Communications and Outreach Manager - Sonoma Public Infrastructure

Position Information

Bring your leadership and communication skills to Sonoma Public Infrastructure .

Starting salary up to $61.52/hour ($128,399.62/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation - 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

Join Our Team
Sonoma Public Infrastructure (SPI) leads the way to a safe and sustainable community by planning, building, managing, and maintaining Sonoma County's investment in quality services and infrastructure. SPI operates and maintains various facilities across the County, many of which were constructed during the 1950s and 60s and require consistent upkeep and care. The locations include the Airport Complex, County Administration Center, Chanate and Los Guilicos Campuses, Main Adult Detention Facility, and four Veterans' Memorial Buildings.

Typical duties for the Communications and Outreach Manager in SPI include:

• Developing and executing communication strategies and plans for effectively communicating department projects, policies, and initiatives both internally and externally
• Developing, publishing, and managing compelling content to be employed in all communication channels, including written documents, presentations, video, online (intranet and internet content) social media posts, speech notes, informational/marketing collateral, and others
• Engaging with key stakeholders both internally and externally to build relationships as a trusted and authentic source of information and support, who can serve as an effective liaison between customer and client
• Supporting the senior management team with strategic communication plans and content in connection with key initiatives
• Building and growing the departmental brand, based on data-driven and strategic goals to demonstrate generally and specifically the significant value brought to colleagues, departmental partners, elected officials, and the community

In addition to patience, flexibility, and interpersonal skills, the ideal candidate for this position will possess many of the following:

• Expert communication and story-telling skills via writing, speaking, and visual media, and via all channels, including social and podcast media
• A strong ability to strategize practical solutions directly connected to big-picture visionary success
• A proven ability to develop and execute high-quality work from inception to delivery, to post-delivery analysis/measurement, quickly, reliably, and effectively
• Experience/ease in successfully engaging with a wide variety of audiences
• A proven ability to translate highly technical or esoteric jargon/terms and information into easily understood, compelling stories.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 and Office
• Experience and knowledge of web design and publishing
• An authentic desire to use technology, innovation, and creative thinking to resolve issues and solve problems.
• Experience with interaction and work with elected officials, executives, and VIP customers highly desired
• Video production/editing/publishing knowledge is desirable
• Strong ability to build relationships both internally and externally

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) Atrand our Employee Benefits Directory .

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Communications and Outreach Manager position in the Department of Public Infrastructure. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this job classification is Department Program Manager.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: Any combination of training and experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities stated herein. Normally, three years of experience supervising or coordinating a program including some responsibility for program coordination, planning, analysis and administration, including at least one year leading or supervising staff would provide such opportunity. Specific experience related to the assigned position may be required for designated positions and will be stated as such in recruitment materials.

Education: Any combination of education and training which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities stated herein. Normally, significant college coursework in business or public administration, finance, economics or a closely related area would provide this opportunity. For some assignments, college coursework in social work, psychology, sociology or a closely related field may be desirable.

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 on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: the principles and practices of program management including planning and program analysis; data collection, research methodology and application of basic statistics; report writing; legislation, laws, current issues and trends, and techniques and principles for the assigned program area.

Working knowledge of: the principles and practices of personnel management, employee supervision, and training; budget development and fiscal management; grant and contract administration.

Ability to: plan, organize, coordinate and manage a specific program or group of related programs; select, train, and supervise staff; develop, evaluate, and analyze operational policies and procedures; analyze problems and complaints and identify solutions; prepare, interpret and evaluate a variety of narrative and statistical data and reports; communicate orally and in writing on a variety of issues; understand, interpret and apply procedures, laws, rules and regulations as they apply to assigned area; ensure proper compliance with federal, state and local guidelines, policies, goals, rules and regulations; develop and maintain harmonious relationships with employees, public officials, community groups, other agencies and the general 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 BE COMPLETED.

Responses to supplemental questions will be 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 & 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. 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 & 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 applicants.

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 by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. 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: DP
HR Technician: EV

IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: MANAGEMENT*

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 generousCounty 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 https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources/divisions-and-units/employee-relations/labor-agreements-and-salary-resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts go to https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources or, contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-2900.

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

Closing Date/Time: 3/24/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

Show more