Public Information Specialist

ABOUT THE POSITION

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First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission, is recruiting for a Public Information Specialist located in Riverside.

The incumbent will provide support with the planning, preparing, and implementation of the public information program for First 5, Riverside County. This includes providing support with writing and press releases, managing all social media accounts, informing the public of the department’s activities and programs, marketing, public affairs, collaborating with the Senior Public Information Specialist and Executive Office Public Information Officer, and other duties that support the department’s strategic priorities. Bilingual in Spanish is preferred but not required.

The most competitive candidates will have professional working experience and knowledge of social media platforms, Adobe Creative Suite, exceptional writing skills, experience with press releases, excellent public speaking and interpersonal skills, and the ability to bring creativity, new ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to ensure First 5 has a robust and comprehensive public information program. Experience working in the public sector is a plus.

The position may require working evenings and/or weekends occasionally.

Meet the Team!

First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission, is primarily funded by tobacco taxes generated by Proposition 10, which passed in November 1998 to help make sure that all our youngest Californians, from prenatal through 5 years old, get the best possible start in life. First 5 Riverside County also receives state and federal funding to support community programs and initiatives to meet the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan. In partnership with the county’s Department of Public Social Services, First 5 has oversight of Riverside County’s Family Resource Centers, which serve as a hub for community services aimed at improving outcomes and quality of living for families in these communities. Can you see yourself here as part of a dynamic team? Check out our website for additional information at https://rccfc.org/About-Us .

jfc: 27303100

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Establishes and maintains regular contacts with the press, community groups, and government officials to meet the organization’s public information, awareness, and education needs.

• Develops and determines effectiveness of distribution and outreach media plan; makes recommendations for modifications as required.

• Writes feature articles and press releases on organization’s activities, services, programs, and functions; prepares pamphlets and brochures.

• Coordinates release distribution to the media; organizes and arranges public information campaigns and press conferences.

• Plans, coordinates, and implements specialized public information and education programs pursuant to government regulations; determines program goals.

• Locates and utilizes existing resources available for special public information programs; writes Requests for Proposals to secure funding for specialized public information and education programs.

• Assists in preparing the program’s budget; monitors program expenditures; initiates and answers correspondence related to public inquiries and citizens’ problems and complaints.

• Performs public speaking activities; writes scripts, slide shows, and other presentations; coordinates activities with audio visual specialists, graphic artists, or other related staff.

• Provides writing support to the organization; coordinates and edits the organization’s newsletter; may monitor the work of consultants; may supervise volunteer staff.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, English, Public Relations, Public/Business Administration, or a closely related field. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the education on the basis of one year of full-time experience equaling 30 semester or 45 quarter units of education.)

Experience: Two years of full-time experience developing and writing printed materials and/or press releases for use in print and electronic media; or in public or community relations which included the dissemination of information to internal and/or external audiences through various communications media.

Knowledge of: Methods of planning, coordinating, and implementing an effective public information program; methods and techniques used in planning press conferences; techniques in developing and producing audio-visual presentations; styles and techniques in speech writing.

Ability to: Complete assignments within strict time constraints; evaluate and apply government regulations to program planning; maintain confidentiality of sensitive information; establish and maintain effective working relations with staff, public, and representatives from outside agencies; coordinate public information and education programs with other jurisdictions; coordinate the activities of audio-visual specialists, graphic artists, or other specialists in preparing public information medium; recognize problems and develop effective solutions; act independently in converting complex technical information into a meaningful and applicable format for the targeted audience.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Other Requirements

License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License is required for field travel.

Veterans’ Preference

The County has a Veterans Preference Policy. Upload a copy of your (or your spouse’s) Member-4 Form DD-214 (or NGB-22) indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse’s letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans’ preference. See the policy here ( Download PDF reader ).

What’s Next?

Open to All Applicants

This recruitment is open to all applicants. Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the department.

Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of the First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the County.

Reasonable Accommodations

The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: http://dao.rc-hr.com/ .

Application Period

BASED ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. All applicants must submit a complete application by the close date of the recruitment. No late applications will be permitted.

Include relevant work experience details on resume and/or application.

Proof of Education

Applicants who fail to provide information demonstrating they possess the position requirements may not be considered further in the application process. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account. If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

For questions regarding this recruitment

Contact Danilo Lozano at [email protected] with any questions regarding this recruitment.

MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here .
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

• Tier I (Classic Member – Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.
• Tier II (Classic Member – Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.
• Tier III (PEPRA New Member – Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013. As of July 1, 2020, the employee contribution is 7.25% and subject to change annually.

A new member is defined as any of the following:

CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as “classic members”.

Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.

Note:

This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to [email protected] or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.

If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees’ Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there’s any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.

VACATION ACCRUAL (Bi-Weekly Accrual):

0< 3 year = 80 Hours (10 Days)

4< 9 years = 120 Hours (15 Days)

10 or more years = 160 Hours (20 Days)

Maximum Vacation leave accumulation is 480 hours.

SICK LEAVE: Four (4) hours Sick Leave accrual per pay period with unlimited accrual.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: Allowed 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 additional days can be taken from accrued Sick Leave balance).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: Equal to one times annual base salary not to exceed $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

DISABILITY: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.

OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information.