Communications Manager

Job Description:

Communications Manager

Description

CAREER DESCRIPTION


Communications Manager
(Public Information and Affairs Manager)

SALARY INFORMATION

In addition to performance-based merit increases, this position is scheduled to receive a salary range increase on the following date:

Effective June 27, 2025 - 4.00% increase

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This recruitment will establish an open eligible list to fill current and future Public Information and Affairs Manager positions within OC Animal Care. This eligible list may also be utilized to fill positions in similar and/or lower-level classifications throughout the County of Orange.

DEADLINE TO APPLY

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately, as the deadline to apply will be on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PT).

THE COUNTY
The County of Orange is a regional service provider and planning agency whose core businesses include public safety, public health, environmental protection, regional planning, public assistance, social services and aviation. Click here for more information.

OC COMMUNITY RESOURCES (OCCR)
OC Community Resources is a multi-faceted department comprised of OC Animal Care, OC Community Services, OC Parks, OC Housing & Community Development and OC Public Libraries. Click here for more information.

OC ANIMAL CARE
OC Animal Care's mission is to provide refuge and care for animals, foster the human-animal bond and promote safety in our community to ensure a safe compassionate community for all. OC Animal Care promotes responsible pet ownership; health and safety of people and animals and spay/neuter programs. OC Animal Care provides temporary shelter and medical care for lost, owned, or stray animals and opportunities for adoption for these animals.

OC Animal Care (OCAC) was founded in 1941 in the City of Orange in Orange County, California as a rabies control center with only 25 dog kennels. Since then, OCAC has expanded to play an important role in Orange County's animal care community. OCAC serves 14 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County with its expanded programs and services, and in 2024, the agency accepted over 15,000 animals.

OCAC's goal is to deliver prompt, temporary care and refuge to homeless animals, reunite animals with their owners, facilitate adoption, ensure public safety, and enhance the human-animal bond in the community. The shelter is designed to provide a positive experience for animals and people alike, and is the backdrop for the adaptive animal programming continually developed by OC Animal Care to provide enrichment, engagement and adoption services for the animals in its care.

THE OPPORTUNITY

OC Animal Care has an exciting leadership opportunity for a highly motivated, experienced professional to join our team as a Communications Manager (Public Information and Affairs Manager). The Communication Manager, as part of the leadership team, will report to the Director of OC Animal Care and work closely with the Operations Manager and Business Services Manager. This position will provide strategic leadership, supervision, and development of the agency’s marketing, communication, and public relation activities that promote and enhance the organization’s programs, services, fundraising initiatives, events, and brand with an overall emphasis on marketing and community engagement.

The Communications Manager will maintain overall responsibility for OC Animal Care’s communication outlets including print publications; online communications including website, social media, and e-newsletters; internal and external stakeholder communications; media and public relations; and marketing.

The incumbent will provide recommendations and strategy in an ever-evolving industry on best practices in public education, program promotions, website management, and social media planning. This position will directly oversee one (1) Public Information and Affairs Administrator classification with a working title of Community Outreach and Liaison Manager and one (1) Staff Specialist classification with a working title of Public Records Act (PRA) Specialist, as well as indirect oversight of one (1) Public Information and Affairs Analyst with a working title of Public Information Officer, one (1) Staff Specialist with a working title of Social Media/Website Coordinator, two (2) ACO Public Education Officers with working titles of Events Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator.

Areas of responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Responsible for the development and implementation of comprehensive strategic marketing and communications plan to promote all facets of OC Animal Care, advance the agency’s brand identity, increase community engagement and retention, broaden awareness for the agency’s programs and priorities, and increase visibility of the agency across key stakeholder audiences
• Lead/oversee and coordinate media relations, public relations, website and social media strategy and execution, legislation analysis, and coordinate special event planning
• Effectively communicate the mission, role, goals, and initiatives of the agency within the animal welfare community with an emphasis on collaboration and information sharing to achieve common goals
• Develop, execute, and evaluate, the success of OC Animal Care’s communication and marketing strategies with an emphasis on defining key performance metrics and demonstrating measurable impact
• Manage all efforts to research, analyze, develop, review, edit, and disseminate original reports, media alerts, scripts, collateral, communication plans, newsletters, digital content, agendas, articles, presentations, and other communication documents as needed
• Act as communications advisor for subject matter experts at the agency
• Assist with or act as lead contact for high level stakeholder engagement and communication
• Serve as the liaison for the agency with other communication professionals in animal welfare organizations
• Manage/oversee and coordinate any agency communication/marketing contracts, including budgeting, scope of work, and initial procurement process as well as oversight of the executed contract for deliverables
• Manage/oversee and coordinate development efforts for the agency, act as development coordinator or communications lead for agency development initiatives as assigned
• Serve as the subject matter expert for crisis and emergency communications, providing strategic leadership and guidance
• Serve as spokesperson for the agency and/or oversees assigned spokesperson as appropriate
• Directly supervise management and non-management positions along with oversight of over three hundred (300) volunteers
• Supervise education and outreach initiatives as well as on-site and off-site events
• Oversee PRA process for the agency

OC Animal Care provides service 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Incumbents should be prepared to work rotating shifts, including days, nights, weekends and holidays. Incumbents may be drafted for mandatory overtime in the event of an emergency, disaster, or during periods of unexpected staffing shortages.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES:
In addition to the experience stated in the minimum qualifications, the successful candidate will have at least three (3) years of leadership or supervisory experience.

