Policy Associate (Mayor's Office)

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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 San José City Council consists of ten Councilmembers elected by district and a Mayor elected at-large, each for four-year terms. The Mayor and Council are responsible for representing the residents of San José, providing accountability, reviewing public policy and programs, and adopting those policies which best meet the needs of the residents, visitors, and businesses in San José.

The Mayor serves as the political leader of San Jose, and under the City Charter, is responsible for recommending policy, program, and budget priorities for the City.

Position Duties

The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan is recruiting for a full-time Policy Associate. This position serves as a key member of the Policy Team for Mayor Mahan, working on several priority initiatives, most notably on economic development, workforce development, and matters pertaining to innovation and investing in San Jose.

The total salary range for the Policy Associate (classification will be Council Assistant) is $64,634.96 - $95,490.46. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The position requires an employee with strong and effective organizational skills; ability to handle multiple assignments; excellent written and oral communications skills, and the ability to develop and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with community members and neighborhood organizations, key stakeholders, and City staff. Candidates must be willing to work frequent evenings and weekends, and as exempt management employees, are not eligible for overtime compensation.

Typical Duties:

Policy Analysis

• Drive policy priorities through the government and legislative process and research best practices on assigned policy portfolio, through activities such as:
  • provide strong policy analysis within the issue areas of responsibility, including evaluating budgetary, legislative and community impacts to develop recommendations
  • write memoranda and prepare the Mayor for meetings
  • gather background information relative to issues pending before the City Council
  • draft routine to complex correspondence, memoranda, and reports which articulate the Mayor’s economic development policy initiatives
  • prepare speeches and talking points for the Mayor
  • facilitate development by working interdepartmentally to address challenges that impede an organization’s ability to grow and invest
  • analyze existing, newly enacted and proposed legislation, regulations, law, court decisions and memoranda of understanding;
  • and program evaluation and planning.

Develop and maintain positive working relationships with City Council offices, City departments, community organizations, residents, business community, non-profit organizations, and government agencies as they are key partners on policy and as a representative of the Mayor’s Office.
Community Engagement/Outreach and Public Meetings

• Track the operations of related government and community-based organizations, ranging from local, county, regional, state and federal government entities to special districts and nonprofit organizations
• Attend and represent the Mayor at City-related meetings and activities, meeting with governmental agencies, private industry, and related meetings:
  • may attend several such meetings per week and participate on the Mayor's behalf.
  • provide staff support to the Mayor at meetings and events, attend meetings and events on behalf of the Supervisor, identify collaborative opportunities within the community, and maintain relationships with constituents and stakeholder groups within the District.

Constituent services and casework management

• respond to constituents seeking help with a variety of issues, including providing resource information and facilitating solutions to concerns; resolving complaints, and interpreting operating policies for residents and other interested parties

General

• Coordinate projects citywide with City administration.
• Coordinate arrangements for meetings, programs, or other civic functions on behalf of the Mayor.
• Attend meetings and community events with the Mayor, requires occasional availability on evenings and weekends.
• Gather background information relative to issues pending before the City Council, most notably on affordable housing development, homelessness and matters pertaining to neighborhood quality of life.
• Analyze a wide variety of materials on assigned projects, programs, and topics
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills;
• Organizational proficiency, including the abilities to prioritize, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines;
• Read and summarize a significant volume of complex information;
• Work independently or with supervision, and as a member of a diverse team;
• Think creatively and articulate thoughts clearly, including in public settings;
• Allow for a flexible schedule (some evenings and weekends are required);
• General knowledge of local, state, and federal government and the role and basic functions of county government in California preferred.

Employees in this classification are not members of the classified civil service and appointment would be on a contract "at will" basis and is for a specified period of time to be determined by the appointing elected official and does not extend past the end of the elected official's term. Candidates must be willing to work frequent evenings and weekends, and as exempt management employees, are not eligible for overtime compensation. This unclassified position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to advise the Mayor or Council Member on matters of public policy, democratic processes, constituent service, or citizen involvement.

Required Licensing: Possession of a valid California Driver’s license is required.

Other Qualifications

Desirable Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the most desirable combination of training, skills, and experience, which will allow them to serve as a member of the Mayor’s Team. This can be any equivalent experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to advise the Mayor on matters of public policy, democratic processes, constituent services or citizen involvement.

Education: A Bachelor's degree, from an accredited college or university, with an emphasis in communication, English, journalism, political science, public administration, or a related field providing education in writing and public policy.

Experience: Three (3) or more years of public or customer service, public relations, communications or recreation programming experience, preferably in a political office, government entity, major corporation, or nonprofit. Ideally, a candidate will possess
experience with escalating levels of responsibility in the field of public/media relations and/or marketing in a political office, government entity, major corporation, or nonprofit.

Competencies:

The ideal candidate will offer the following abilities and knowledge, as demonstrated in employment history or other experience. We desire a well-rounded, dedicated, and enthusiastic individual with a broad combination of skills and abilities. Desirable experience, knowledge and skills for this position include:

• Strong commitment to public service.
• Previous experience working for a Councilmember or elected official.
• Preferred: experience working on policies related to business recruitment and retention, economic development, housing production, and neighborhood quality of life.
• Experience in community development or organizing along with policy research.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Proficiency in the use of software applications such as Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook, or equivalent.
• Ability to effectively plan workflow and manage multiple projects to deliver quality products in a timely manner evidenced by through strong organizational, administration, and management skills.
• Ability to express themselves clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing (email, letters, report writing and editing).
• Skill in research techniques and applications - collecting, compiling, analyzing, and interpreting data.
• Strong work ethic, professionalism, flexibility.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others and facilitate groups to achieve common objectives; understand and identify key issues and make recommendations in complex situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with others and to provide excellent service to internal and external customers, stakeholders and colleagues.
• Ability to present yourself in a professional and effective manner.
• Ability to work in a team environment and work as an effective team contributor.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrate ability to work independently, prioritize work, and independently manage multiple, diverse, and competing priorities while meeting deadlines.

Selection Process
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to the interview process, which may include practical/writing exercises.

To be considered for this position, you must fill out the online application and submit the following:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• One (1) writing sample that best demonstrate your level of proficiency

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact michael.lomio@sanjoseca.gov and renu.grover@sanjoseca.gov

To learn more information about City Benefits, click on the Benefits tab of this job posting.

To learn more information about Mayor and City Council, click here.

Link to California Equal Pay Act.

This position will remain open until filled and applications will be reviewed continuously; therefore, we encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible.

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.

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.

64,634

San Jose, California United States View Map