CAREER DESCRIPTION
PUBLIC INFORMATION AND AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATORThis position is scheduled to receive salary range increases on the following dates:
Effective June 28, 2024 - 4.25% increase
Effective June 27, 2025 - 4.00% increase
OPEN TO THE PUBLICThis recruitment will establish an open eligible list that will be used to fill current and future Public Information and Affairs Administrator positions with Social Services Agency. The eligible list established may also be used to fill position in similar and/or lower classifications throughout the County of Orange.
DEADLINE TO APPLY
This recruitment will close on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM (PST) ABOUT THE COUNTY OF ORANGE: Whether it’s manicured beach towns or celebrated theme parks, all framed by oceanfront towns and luxury yachts, Orange County is commonly known as “The OC” and stands out as one of the state’s most iconic destinations. With a population of over three million residents, Orange County is the sixth largest county in the United States. Residents enjoy over 42 miles of pristine beaches, three major harbors, vast wilderness parks, beautiful nature preserves, and approximately 402 miles of riding and hiking trails. The OC is a destination region rich with top-notch universities and colleges, some of the highest quality public and private schools in the nation, many corporate headquarters and technology firms, and four international airports within an hour’s drive. Many world-class meeting and entertainment venues, convention centers, and some of the state’s most popular attractions such as Disneyland and California Adventure Resorts, Knott’s Berry Farm, and major sports franchises including the Anaheim Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks Hockey, the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, and the 2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal winning U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team call the OC home. Orange County embraces vibrant, historic, and diverse neighborhoods, and welcomes millions of visitors per year, truly making it where the world comes to live, work, and play.
Click here to learn more about the County of Orange.
ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY: Administering a number of human services programs, the County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) is composed of four business divisions: Assistance Programs; Children and Family Services; Family Self-Sufficiency & Adult Services; and Administrative Services; and over 4,300 dedicated employees, providing human services to an average of one in four Orange County residents. Our mission is to deliver quality services that are accessible and responsive to the community, encourage personal responsibility, strengthen individuals, preserve families, and protect vulnerable adults and children.
Click here to learn more about the Social Services Agency.
Click here to view a video about Social Services Agency.
THE OPPORTUNITY: The Public Information and Affairs Administrator will assist the Community & Government Relations team of the County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) by providing strategic communications for external audiences, including media, community partners and residents. This role works hand-in-hand with the Internal Communications Manager to ensure consistent messaging across internal and external audiences.
The incumbent will report to the Strategic Communications Manager and will serve as Agency spokesperson for media interactions. Primary responsibilities involve:
- Managing external communication initiatives, including developing toolkits promoting programs to the community in multiple languages, maintaining presentations given to community partners and building relationships with local media.
- Supervising and developing direct reports and interns.
- Overseeing SSA’s social media accounts, developing strategies to inform audiences of available programs, changes to programs and collaborations with community partners.
- Helping maintain a consistent brand identify for SSA by ensuring others adhere to the branding guidelines.
- Serving as a communications subject matter expert to guide SSA staff as they develop messaging and collateral such as flyers and brochures.
- Creating communications plans for marketing campaigns, outreach events and special projects.
WORK SCHEDULE: The position provides services during the normal business days (Monday through Friday) and maybe assigned to work evenings and weekends as needed.
DESIRABLE QUALLIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES: The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or a related field. The candidate will be a seasoned communications professional with at least three (3) years of experience as a communications lead for a large governmental agency, public relations agency, or similar organization. The candidate should be experienced in utilizing various communication channels to develop and advertise events, including but not limited to print and broadcast media, social media, video, websites, events, and official public meetings. Bilingual skills are also highly desirable for this position.
