Public Information Officer

Job Description

Under direction, administers a public information program for a department to educate the public in the uses and availability of department's facilities and activities.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties
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.

1. Develops publicity releases of department's events, programs and activities for print, broadcast, and online media; prepares weekly chronological lists of departmental activities and transmits to all publicity outlets; prepares regular and special departmental publications.

2. Coordinates the review of online coverage, ensuring quality control and maintains a file of press clippings regarding department's activities; prepares departmental directories and maintains publicity mailing lists and other specialized mailing lists.

3. Prepares administrative studies and reports with supporting data for the department head or for the Commission, as directed, and does considerable historical research in connection with preparation of reports on activities and events in answering of many inquiries; edits publicity material submitted by departmental staff members; accumulates, assembles, and prepares data or information for important reports; writes press release.

4. Attends meetings of the commission, executive staff and conferences with professional societies; reports to the department head or division regarding the discussions involved.

5. Formulates, develops, and carries out a program of public information and education on the use of the department's facilities by selecting, preparing and distributing publicity releases for print, broadcast, and online media; arranges community meetings and events, posts social media announcements, and updates departmental websites.

6. Makes regular contacts with the public, outside organizations and departmental staff for the purpose of furnishing or obtaining information or explaining policy and procedures relative to facilities, activities and programs available for public and internal use.

7. Carries out, interprets and coordinates existing policy, methods and procedures relating to publicizing of the department's facilities, activities and programs, and makes recommendations for the development of new ones.

8. Coordinates the design and ensuring quality control of production of art work through a variety of advertising strategies for exhibits, special events, programs, posters, brochures, and signs.

Nature of Work: Some positions may be subject to adverse weather conditions, walking long distances, and driving a vehicle to project sites and meetings. May require work on nights, weekends and/or holidays.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

1. City Employment Status: Current Category 16, 17, or 18 Exempt Employee in Class 1312 who has worked at least 2,080 hours in Class 1312; AND
2. Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND
3. 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.
   
   Education Substitution: 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.
   
   Experience substitution: Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public relations, journalism, mass communications, marketing or a closely related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.

Verification of Education and Experience:

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

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://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/.

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.

SELECTION PROCEDURES:

1. Job Application - Applicants must fully complete the job application for this recruitment on the City and County of San Francisco's website. Information from resumes does not substitute for the information on the job application, the Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire, or the Training & Experience Assessment.
    
2. Preliminary Questionnaire - Training & Experience Assessment (Weight – 100%) – Candidates will be required to complete a Preliminary Questionnaire (PQ) and a Training & Experience Assessment (T&E) as part of the application and exam process.  The questions on the T&E will be used to determine your score and rank and the eligible list. Qualified applicants will be ranked on the eligible list based on the length of their exempt City service (in Category 16, 17, and/or 18) in the 1312 job class, along with any additional qualifying points (e.g., promotive status), as outlined in Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules. All work history will be verified using official City records, which will serve as the final authority in determining qualifying service.

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 6months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

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. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov.]

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Additional Information

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

• Copies of Application Documents
• Conviction History
• Disaster Service Worker 
• Diversity/Equal Employment Opportunity
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Information About the Hiring Process 
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

Where to Apply

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal.

1. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. 
2. Type "1312" into the "Search by class or keyword" field
3. Click the link to open the job ad
4. Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] 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, you may contact Angela Ng at [email protected]. Recruitment ID: ETP-1312-168253

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.

Compensation: 99892 to 121368 (USD) (YEARLY)