Senior Public Information Specialist – CE

ABOUT THE POSITION
The Salton Sea Authority is seeking a Senior Public Information Specialist – CE to increase and enhance public outreach and engagement. The Salton Sea Authority is Joint Powers Authority, consisting of the County of Riverside, the County of Imperial, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Coachella Valley Water District, and the Imperial Irrigation District. In conjunction with the State of California, the Salton Sea Authority is responsible for overseeing the restoration of the Salton Sea. The Senior Public Information Specialist will work closely with the Executive Director and the Salton Sea Authority’s five agencies to coordinate the messaging to the public, collaborate with community groups, and establish and coordinate community involvement in the restoration of the Salton Sea.

The ideal candidate will possess excellent interpersonal skills, knowledge of environmental justice issues, strong technical writing skills, experience writing press releases, and the ability to build relationships with, encourage involvement from, and communicate with all stakeholders. Spanish-English bilingualism is highly desired.

The Senior Public Information Specialist will be based in Indio, CA, will travel throughout Riverside and Imperial counties, and will occasionally travel to Sacramento, CA and Washington, D.C.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Collaborate and cooperate with the State of California Department of Natural Resources (CNRA) and its Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) Team to provide public outreach and engagement services.

Coordinate responses to press inquires and public information campaigns with CNRA and integrate public services announcements into campaigns.

Coordinatethe development of mitigation and restoration projects; seek community input regarding localized risks, challenges, and undeveloped opportunities.

Develop and maintain partnerships with local stakeholders such as community groups, schools, and universities; develop and/or facilitate volunteer programs, educational programs, tours, internships, and research opportunities; establish historical database.

Communicate with local, state, and federal partners; provide project status updates and reports.

Develop and determine effectiveness of cross-platform social media campaign.

Write articles and media releases on the Salton Sea Authority’s activities, services, programs, and functions; update and maintain Saltonsea.com.

Perform public speaking activities; write scripts and use various forms of presentations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
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.)

AND

Three years of full-time experience in developing and writing printed materials and/or media 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
Application Deadline
This recruitment is open to all applicants.Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received. Based on the number of applications received, this posting may close or be extended without notice.Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. No late applications will be permitted.

Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the County. Applicants who are current County or Human Resources employees may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

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.

Degree Verification
Prior to the closing date, 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 ).

Veterans’ Preference
The County of Riverside has a Veteran’s 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.

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/ .

GENERAL INFORMATION
If you have any questions regarding this posting, please contact Karla Medrano at [email protected] .

If you are experiencing technical problems, you may contact the governmentjobs.com applicant support desk Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Time at [email protected] or toll-free 1-855-524-5627.

MEDICAL/DENTAL INSURANCE: A Flexible Benefit Credit is provided on a monthly basis as governed by the Management Resolution or applicable bargaining unit. Vision coverage is provided through Vision Service Plan (VSP) at no cost to employee or eligible dependents.

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.

401(a) MONEY PURCHASE PLAN: County contribution of $50 per pay period towards choice between two 401(a) plan providers.

ANNUAL LEAVE (Bi-Weekly Accrual):
0 < 36 months = 8.92 Hours
36 to <108>108 or more months = 12.00 Hours

Maximum Annual Leave accumulation is 1,800 hours. Employee may receive pay in lieu of up to 80 hours per calendar year. Agency/Department Head may approve an additional 80 hours.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 days can be taken through use of accrued leave balances).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY (LTD): Benefit pays 66.67% of earnings to a maximum of $10,000 per month; 30-day waiting period; pays to age 65. Benefit can be coordinated with other available leave balances to provide up to 100% of pay.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the Management Resolution or applicable bargaining unit.

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