, and its path forward under the Sheffield administration.
Core responsibilities include:
Research and draft speeches, remarks, talking points, statements, op-eds, and written material for the Mayor.
Develop message frameworks and narrative strategy for major policy initiatives and community-centered programs.
Partner with policy staff and department leaders to translate complex information into accessible, inspiring, and resident-centered language.
Collaborate with the Digital & Creative Director to adapt speeches into multimedia content and ensure narrative consistency across platforms.
Prepare briefing binders, event background, audience insights, and context documents for the Mayor.
Identify opportunities for storytelling and develop narratives that elevate resident voices, neighborhood experiences, and community-led impact.
Support rehearsal, delivery preparation, and on-site coordination to ensure the Mayor is fully prepared for every speech and public appearance.
Review and revise drafts in collaboration with senior advisors, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with the administration’s messaging.
Maintain an organized archive of speeches, talking points, and recurring message frameworks.
Work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, based on the Mayor’s schedule and public-facing responsibilities.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Public Policy, Journalism, Political Science, or a closely related field.
Three to five years of experience writing speeches or senior-level communications for elected officials, public-sector executives, or comparable high-profile leaders.
Exceptional writing ability, including voice adaptation, storytelling, and translating complex policy into clear and engaging language.
Experience conducting research, synthesizing data, and framing issues for broad audiences.
Strong political judgment, discretion, and ability to manage sensitive or time-critical information.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with senior leadership, communications teams, policy staff, and community partners.
Deep familiarity with Detroit’s neighborhoods, culture, history, and civic landscape strongly preferred.
Experience working in high-pressure, fast-paced executive environments or political settings.
Commitment to the Mayor’s values of equity, community empowerment, transparency, and resident-centered governance.
Rate of Pay: $109,693 - $179,889 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Benefits: Our goal is to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce by providing generous healthcare and other benefits to eligible employees. Learn more about benefits for City of Detroit employees.
Equal Opportunity in Employment: The Sheffield Administration is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Even if you do not meet all of the requirements listed above, we encourage you to apply if you believe you have the skills, experience, and expertise necessary to thrive in this role. The City of Detroit is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds—including those historically underrepresented in municipal government—to apply.