In addition, the successful candidate will also have experience and be knowledgeable in the following core competencies:
TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE | TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE - Successfully developing and implementing internal and external communications programs
- Applying principles and practices of public relations
- Utilizing storytelling techniques to engage the public and inform on various County-related issues
STRATEGIC PLANNING | ANALYTICAL SKILLS- Developing communications efforts utilizing effective methods in order to connect with internal and external audiences
- Planning and leading the execution of operational procedures to ensure that projects and deadlines are met
- Effectively analyzing problems and situations before taking corrective actions
- Working independently to manage time wisely and to effectively prioritize multiple, competing tasks
JUDGMENT | PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS- Integrating new ideas and contemporary approaches into problem solving
- Gathering, analyzing and applying information skillfully
- Identifying, evaluating, and resolving issues as they arise, using decision-making abilities and technical expertise
- Developing recommendations, proposing solutions, achieving measurable results, and implementing best business practices
LEADERSHIP l SUPERVISION - Fostering a collaborative approach across all service functions that supports compliance and quality improvement efforts, provides information necessary for decision making and engages all levels of participants in contributing to the process
- Working collaboratively with direct reports to align personal development and goal achievement with business objectives
- Providing guidance and direction to others to meet organizational strategic objectives, while encouraging openness, creativity, and innovation
- Promoting a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality and excellence
- Actively promoting teamwork by creating a culture and environment that supports individual and team empowerment
COMMUNICATION | ORAL & WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS- Preparing and presenting information in person and in writing to County elected officials, management, department heads, staff members and with private, public and community stakeholders
- Utilizing effective communication skills to define and communicate strategic goals to internal and external audiences clearly, succinctly and persuasively
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING SKILLS | INTERPERSONAL- Utilizing tact, diplomacy and confidentiality in dealing with difficult and sensitive situations
- Working effectively as part of a team to tackle and resolve issues; providing creative solutions to problems that achieve program and project objectives
- Building effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, County elected officials, and staff to ensure departmental goals are accomplished
- Adhering to high ethical standards in all interactions with relevant parties
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates will be required to undergo a background clearance check and must successfully clear prior to the start of their employment. All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Areas considered in the background check include conviction history, employment history, professional references and education verification (i.e. degree, license, or official transcripts) if applicable. Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (N.A.C.E.S.) - In addition, a Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) background clearance check may be required. CACI is a repository of child abuse investigation reports managed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that contains information related to substantiated cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental/emotional abuse, and/or severe neglect of a child.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Click
here for detailed information on the M inimum Qualifications for Public Information and Affairs Administrator classification , including Physical & Mental Requirements and Environmental & Working Conditions.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS:
Human Resource Services (HRS) screens all applications to identify the qualified candidates for the position based on the skills required to meet the needs of the County. After the initial screening, the qualified candidates will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.
Veterans Employment Preference
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.
Application Screening (Refer/Non-Refer) Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those applications exhibiting qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.
Application Appraisal Panel | Application Rating (Weighted 100%)
An Application Appraisal Panel (AAP) of job knowledge experts will thoroughly screen and evaluate all application materials for job knowledge, competencies, and related experience described above. T herefore, you are strongly encouraged to be detailed and thorough in demonstrating your qualifications . Only the most successful candidates will be placed on the eligible list.
Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure.
Eligible List: Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please see below for important information regarding COVID-19 related recommendations. Effective April 3, 2023, it is strongly recommended that County employees working in health care settings and correctional facilities follow vaccination and booster guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please click here to see the latest guidance for more details.
EMAIL NOTIFICATION:
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account. NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.
Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.
For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Teodora Edles at Teodora.Edles@ssa.ocgov.com or (714) 245-6084.
Administrative Management *
In addition to the County's standard suite of benefits -- such as a variety of health plan options, sick and vacation time and paid holidays -- we also offer an excellent array of benefits such as:
- Retirement: Benefits are provided through the Orange County Employees' Retirement System (OCERS). Please go to the following link to find out more about Defined Benefit Pensions and OCERS Plan Types/Benefits.
http://www.ocers.org/active-member-information . - Paid Leave: Twelve holidays per year plus sick and vacation time
- Health & Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
- Dental Insurance: County pays 100% of employee and dependent premiums
- Paid Life Insurance: $100,000 life insurance policy
- Paid Accidental & Death and Dismemberment Insurance: $100,000 AD&D insurance policy
- Paid Short & Long Term Disability insurance programs
- 457 Defined Contribution Program
*Effective 07/01/20, management employees who are sworn Public Safety Managers receive health insurance benefits through the AOCDS Medical Benefit Plans.
Click here for information about benefits offered to County of Orange employees.
Closing Date/Time: 5/22/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
