Public Information Manager

Job Description:

Public Information Manager

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The City of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the nation's best managed cities and one of the top ten cities in which to live, work, and do business. Moreover, San José is the center of cultural, government and economic activity for the region. The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect and Celebration. The City's Department of Public Works (DPW) is seeking an individual whose values align with the values of the City's employees.

The Public Works Department is responsible for delivering capital improvement projects for a wide variety of City facilities and infrastructure, maintaining City facilities and fleet assets, facilitating and regulating development activities, and providing animal care and services. The Department is committed to high-quality service, partnering with the community, and providing an excellent environment in which to work.

Position Duties

Salary range for this classification is $151,545.42 - $185,485.82. This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Department of Public Works is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Public Information Manager vacancy in the Animal Care & Services Division.

ACS provides animal shelter and field services for San Jose residents, as well as residents of Cupertino, Milpitas, and Saratoga. The Public Information Manager position would report to the ACS Deputy Director and Public Works Assistant Director.

The Public Information Manager develops and implements a range of communication strategies for projects and initiatives focused on animals and those who care for them, provides a high level of communication, marketing, and community outreach with an immediate focus on ACS needs and programs; they must maintain an in-depth knowledge of San Jose Animal Care & Services. This position creates awareness and garners assistance from the community and animal advocate partners, focuses efforts to help increase adoptions, rescues and transfers, return to owner, and grows the foster program. The Public Information Manager works strategically to continually achieve ACS and DPW’s mission and vision.

The ideal candidate has excellent verbal and written communication skills, experience in community outreach and engagement, and strong interpersonal skills.

Typical duties include but are not limited to:

• Develop and execute internal and external communication plans, including implementing communication/media strategies, marketing efforts, development updates, and educational resources
• Manage and develop communications strategies for department senior leadership and ensure the alignment of communication plans and messaging with City goals and objectives.
• Build and manage strategic communication channels to reach diverse customer segments and stakeholders, including websites, digital newsletters, social media, blogs, email, and direct mail.
• Develop and manage department’s website content and expanding social media strategies and outreach
• Collaborating with department staff to ensure consistent and accurate messaging on all departmental communications.
• Serving as the department's primary spokesperson and media liaison, providing timely and accurate information on departmental activities and initiatives.
• Work collaboratively and creatively to support public relations efforts, the functions of the department and its related activities
• Evaluate and recommend a communication plan and plan action to be taken in response to an emergency
• Work involves conceptualizing, developing, implementing, managing, and evaluating major public information activities, public education, community relations, and special events and projects.

Specific Duties related to Animal Care & Services:

• Lead communication efforts on Community Cats, Trap Neuter Release (TNR) efforts, and feral cat/kitten resources to reduce the number of kittens entering the shelter
• Create educational materials for owners with information that addresses common pet problems, leading to an animal being surrendered at the shelter
• Organize and participate in community outreach events, educational programs, and fundraising activities to increase public involvement and support for the Shelter.
• Create and distribute engaging, consistent content across various communication channels, including press releases, newsletters, website updates, and social media platforms.
• Serve as the primary contact for media inquiries, coordinating interviews, and providing accurate and timely information about ACS activities, success stories, and upcoming events.
• Establish communication pathways to help improve rescue and shelter partner relationships
• Initiate, develop, and maintain productive working relationships with a variety of public and private agencies, organizations, and vendors
• Develop strategic communications plans and budgets to ensure successful program implementation
• Collaborate with shelter staff and volunteers to gather stories, photos, and videos informing the public of and showcasing ACS's impact on the community.
• Stay informed of current trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in public relations and marketing within the animal welfare industry.
• Monitor and analyze media coverage and public sentiment to identify trends, assess the effectiveness of communication efforts, and make data-driven recommendations for improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, mass media communications, public relations, advertising, marketing or a closely related field.

Experience: Six (6) years of increasingly responsible journalism, mass media communications, public relations or public information experience, including three (3) years of supervisory experience.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts while effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.

Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems; is proactive and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Political Skill - In taking action, demonstrates an understanding and consideration of how it will impact stakeholders and affected areas in the organization.

Vision/Strategic Thinking - Support, promote, and ensure alignment with the organization’s vision and values. Understand how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences. Builds a shared vision with others and influence others to translate vision to action.

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results during major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills. Develops networks and builds alliances; engages in cross-functional activities.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered, otherwise your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.?

Cover Letter Requirement:

A cover letter is required as part of a completed application for this position. Please upload a cover letter as part of your completed application in the "Attachments" section of the application process. The cover letter must be no more than two pages in length and include the following:?

• Why you are interested in this position

• How you have developed and implemented information and communication strategies to achieve organizational goals

• How you have strategically engaged the community, building partnerships through effective customer service and public relations principles

• How you have coordinated and lead complex projects, programs, or problem sets; how did you organize, delegate, and oversee the effort

• Supervisory experience and experience leading a team

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.?

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Sara Mirra at?sara.mirra@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 1/21/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$151,545.42 - $185,485.82 Annually