Public Affairs Specialist

Public Affairs Specialist

County of Orange

Orange County, CA

Job details

Salary

$54,974 - $73,507 a year

Full Job Description

CAREER DESCRIPTION

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

(Staff Specialist)

In addition to performance-based merit increases, this position is scheduled to receive salary range increases on the following dates:

Effective July 2, 2021 – 2.5% increase

Effective July 1, 2022 – 3.5% increase

Mandatory Employee Retirement Contributions will decrease on the following dates:

Effective July 2, 2021 – 1.2% decrease

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

THIS RECRUITMENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This recruitment is being held to establish an Open Eligible List to fill current and future Public Affairs Specialist (Staff Specialist) positions throughout the County of Orange. This recruitment may also be used to fill positions in similar and/or lower level classification.

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

This recruitment will be closing at 11:59 PM PST on Friday, January 22, 2021. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately.

THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY:

The County of Orange, District Attorney, represents the People of the State of California in all criminal and civil proceedings, serves the court and criminal justice system, and the Orange County Grand Jury. The mission of the Office is to enhance public safety and welfare and create a sense of security in the community through the vigorous enforcement of criminal and civil laws in a just, honest, efficient, and ethical manner. The Office consists of three major divisions: Legal, Investigative Bureau, and Administration & Public Affairs.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS UNIT:

The Public Affairs Unit (PAU) serves the community by providing the media and public with critical, timely, and accurate information regarding public safety, significant cases, and the criminal justice system.

The PAU consists of the Public Information Officer, two Public Affairs Specialists, and a Community Outreach Specialist. Under the supervision of the Chief of Administration and Public Affairs, the PAU aids the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) in investigations and trial preparations, formulates strategies, provides analysis, and develops policies, among other assigned duties. Due to the ethical duties and confidentiality requirements of the Office, the PAU provides the OCDA with training on Constitutional and statutory laws, Rules of Professional Responsibility, and Office polices. A Policy Manual written and maintained by the PAU is a resource on applicable laws and policies for the OCDA and other prosecutorial agencies.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

OCDA/PAU has an exciting opportunity for a Public Affairs Specialist. This is a fast-paced, ever-changing environment that requires a self-motivated and energetic individual who can work independently and take initiative to keep projects moving forward. The selected candidate will provide communication and technical support to the PAU. The general job duties include but are not limited to the following:

Coordinating and supporting special events, including press conferences, the Victims' Rights Rally, and Community Advisory Committees

Coordinating community outreach opportunities

Coordinating photography of special events and, in some cases, taking photographs/video using department photo equipment

Creating PowerPoint presentations for use by various office speakers, including the attorney and investigatory staff

Handling changing deadlines and competing priorities

Helping to redesign District Attorney website and provide regular content updates

Interacting with various law enforcement agencies, vendors, sponsors, and the public to provide support for various public communications

Managing interns

Managing the unit social media program including content development, posting and monitoring

Producing the OCDA Biennial Report including planning photo shoots, gathering case information and statistics from each unit, and working on strict deadlines

Recruiting, training and managing PAU interns

Shooting, editing, and producing videos and short clips to be used for presentations, events, and social media

Staffing elected District Attorney at events

Supporting the PAU in researching and responding to public and media inquiries

Supporting the units media/crisis communications efforts

Working with office staff and management to research, develop and implement communications plans for routine and special projects

Writing to support the unit communications efforts, including news releases, newsletter articles, and other promotional and collateral materials

Writing, reviewing, and gaining approval of AP-style news releases, within legal and ethical constraints, produced under time constraints and deadlines

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND CORE COMPETENCIES:

The ideal candidate will possess four years of work experience in public relations/communications and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in a related field (i.e. Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, English, Political Science, Criminal Justice, etc.).

In addition to the above noted desirable qualifications, the ideal candidate will succeed in this position by clearly understanding the OCDA's goals, thinking strategically about how best to advance them, and supporting the development and implementation of communications programs that achieve them.

