Job Description

Posting number: 202601753

Department: Mayor and City Council

Job classification: Council Assistant (Unclassified) (Part-Time)

Posting type: Open

Categories: Customer Service, Office and Administrative Support

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.

Examples of duties

The Council District 8 Office is recruiting for one (1) part-time, unbenefited Council Assistant to support the Office of Councilmember Domingo Candelas. The Council Assistant position serves as a liaison to the elected official and will regularly represent the Council District office at City-related meetings and functions. The position provides support with policy analysis, research, communication, event planning, community outreach, and other related matters as needed. The position requires an employee with strong and effective organizational skills; detail oriented and 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. It would be highly desirable for the successful candidate to have experience and knowledge of policy, communications as well as event planning. Bilingual language skills (Vietnamese) both oral and written, are highly preferred.

Responsibilities for the position may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Represents the elected official at neighborhood or community meetings and activities, City-related boards/commission meetings and other meetings with government agencies, private industry, and related meetings.
• Provides legislative support (legislative and policy research, responding to stakeholder inquiries, etc.) to the elected official.
• Gathers background information related to issues pending before the City Council.
• Analyzes a wide variety of materials on assigned projects, programs, and topics.
• Provides communication support such as drafting correspondence, preparing memoranda or reports which articulate the elected official’s proposals, priorities, and positions on matters pending before the City Council or other governmental agencies.
• Assists in preparation of speeches, articles, or other communications for the elected official.
• Responds to a variety of constituent inquiries, resolving complaints, and interpreting operating policies for residents of the community and other interested parties.
• Plans, coordinates, and leads community meetings and special events.
• May provide training and supervision of interns and volunteers.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level as required.

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 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 a flexible schedule as needed, including 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.

Qualifications

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

Competencies:

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 City Council District 8 Team. Desirable experience, knowledge, and skills for this position include:

• BA/BS in Political Science, Public Policy, Public or Business Administration, Communications, or related field is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of Public Administration; management, and administrative methods; budgeting, land use, housing, transportation, public relations, customer/constituent relations, etc.
• Ability to plan and manage special events, including the ability to coordinate with multiple event stakeholders and manage multiple event planning tasks at the same time to ensure that deadlines are met.
• 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 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.
• Demonstrate ability to work independently, prioritize work, and independently manage multiple, diverse, and competing priorities while meeting deadlines.

Supplemental information

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application, resume, cover letter and answers to the job-specific questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional steps of the selection process may consist of one or more interviews.

To be considered for this position, you must fill out the online application and answer the job-specific questions on the City of San José website and submit the following:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process:

1) This position requires balancing multiple assignments, constituent requests, meetings, events, and deadlines. Please describe how you organize and prioritize your work when several urgent tasks arise at the same time.

2) Please describe a time when you had to learn a new issue, policy, program, or process quickly. How did you approach it and how did you ensure the information you provided was accurate?

3) Council offices often receive requests from residents who are frustrated or need assistance navigating City services. Please describe how you would approach a constituent who comes to the office with an issue that you do not immediately know how to resolve.

4) Case study: A City resident contacts the Council office regarding an ongoing neighborhood issue that they have previously reported to the City but has yet to be resolved. Please draft a brief email response to the resident acknowledging their concern and explaining how you would assist them.

You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy, or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of this position or the selection or hiring process, please contact dominique.voelker@sanjoseca.gov.