Communications Aide

*** Please read the entire job posting thoroughly. ***

Please submit:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Contact Information & Availability
• Answers to the six questions/prompts below

to Mayra Flores, Supervisor Ellenberg’s Chief of Staff, at [email protected] with the subject line: Communications Aide Position.

*** This position will remain open until filled. ***

QUESTIONS FOR APPLICATION

The following questions will be used for determination of advancement in the process.

Please answer each of the following questions in less than 1,000 words (per question) in a separate document and email it to Mayra Flores or attach it to this Indeed application:

1. Please watch the segment of a previous Board of Supervisors meeting (https://youtu.be/H12bMjTHSbY?t=5184) related to Item 10 (1:26 – 1:33) and reflecting the Supervisor’s voice and priorities (review the website content for this here: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/d4/news-media/Pages/Newsroom.aspx):

Write a blog post (300 words) in the Supervisor’s voice summarizing the item, its importance to her and the community, and your key takeaways from the discussion.

Write an engaging social media post for said blog for Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor and list any appropriate external organizations/partners to tag

2. Who is your social media hero? Share an example of a social media campaign by said individual/company/organization that resonated with you and explain what they did right and how this could be applied to Supervisor Ellenberg’s social media channels.

3. Please explain your understanding of the role of a staff member to an elected official.

4. In a hypothetical situation, a resident of the Fourth District contacts our office regarding an issue they are having with a County project being proposed in their neighborhood, the way it was insufficiently communicated and how the community was being engaged. The Supervisor looks to you for a solution. How would you address this matter with the constituent? With the Supervisor?

5. Read this article and based on it, share which of the four work stylesbest matches yours: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/working-styles

6. Tell us about what you consider one of the most important moments in history to be and why it’s important to you.

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Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, who represents the Fourth District (Campbell, Santa Clara, West San Jose and Burbank), is looking for a passionate public servant to join her diverse and dynamic team as a Communications Aide. This person will join a team of 12 individuals who serve the citizens of District 4 and Santa Clara County, and staff the Supervisor on matters that come before the Board of Supervisors.

The ideal candidate for this position will have knowledge of, interest in, and passion for the following areas:

• Digital communications as a public service, particularly being responsive to the issues facing the residents of the Fourth Supervisorial District and effectively connecting them to knowledge and resources
• Santa Clara County, both its leadership and its residents

Expectations for this role include break down into two categories:

MONITORING

• Stay abreast of social media platforms, trends and tools and assess if participating in those will benefit the brand and work of the Supervisor and District 4 Office
• Monitor supervisorial social media accounts (Facebook, BlueSky, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor) for constituent responses, engagement and content/posts relevant to the Supervisor
• Monitor local, regional, state and national news/media that may contain quotes, airtime, or images of the Supervisor; the Supervisor’s policy/legislative action and policy that relates to the Supervisor’s work; and monitors media attention in District 4 to go into daily news reports

EXECUTION

• Curate and schedule appropriate content that aligns with the office priorities for social media
• Work alongside Communications Director and Deputy Chief of Staff to promote the Supervisor’s policy/legislative action through digestible communications for public consumption
• Support and/or create social media campaigns that align with the Supervisor’s priorities and/or to support identified partner efforts
• Responds to constituent questions via email, social media, and phone
• Create and curate content for the Supervisor’s monthly newsletter
• Create monthly blog posts for the Supervisor’s Medium page
• Create monthly podcasts for the Supervisor's YouTube channel
• Work directly with the Supervisor for periodical refresh of newsletter design and content
• Assist with the creation/coordination of ceremonial items including commendations, proclamations, certificates, adjournments and invocations
• Assist with Supervisor’s talking points for speeches, press conferences, community gatherings, and celebrations
• Assist in the planning, coordination, and execution of District 4 Office events
• Photograph Supervisor at external functions, post to social media, and maintain collection of photos
• Coordinate video creation for external and internal use
• Staff the Supervisor at events
• Maintain relationships with those equivalent to this role at internal and external agencies and organizations
• Other duties as assigned

We acknowledge that these skills may be obtained in a number of ways, and this position does not demand any specific requirements with regard to education or work history.

Compensation: The position of Communications Aide is an at-will position reporting to Supervisor Ellenberg’s Communications Director and, ultimately, to Supervisor Ellenberg.

The role is compensated with an annual salary of $74,000-$79,000, as well as a generous Santa Clara County benefit and pension package, including medical, dental and vision insurance.

Timeline for Hiring: *** This position will remain open until filled. ***