Public Information Supervisor at County of Riverside in Riverside, California

Job Description:

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office has an opportunity for multiple Public Information Supervisors in Riverside. The incumbents will be responsible for planning, organizing and supervising the preparation and implementation of the public information program for t he Riverside County Sheriff's Office ; overseeing a communications strategy which fosters public understanding, awareness and education of the Department goals, policies, programs, and services; providing the public, media and internal/external customers with accurate, timely and consistent information; performing other related duties as required. Competitive candidates will possess at least four years of professional experience in journalism, media or public relations composing news articles and providing information to the public in a governmental law enforcement agency.

Meet the Team!The law enforcement professionals of the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, with a staff of over 3,600 dedicated men and women, cover the expanse of over 7,300 square miles in southern California. The Sheriff's Office is dedicated to serving the citizens of its communities with integrity, professionalism, leadership, and loyalty and believes in service above self.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Supervise the department's public information program, which serves as the primary point of contact for media requests for information.

• Plan, direct and oversee the activities of the public relations staff engaged in the production, development, publication, and broadcast of information of department policies, services and activities to the public and the community.

• Oversee, design and coordinate, the preparation of effective and timely news releases, newsletters and other informational and promotional material concerning departmental activities related to interaction with the media.

• Oversee the development and maintenance of the department's internet presence to effectively communicate services, image and identity.

• Conduct administrative studies of the effectiveness of departmental public affairs and relations initiatives and recommend new and revised policies, procedures and systems designed to improve effectiveness of services and reduce administrative costs in the areas of community coordination, customer relations and marketing strategies.

• Facilitate and ensure the timely, coordinated response on all assignments initiated by the Department Head, including outside requests for information, requests from the Board of Supervisors, communications media, other County departments, and administrative communication with other government agencies.

• Develop and maintain liaisons with representatives from other governmental jurisdictions, community entities, stakeholders, and public agencies to promote positive communications and public image.

• Direct the preparation of written responses to inquiries, complaints and suggestions relative to sensitive or controversial departmental programs incorporating the official management position and factual information obtained from knowledgeable administrative and technical personnel.

• Schedule press conferences, news releases and public service announcements.

• Direct the development and implementation of the most effective and appropriate methods for communicating information to the public and stakeholders, by the use of videos, e-mail, the internet, brochures, news releases, presentations, graphic displays, photos, fact sheets, directories, or other mediums.

• Write speeches and make presentations to the media, community groups and other agency representatives on information regarding Departmental issues, programs and activities.

• Analyze the extent of public understanding of the public education and community outreach programs administered by the department, and determine the need for further public information, community outreach and educational activities.

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 substitute for the education on the basis of one year of full-time experience equaling 30 semester or 45 quarter units of education.)

Experience: Four years of professional experience in journalism, media or public relations composing news articles and providing information to the public as an organization's spokesperson.

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 relationships 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.
Other Requirements
License: Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

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 the veteran's preference. See the policy here .

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/ .

What's Next?

This recruitment is open to all applicants.

Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of the Sheriff's Office may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

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

Based on the number of applications received, this posting may close without notice.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Brittney Mathis at bmathis@rivco.org or 951-955-5358.

GENERAL APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com . A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

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. Effective July 1, 2023 employee contributions are 7.25% and will increase to 7.75% effective July 1, 2024.
  

A new member is defined as any of the following:

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who has no prior membership in any California Public Retirement System.

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who was a member with another California Public Retirement System prior to that date, but who is not subject to reciprocity upon joining CalPERS.

A member who first established CalPERS membership prior to January 1, 2013, and who is rehired by a different CalPERS agency after a break in service of greater than six (6) months.

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 retirement@rivco.org 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 - 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 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.

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