Experience in the following is highly desirable:

• Working in an animal shelter environment

Candidates must be comfortable interacting with animals.

In addition, the successful candidate will also have experience and be knowledgeable in the following core competencies:

Technical Experience | Technical Knowledge

• Knowledge of principles and practices of strategic messaging and communication, media relations, marketing, public relations, website and social media strategy and execution, legislation analysis and special event planning
• Articulately write and edit a variety of materials that are distributed to various audiences
• Research technical data, community issues and other key information using online and other resources
• Effectively analyze, evaluate, and interpret metrics and data
• Develop and implement effective social media messaging and visuals across multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
• Experience and skill developing and executing communications efforts that target both internal and external audiences

• Experience utilizing Microsoft Suite and/or comparable programs

Strategic Planning | Analytical Skills

• Develop strategic messaging and communication plans and materials
• Coordinate the preparation and publication of media, marketing, promotional, and/or communication materials
• Plan and respond appropriately to public information/affairs events, requests, and queries
• Effectively analyzing problems and situations before taking corrective actions
• Work independently to manage time wisely and to effectively prioritize multiple, competing tasks

Judgement | Problem Solving Skills

• Integrate new ideas and contemporary approaches into problem-solving
• Gather, analyze and apply information skillfully
• Identify, evaluate, and resolve issues as they arise, using decision-making abilities and technical expertise
• Develop recommendations, propose solutions, achieve measurable results, and implement best business practices
• Exercise judgement in prioritizing competing interests

Leadership | Supervision

• Facilitate groups and building consensus using persuasive reasoning
• Supervise and evaluate staff performance, including training and coaching staff, coordinating deadlines, prioritizing work demands, and assigning/monitoring work.
• Provide guidance and direction to others to meet organizational strategic objectives, while encouraging openness, creativity, and innovation
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality and excellence
• Actively promote teamwork by creating a culture and environment that supports individual and team empowerment

Communication | Oral & Written Communication Skills

• Apply principles and techniques to effective oral presentations, public speaking, and written reports
• Support executive management in identifying goals, priorities and tactic
• Work cooperatively within the department to identify needed project information and ensure the clarity and consistency of messages issued through all communication channels
• Align team and individual goals to meet and execute organizational goals
• Utilize effective communication skills to define and communicate strategic goals to internal and external audiences clearly, succinctly and persuasively

Relationship Building Skills | Interpersonal

• Exercise political acumen, tact, diplomacy, and apply confidentiality in dealing with difficult and sensitive situations
• Work effectively as part of a team to tackle and resolve issues, providing creative solutions to problems that achieve program and project objectives
• Build effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, County elected officials (ex. Board of Supervisors), City officials, and staff to ensure departmental goals are accomplished

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Please click here to learn about the minimum qualifications, for the Public Information and Affairs Manager classification.

License Required
Possession of a valid California Class C Driver’s License or higher is required before the date of appointment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

RECRUITMENT PROCESS:
Human Resource Services (HRS) screens all applications to identify the qualified candidates for the position based on the skills required to meet the needs of the County. After the initial screening, the qualified candidates will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Application Screening (Refer/Non-Refer)
Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those candidates who meet the qualifications listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Recorded Structured Oral Interview (rSOI) | (Weighted 100%)
The rSOI is a timed oral interview conducted virtually through an online vendor. Applicants will be asked a series of structured questions designed to elicit the applicant's qualifications for the job. All applicant responses will be video recorded so that they can be evaluated against pre-determined criteria by a panel of job knowledge experts. Only the most successful candidates will be placed on the eligible list.

Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures above may be modified. Candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedures.

Eligible List
Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.
Veterans Employment Preference (VEPP)
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here (Download PDF reader) to review the policy.

Email Notification
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com .

Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Rula Dabit at (714) 480-2884 or rula.dabit@occr.ocgov.com .

EEO INFORMATION

EEO INFORMATION:

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer, encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Administrative Management *
In addition to the County's standard suite of benefits -- such as a variety of health plan options, sick and vacation time and paid holidays -- we also offer an excellent array of benefits such as:

• Retirement: Benefits are provided through the Orange County Employees' Retirement System (OCERS). Please go to the following link to find out more about Defined Benefit Pensions and OCERS Plan Types/Benefits.
  http://www.ocers.org/active-member-information .
• Paid Leave: Twelve holidays per year plus sick and vacation time
• Health & Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
• Dental Insurance: County pays 100% of employee and dependent premiums
• Paid Life Insurance: $100,000 life insurance policy
• Paid Accidental & Death and Dismemberment Insurance: $100,000 AD&D insurance policy
• Paid Short & Long Term Disability insurance programs
• 457 Defined Contribution Program

*Effective 07/01/20, management employees who are sworn Public Safety Managers receive health insurance benefits through the AOCDS Medical Benefit Plans.

Click here for information about benefits offered to County of Orange employees.

Closing Date/Time: 6/9/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$111,779.20 - $154,814.40 Annually