12/09/2021
The City of San José seeks an experienced legislative professional to lead the City’s Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) team within the City Manager's Office of API. This position reports to the Director of API, and currently supervises two direct reports, leads an interdepartmental legislative team and manages two lobbying firms (state and federal), and their contracts. IGR is responsible for managing the City’s regional, state, and federal legislative programs. This includes initiating and influencing legislation at all levels, monitoring state and national legislation that affects the City, coordinating with legislative liaisons within City depts, and crafting and executing strategies with the City's state and federal legislative advocates.
This position is a Deputy Director and communicates regularly with elected federal, state, and local elected officials, exchanging information to keep them informed on issues that have an impact on the City. The position provides the City’s elected officials, Senior and Dept staff information about federal & state legislation, hearings, regulations, reports, studies, agencies, and stakeholders. The Deputy Director will work on a wide variety of issues with an opportunity to affect change by advocating for the City’s legislative agenda and goals. This role requires leadership capacity to support the larger API office, with expertise to advise on, and support the development of, complex policy issues at the city level.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Identify emerging issues, coordinate legislative proposal monitoring; ensure representation on issues is aligned with the City’s overall strategic plan, vision, adopted legislative priorities and policies.
• Maintain awareness of legislative activities affecting City operations and the potential impact on City operations; track state and federal legislation; anticipate legislative issues and identify opportunities to develop and influence policy to best meet the needs of the City. • Serve as a liaison; develop and enhance positive, effective relationships with other agencies and representatives.
• Coordinate, develop, and lead strategies on legislative and regional issues with City Council, lobbyists, and staff.
• Represent the City at regional forums; provide support to regional committees; and act as staff support for City Council members appointed to intergovernmental committees.
• Work closely with City departments and the Office of the Mayor on cross-departmental legislative and policy issues.
• Manage the state and federal contracted advocacy firms/resources. Work with statewide and federal coalitions.
• Manage and mentor staff within the IGR team and API office.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE will have experience and demonstrated success in highly visible legislative affairs. They are confident, politically astute, and customer service driven when leading large inter-department teams on legislative efforts. They will be able to quickly learn the City of San José’s processes, systems, and priorities with respect to state and federal legislative issues.
The successful candidate will represent the City of San José at state and federal levels and make the City’s presence and positions known. This person will be a key team player. They will champion Justice, Equity, Diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), inspire, and engage others as he/she/they bring about change. This person will have strategic agility, drive for results, demonstrate outstanding leadership skills, and enjoy collaborating with other City departments and elected officials of all political perspectives. Candidates must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills with the ability to make direct and effective public presentations, experience analyzing complex legislation, and the ability to communicate potential impacts to the City decision makers. Candidates will travel to Sacramento as needed to represent the City before the legislature and be able to represent the API office as needed and help support, mentor, and problem solve with the larger API team.
Education: Any combination equivalent to successful completion of advanced course work from an accredited college or university in business, public administration, or related field.
Experience: Six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience in senior level administrative role.
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/80156/
