Council District 3 Office – Council Assistant (Unclassified)

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.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

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 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.

Councilmember-Elect Anthony Tordillos of District 3 Council Office is recruiting for a Council Assistant. This position reports to the Chief of Staff. The position provides services in connection with policy analysis, research, communication, event planning, community outreach, and other related matters as needed and requested.

The total salary range for Council Assistant classification is $ 67,572.96 - $99,830.64. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

Position Duties

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. The employee will serve as a liaison to the Councilmember and will regularly represent the Councilmember at City-related meetings and functions.

Candidates must be willing to work frequent evenings and weekends, and as exempt management employees, are not eligible for overtime compensation.

Employees in this classification are not members of the classified civil service and are appointed "at will." Each appointment is for a specified period to be determined by the appointing Councilmember and does not extend past the end of the elected official's or appointing authority's term. This unclassified position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions.

Typical Duties:

The Council Assistant will be primarily responsible for the following tasks:

• Gathering background information relative to issues pending before the City Council.
• Analyzing a wide variety of materials on assigned projects, programs, and topics
• Preparation or assisting in preparation of speeches, articles, or other communications for the Council Member
• Responding to constituent inquiries and issues, resolving complaints, and interpreting operating policies for residents of the community and other interested parties
• Attending and representing the Councilmember at City-related meetings and activities, meeting with governmental agencies, private industry, and related meetings
• Coordinating arrangements for community meetings, events, and programs
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level as required.

Minimum Qualifications

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

Education BA/BS in Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, Communications, or closely related field is required. Knowledge of Public Administration; management, and administrative methods; budgeting, land use, housing policy, customer/constituent relations, etc..

Experience: Previous experience working for a Councilmember or elected official desirable.

Required Licensing: Possession of a valid California Driver’s license is required.

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.

Competencies:

The ideal candidate will possess the most desirable combination of training, skills, and experience, which will allow him or her to serve as a member of the District Team. Desirable experience, knowledge and skills for this position include:

• Knowledge of Public Administration; management, and administrative methods; budgeting, land use, housing policy, 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 deadline are met.
• Previous experience working for a Councilmember or elected official desirable.
• Proficiency in the use of software applications such as Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook.
• Familiarity and knowledge of the District community will be an asset to the office.
• Ability to effectively plan workflow and manage multiple projects to deliver quality products in a timely manner evidenced through strong organizational, administration, and management skills.
• Ability to express themselves clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing (email, letters, report writing and editing).
• Ability to present yourself in a professional and effective manner.
• 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 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.
• Bilingual language skills in English/ Spanish both oral and written are highly desirable

Other Qualifications

Selection Process:

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 Jose website and submit the following:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process:
QUESTION 1* - Why do you want to work for the District 3 Council Office?

QUESTION 2* - Please describe your experience engaging with constituents on behalf of an elected official. Please describe experience in both written and in-person engagements (e.g. digital communications, representing elected Official at community meetings, engaging with small business owners).

QUESTION 3* - What experience, if any, do you have engaging with constituents in languages other than English? Do you have any experience providing real time translation services?

* Required Question

Additional Information

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact charulatha.thiyagarajan@sanjoseca.gov.

This posting/recruitment will remain open until vacancy is filled. Applications are reviewed continuously; therefore, we encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible.

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.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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