Mayor’s Speech Writer (Senior Council Assistant) (Mayor’s Office)

Per the City's COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the City requires all new hires to provide proof of vaccination as a condition of employment absent an approved medical or religious exemption. "Fully vaccinated" means the employee has received two doses of Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

Please let us know immediately if you believe that you have a medical and/or religious exemption so you can be provided information on how to submit an exemption request and commence the interactive process. Please be advised that if you are eligible and have not been vaccinated but plan to do so, you will need to provide proof of vaccination prior to your start date. Ifyou have any questions regarding theCOVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination policy, please contact the Office of Employee Relations at employee.relations@sanjoseca.gov.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose's website athttp://www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers.

The total salary range for the Mayor's Speech Writer (classification is Senior Council Assistant - Unclassified) is $81,424.98 - $129,285.00. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates' qualifications and experience.

The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan is seeking a talented and experienced writer to join our communications team. As the Mayor's Speech Writer & Communications Specialist, you will play a crucial role in shaping impactful messaging that effectively communicates the Mayor's vision, policies, and key messages to a diverse range of audiences. Your exceptional writing skills, political acumen, and ability to capture the Mayor's voice will be essential in creating compelling speeches that inspire, inform, and engage the public.

Responsibilities for this position may include, but are not limited to the following:

• • Collaborate closely with the Mayor, Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer to understand their vision, policy initiatives, and strategic priorities.
  • Write compelling and persuasive speeches, op-eds, talking points and social media posts that align with the Mayor's goals and resonate with diverse audiences, including residents, stakeholders, community groups, and the media.
  • Craft messaging that incorporates storytelling techniques, statistics, and real-life examples to captivate and connect with the audience on an emotional level.
  • Ensure messaging adheres to the Mayor's preferred tone, voice, and messaging, while maintaining consistency across all communication platforms.
  • Collaborate with other members of the Mayor's communications team to coordinate messaging and align speech content with broader communication strategies.
  • Review and edit drafted talking points to ensure accuracy, clarity, and grammatical correctness.
  • Stay up-to-date with local, regional, and national issues, policy developments, and public sentiment to inform the creation of relevant and timely communications.
  • Assist in preparing briefing materials, talking points, and presentations for the Mayor's public appearances, press conferences, and community events.
  • Work within tight deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
  • Other duties of a similar nature of level.

Employees in this classification are not members of the classified civil service and appointment would be on a contract "at-will" basis and is for a specified period of time to be determined by the appointing elected official and does not extend past the end of the elected official's or appointing authority's term. Candidates must be willing to work frequent evenings and weekends, and as exempt management employees, are not eligible for overtime compensation. This unclassified position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income and business positions.