Sonoma Water Technical Writing Specialist - Promotional

Job Description

Position Information

This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

The Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) has requested a county-wide promotional certification to fill a Technical Writing Specialist position. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list. The formal title for this position is Water Agency Technical Writing Specialist. Employees of Sonoma Water are employees of a special district and are not subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Ordinance of the County of Sonoma.

As a Sonoma Water Technical Writing Specialist, you will be responsible for composing, editing, and finalizing agreements and detailed construction project specifications; preparing construction contracts, assisting in administering the public project bid process, requests for proposals, and requests for statements of qualifications in compliance with regulations and established policies and procedures, and reviewing and editing various types of technical reports . Additional responsibilities include:

• Reviewing and editing technical documents for grammar, clarity, and consistency
• Following standardized processes, templates, and guidelines to streamline documentation creation and ensure consistency across projects
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to create clear, concise, well-structured, and comprehensive technical documents, agreements, reports, guidelines, and contracts

The ideal candidate joining Sonoma Water as a Technical Writing Specialist will possess many of the following:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills used to translate complex technical ideas and material into clear, concise language, and the ability to facilitate thoughtful and clear dialogue with a wide variety of colleagues
• The capacity to handle a broad range of duties and to continually assess and adjust work efforts based on competing priorities of multiple projects
• The ability to actively listen, communicate well with others, gather and organize information, actively learn, visually interpret information, analyze issues, and solve problems
• The ability to gather information from subject matter experts and other sources while understanding the broader business context and how it connects to current work assignments
• College-level coursework or experience and training in the areas of engineering, technical writing, contract law, environmental studies, or other subject matter that is relevant to Sonoma Water's core functions
• Advanced MS Office/business technology skills to efficiently incorporate multiple file formats into single documents and to quickly understand and use a large library of document templates

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of education, training, and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include academic coursework in engineering, technical writing, contract law, journalism, natural resources, accounting, business or public administration, English, or a closely related field, and two years of experience managing construction projects, grants, engineering projects, and/or public work projects which included writing and editing of reports, manuals, specifications, proposals, and/or agreements.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.
The position advertised in this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Certification: For assignments involving construction management, the Constructions Documents Technologies certification from the Construction Specification Institute is highly desirable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and composition; basic mathematics; document structure and formatting techniques; organizational techniques; and interviewing and listening techniques; the techniques of writing and editing technical reports, agreements, and grant proposals; contract principles and roles; civil engineering, natural resources, and grant principles, practices, and terminology; public contract law; project and grant management principles and practices; written and oral communications, ; basic insurance requirements and risk mitigation techniques for agreements and contracts; and modern office methods, procedures, and software programs.

Ability to: obtain and interpret technical information; read, comprehend, and interpret documents such as engineering specifications construction drawings, agreements, contracts, technical reports, and grant proposals; prepare and coordinate execution of agreements, contracts, and grant proposals; understand and apply budgetary and operational principles and practices; make mathematical calculations; analyze situations and adopt effective course of action; observe and work with details; write effectively and use good judgment in assembling, evaluating, and using information; understand the implications of new project information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making related to grants, agreements, and specifications, determine contractual and grant requirements for agreements and contracts to establish performance and compliance standards; monitor consultant and contractor performance; interpret and make recommendations based on regulations, policies; guidance, and agreement provisions; communicate and listen effectively; follow procedures; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff and the public.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions maybe scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted in person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: JT

HR Technician: VH

Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: General*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 11/5/2026 11:59 PM Pacific