Council Aide - Council District 1

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.

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 is seeking an individual whose values align with the values of the City's employees.

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.

Position Duties

The Office of Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei is seeking a dedicated Council Aide with experience in the political landscape. Positions in this classification are designed to provide administrative support work of routine difficulty in assisting in various functions in the offices of the City Mayor and Council members and/or perform a variety of special administrative work to supplement the scope of services, duties and responsibilities of the City Mayor and Council staff. Each Appointment to this classification is for a specified period of time to be determined by the appointing Council Member or Mayor and does not extend past the end of the elected official’s or appointing authority’s term.

Positions in these unclassified civil service classifications are appointed “at will” with no property right to continued employment. Each appointment is for a specified period-of-time to be determined by the appointing Councilmember and does not extend past the end of the elected official's or appointing authority's term. Assignments may be on a project basis and/or as needed basis and will not be on predetermined employment time/term limitations.
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.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualification requirements on training and experience; knowledge, skills, and abilities; and licenses and certificates are based on the specific needs of the individual position.

- Knowledge of federal, state, and local rules and regulations pertaining to municipal operations
- Ability to effectively communicate with the media and members of the public through a variety of letters, memoranda and reports; prepare agendas and meeting summaries; ability to obtain information from and convey information to the public.
- Ability to develop and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with a wide range of individuals, neighborhood, business, and community organizations, as well as City staff, members of Boards and Commissions and other constituencies.
- Ability to provide administrative support to an elected official including coordinating meetings, townhalls, and events for the Councilmember.
- Ability to plan, manage, and evaluate community relations methods and events.
- Ability to collaborate with representatives of other elected officials, public and community-based agencies; and City staff regarding policy analysis and development; consideration of policy and program options; or other matters affecting public services.
- Ability to plan, manage, coordinate, and collaborate to successfully produce special events, public meetings.

Other Qualifications

Desirable Qualifications:
- Social media and events management a plus.
- Bilingual skills: oral and written proficiency with languages such as Spanish or Vietnamese.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment in developing, analyzing, and evaluating various programs and services. Ability to collaborate with community-based organizations regarding the preparation and management of grants, programs, special events, and community outreach efforts.
- Ability to manage programs, activities, and projects within the scope and authority of the elected official regarding community relations methods, programs, and events.
- Ability to draft routine to complex correspondence, memoranda, and reports which articulate the elected official's proposals and position on matters before the City Council and other governmental bodies. Proficiency with conducting public meetings and events on behalf of the elected official and/or prepare summaries of public and private meetings; reports, memoranda and other documents for review by senior staff and the elected official.
- Ability to serve as support staff in community engagement efforts with neighborhood, district or city-wide business or community groups or associations and other interested parties in the regarding community concerns, issues, and priorities.
- Ability to produce public information including media releases and relations and to use social media sources including web site development and management to effectively engage the community and constituents with the elected official’s policies, positions, and goals.
- Ability to effectively engage with other elected and appointed officials (boards and commissions, other governmental representatives and staff) regarding programs and services for mutual constituencies. Proficiency in web design and the use of various software programs including Canva, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, In-design; Dreamweaver, and other applications; the applicant should also be proficient in graphic design. Specialized knowledge, skills, abilities, education, experience, or licensure requirements may be established for individual positions.

Selection Process:
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process may consist of one or more interviews.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process. Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit, including spaces, for each text response.

1. Sample work of marketing, media releases, graphics, and social media graphics

2. Please describe your work style and the techniques you use to manage your responsibilities

3. Please describe a specific example of a successful team experience, your role and responsibilities, and the technique you used to develop and maintain excellent working relationships, which resulted in the timely and effective delivery of a project, product, or service.

To be considered for this position, you must fill out the online application on the City of San Jose website and submit the following:

Cover Letter
Resume

If you have questions about the duties of this position, the selection or hiring processes, please contact sarah.shull@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.

Part-time positions(less than 40 hours per week) are required to participate in the City’s PTC 457 Deferred Compensation Plan per Federal regulations. Employees are required to contribute 3.75% of gross earning and the City contributes a matching amount of 3.75%. The funds contributed by the City are 100% vested upon initial deferral and will be held in in a stability of principal investment. This plan is in lieu of social security and does not include any healthcare benefits or contributions.

Part-time employees may elect to contribute additional retirement savings through the City’s Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. Additional Information on both plans can be found on the City’s website.

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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