In addition, the ideal candidate will possess the following core competencies:

Effective Communication

Clearly and effectively conveys information verbally and/or visually

Fosters and maintains positive working relationships, works cooperatively in groups and demonstrates leadership skills

Identifies and uses effective communication channels and methods (e.g. presentations, electronic dissemination, and social media)

Listens actively; asks clarifying questions and summarizes or paraphrases what others have said to verify understanding

Organizes, expresses and communicates ideas clearly in writing

Provides work-in-progress status updates proactively and informs others when work is completed

Utilizes skill in presenting information, analysis, ideas and positions in a clear, succinct, and accurate manner, as is appropriate with the audience

Adaptability

Adjusts timelines, results, and expectations appropriately to changing needs

Attends events with the District Attorney after hours and on weekends

Coordinates logistics for press conferences and events

Identifies ways to incorporate new practices into existing framework

Persists toward solutions and goals in changing circumstances

Sets, commits to, and maintains high standards for quality work and responsiveness in providing administrative services; readily re-adjusts priorities to respond to pressing and changing demands

Thinks and acts effectively under pressure

Understands changes in work priorities, tasks, situations and environment, as well as the basis for change

Technical

Knowledgeable and skilled in shooting still photos and live videos

Knowledgeable and skilled in post-production video editing, preferably using Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or Avid

Knowledgeable and skilled in working with computer programs such as Microsoft Office Suite

Knowledgeable and skilled in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to promote the office

Uses a variety of TV, video, and computer equipment to clip video and maintain a video library

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Physical Requirements:

Possess vision sufficient to read standard text and a computer monitor; speak and hear well enough to communicate clearly and understandably in person to individuals and groups and over the telephone; possess body mobility to stand, sit, walk, stoop and bend routinely to perform daily tasks and to access a standard office environment; possess manual dexterity sufficient to use hands, arms and shoulders repetitively to operate a keyboard, utilize office equipment and to write; use a County approved means of transportation to travel to and from County facilities.

Mental Requirements:

Possess the ability to independently reason logically to analyze data, reach conclusions and make recommendations; possess the ability to remain calm and appropriately focused in rapidly changing and difficult situations involving conflict, complex issues, controversy and diverse stakeholder groups and interests; possess the ability to deal calmly and effectively with emotional interactions.

Environmental Requirements:

Possess the ability to handle changing deadlines and competing priorities; possess the ability to interact with varying levels within the organizational hierarchy; possess the ability to work independently in an office environment; possess the ability to travel to outreach sites, work nights and weekend hours.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS:

The District Attorney Human Resources Department will screen all application materials for minimum and desirable qualifications. After screening, candidates who meet the minimum and desirable qualifications will be referred to the next step in the recruitment process. All candidates will be notified via e-mail of their status in the process.

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 candidates that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Written Exercise (Weighted 100%):

Candidates will be completing a written exercise. A panel of job knowledge experts will evaluate the written exercise on writing skills, clarity and preciseness of writing, content, grammar, sentence structure, and format. This evaluation will be done as a blind rating. Only those who pass the written exercise will be placed on the eligible list.

Eligible List

Once the assessment has been completed, OCDA Human Resources 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.

Veterans Employment Preference Policy (VEPP)

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 (Download PDF reader) to review the policy.

Based on the Department's needs, the recruitment process listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the recruitment process.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

BACKGROUND SCREENING:

Candidates under consideration for hire by the District Attorney will be required to pass an extensive investigation to the satisfaction of the department.

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:

EEO INFORMATION

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer, encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Non-Management Benefits

In addition to the County's standard suite of benefits, such as a variety of health plan options, annual leave and paid holidays-we also offer an excellent array of benefits such as a Health Care Reimbursement Account, 457 Defined Contribution Plan and Annual Education and Professional Reimbursement. Employees are provided a Retirement Plan 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