Career Opportunity

Director of Communications - San Francisco Human Services Agency (0932) (128576)

Recruitment: RTF0128575-01088552

Published: May 24, 2023

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About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

• Application Opening – May 15, 2023
• Application Deadline – May 26, 2023
• Compensation: $151,918.00-$193,856.00 Yearly https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=0932
• List ID: PBT-0932-128576; RTF0128575-01088552

Who We Are

At the San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA), we believe in a San Francisco where everyone has the opportunity and support to achieve their full potential.  We are comprised of the Department of Benefits and Family Support, and the Department of Disability and Aging Services, and are united by our commitment to deliver essential services that support and protect people, families, and communities.

From financial, nutritional and employment support to child and adult protective services, health care coverage, affordable childcare, and in-home services for older adults and persons with disabilities, our team lends support for all in need.

Our Commitment to Racial Equity

As we work towards our vision of an inclusive San Francisco, we embrace our responsibility to root out systemic racism by creating services and a workforce which reflect the lived experiences and strengths of the people we serve. We are committed to fostering a work environment where our differences are celebrated and everyone has what they need to thrive--no matter their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin. Click here to learn more about what this commitment looks like in action.

Role description

Under the direction of the Deputy Director for Policy, Planning and Public Affairs, the Communications Director is responsible for developing, managing, implementing, and administering a comprehensive communications strategy for SFHSA.   With the support of the Communications team, the Communications Director leads the implementation of multi-channel strategic communications plans to strengthen the awareness of the Agency’s mission, strategies, programs, and partners through branding, media relations, digital communications, multicultural public affairs campaigns and outreach, and internal communications.  The Communications Director also responds to time-sensitive crises, and media and community requests for information.

The position’s major focus is to design, plan, coordinate, and manage Agency communications, both internally and externally. S/he/they must also have well-developed skills in critical thinking, possess excellent communication skills, be able to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and lead and coordinate people who work across multiple disciplines within and outside the Agency. The Communications Director builds strategic, cross-sector partnerships with non-profit community service providers, Agency grantees, the Mayor’s Office, and San Francisco City Departments to advance shared communications priorities. 

The position manages the Communications team and leads internal collaboration with Executive members and managerial staff across all Agency programs and divisions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list. This position may include additional duties as assigned.

1. Manage a team of communication professionals and as-needed professional vendors.
2. With support of the team, create, deliver, and implement Agency communication strategy for large-scale initiatives, targeted campaigns, announcements, and press releases through all relevant outlets.
3. Develop a public-facing communication strategy, implemented via traditional and social media, to influence public opinion and assist in increasing public access to SFHSA services.
4. Oversee an internal-facing communication strategy to clarify and facilitate messaging among Agency executives and employees at every level.
5. Coordinate with SFHSA Information Technology Division, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and executive management and staff, and vendors to implement internal and public-facing strategies.
6. Help develop and maintain content, consistent branding, and positive reputation across all communication materials, channels and technology; be an advocate for the Agency and its clients.
7. In partnership with HSA’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, formulate communications strategies to advance SFHSA’s values of Diversity and Racial Equity among internal staff and the larger San Francisco community.
8. Deliver targeted outreach and build trusted partnerships with underserved communities, especially Black, Indigenous, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latinx, and veterans and adults with disabilities. 
9. Monitor, evaluate, and oversee content strategy for SFHSA.org to ensure SFHSA’s brand voice is consistent, accessible, and usable by the public and partner stakeholders.
10. Serve as the Executive Director’s liaison with other City/County staff, the Mayor’s Press Office, officials of outside agencies, media, and public for all messaging and content in their respective channels and organizations.
11. Direct public affairs, including community relations/public information program, special events, and media relations activities, and advertising programs.
12. Develop new media contacts and opportunities to share stories and articles about HSA. Maintain existing relationships.
13. Provide support on time-sensitive and strategic media responses, editorials, and key interviews.

How to qualify

1. Education

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; 

AND

2. Experience

• Six (6) years of professional experience leading the major functions of a public affairs, public information, public relations, social media, digital engagement, and community relations unit for a medium to large private or public organization.  This experience must include three (3) years supervising professional staff.

Substitution: Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of two (2) years). One (1) year is equivalent to 30 semester units/45 quarter units.

Note: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

**Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.**

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working as a communications professional in the public sector
• Experience working as a communications professional in the field of human services

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

VERIFICATION OF EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION:

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, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures:

Supplemental Questionnaire Examination (Weight: 100%):

Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualifications will be invited to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. This exam is designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to: knowledge of project management and the ability to effectively manage the entire life cycle of initiatives from their inception to their implementation; skills in effectively communicating and evaluating performance expectations of a unit and provide the support needed to achieve agency goals; written communication ability; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process.

The above test components are considered standardized and, therefore, test questions and answers are not available for public inspection or review.

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ - Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2021-22.pdf

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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
• Seniority Credit In Promotional Exams
• 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. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” 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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Miguel Campos-Salas, by telephone at (415) 557-5185 or by email at miguel.campos@sfgov.org. 

All of your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

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.