Career Opportunity

1312 (TPV)- Public Relations Associate, Dept. of Early Childhood

Recruitment: RTF0148338-01152013

Published: June 12, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

Application Opening: June 7, 2024
Application Deadline: June 23, 2024
Compensation Range: $91,806 – $111,540 
Appointment: Full-Time, TPV- Temporary Provisional

Appointment Type: Temporary Provisional (TPV), limited to no more than 3 years in duration. This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment.

Note: The City is currently accepting applications for the 1312 Public Information Officer class based test. Incumbents in 1312 TPV positions must apply for the class based test, successfully pass the exam and be reachable to be considered for PCS appointment.
If you are applying to this 1312 (TPV) Public Relations Associate position with DEC, please be sure to also apply for the Citywide 1312 Public Information Officer CBT recruitment, closing 6/26/24. https://careers.sf.gov/role/?id=3743990004506486

About the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
The Department of Early Childhood (DEC) is a City and County of San Francisco Department dedicated to our young children's healthy development. As the City’s largest funder of early childhood, DEC is committed to creating a system that ensures every child can thrive and learn. We provide public investment, expertise, and leadership to put resources into the hands of those who care for our City’s youngest children. 

DEC results from merging two existing city departments, First 5 and the Office of Early Care and Education. Both First 5 and OECE have long histories of supporting young children and families in San Francisco through early care and education innovations, family support services, and programs to support children’s healthy development. They merged to expand their capacity and funding and to integrate the City’s early childhood services better.

Racial Equity Commitment 
The Department of Early Childhood condemns all forms of racism, sexism, homo/biphobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination. It affirms that all people– including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color – have a right to be in our City and have a right to safe and affordable housing, neighborhoods free from pollution and violence, opportunities for educational advancement and wealth creation, healthy births, early childhoods with abundant opportunities to thrive free from the toxic effects of racism, and access to essential services such as parks, transportation, health care, and child care. The Department of Early Childhood is committed to the principles of racial equity and continues to implement new strategies to ensure that every child can learn and thrive.

Role description

The Public Relations Associate is responsible for creating and executing public relations plans and programs to advance the Department’s mission and goals. They will be responsible for writing press releases, conducting media research, and coordinating special events. The Associate coordinates community events, developing and executing social media updates, monitoring online activity and reputation and attends key meetings to report on discussions. 

Important and Essential Functions

• Develop and disseminate public releases detailing department events, programs, and activities for print, broadcast, and online media; Produce regular and special departmental publications focused on early childhood initiatives and updates.
• Coordinate the review and ensure quality control of online media coverage related to early childhood initiatives and programs; Maintain a comprehensive file of press coverage and media mentions of the department’s activities.  
• Prepare and update departmental directories and maintain public relations outreach lists for stakeholders and media contacts.
• Compile reports with supporting data for the department head or policy oversight bodies, as directed.
• Edit public information materials submitted by departmental staff, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
• Attend meetings of the commission and community oversight and advisory committee and relevant conferences
• Post social media announcements and regularly update departmental websites with current information.
• Interpret, coordinate, and implement existing policies, methods, and procedures related to publicizing the department’s early childhood programs and facilities.
• Recommend and develop new policies and strategies to enhance public awareness and engagement.
• Support the design and implementation of marketing materials for special events, programs, and advertising campaigns.
• Work with consultants to develop various public relations strategies to effectively promote the department’s early childhood programs and initiatives.
• May perform other duties as assigned

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. AND,

Experience:

Two (2) years of professional experience in public relations, public affairs, public information, editorial, newspaper, magazine, radio, television, social media, digital engagement, advertising, marketing or similar work directly responsible for the preparation and dissemination of news and information in a variety of formats for internal and external audiences, wherein the preparation or direction of informational material for mass media on the development of a public information program was a major part of the position.

Substitution

1. Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one year.
2. Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public relations, journalism, mass communications or a closely related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Special Conditions

1. Bilingual proficiency in Cantonese
   Candidates will be required to pass the oral and written bilingual proficiency test to be considered for this position.

Supplemental Information

May require work on evenings, weekends and/or holidays.

Desirable Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop and implement innovative public relations campaigns across various media platforms (print, broadcast, online) with a particular emphasis on promoting and managing events that significantly enhance the growth and reputation of public sector organizations. This includes knowledge of principles and techniques used in conducting an effective public information and publicity program.
• Strong capability to analyze public information needs and tailor communications to diverse audiences, particularly for event promotion and engagement. This involves exercising creativity, resourcefulness, and judgment in selecting the most effective medium for public information coverage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, adept at crafting compelling publications for audiences from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes creating event-specific materials such as invitations, press releases, and promotional content.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating the design and production of high-quality graphic design for various advertising strategies, particularly for event related materials such as posters, brochures, and signage. 
• Proficiency in utilizing current and emerging communication tools to enhance public outreach and education efforts, including social media platforms and other digital channels to promote events and engage with the community. 
• Exceptional organizational and planning skills, proven ability to effectively schedule and coordinate events, community meetings, and public outreach activities. 
• Knowledge of the activities and programs of the department served and principles of marketing and promotional programs. This includes the ability to prepare complete, accurate, and concise public relations data and material
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact courteously, effectively, and tactfully with internal and external stakeholders, particularly in event coordination and public engagement. 

What else should I know?

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training, and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility or disqualification.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

How to Apply
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

1. Visit Careers with Purpose | City and County of San Francisco (sf.gov)
2. Type "1312" into the "Search by class or keyword" field.
3. Click the link to open the Job Announcement.
4. Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding the exam process, please contact lynn.tran@sfgov.org

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.