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The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY), or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov.
About The Department
The City Manager’s Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs (OEDCA) has three integrated divisions:
- Cultural Affairs: Arts, Sports, and Entertainment - Fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and creative city by advancing cultural expression, supporting artists and arts organizations through grants and technical assistance, promoting access to sports and entertainment, commissioning and preserving public art, producing/coordinating outdoor special events and destination marketing, and stewarding City-owned convention and cultural facility assets and partnerships.
- Economic Growth and Business Development - Accelerating San José’s economic vitality by driving business retention, expansion, and attraction; supporting real estate and catalytic development; strengthening Downtown as a thriving urban center; and advancing commercial corridor revitalization and small business success across San José’s diverse neighborhoods.
- Workforce and Talent Development - Building a resilient and inclusive workforce by connecting job seekers to training, education, and career pathways; delivering supportive services that reduce barriers to employment; and partnering with employers to design hiring initiatives that align with regional industry needs and economic opportunity.
OEDCA’s mission is to catalyze equitable job growth, investment, entrepreneurship, cultural vibrancy, and talent attraction and retention in San José while strengthening the City’s fiscal health. In support of its mission, OEDCA focuses on five key areas:
- Retain/ grow jobs and revenue and promote innovation from large and medium-sized businesses in key sectors such as manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
- Foster small business resilience and create thriving business districts.
- Accelerate a thriving Downtown.
- Activate San José as the South Bay's hub for sports, arts, and entertainment.
- Prepare residents to participate in the local economy through training, education, and career support.
Position Duties
OEDCA seeks a skilled and motivated Public Information Manager to plan, lead, and manage communications and public relations activities for the office.
Reporting to the Deputy Director for Business and Economic Development, the position works closely with OEDCA’s Director and senior leadership to advance strategic communications goals. Approximately 80% of responsibilities support the Business and Economic Development division, with additional communications support provided to the Office of Cultural Affairs, Real Estate, and work2future.
The Public Information Manager will develop and implement comprehensive communications strategies across all OEDCA programs and services. The role builds on existing branding to promote economic development, business advocacy, and City and OEDCA initiatives through earned media, advertising, social media, website content, and stakeholder and City Council communications. The position also serves as a key member of the City’s marketing and communications team supporting major 2026 sporting events in the South Bay.
The individual will oversee and manage communications-related contracts and resources, including supervision of an SCU Leavey School of Business Fellow (through May 2026) and consultant and vendor agreements for strategic communications, content and collateral production, and advertising services.
The position provides communications support to Small Business, Downtown, and Corporate Outreach teams by promoting key programs, developing and updating collateral and advertising, and managing an email database and monthly e-newsletter reaching more than 10,000 business owners. The Public Information Manager is responsible for content creation and overall management of the office’s website: sjeconomy.com.
A critical component of the role is ensuring language access for small business audiences. Communications must be delivered in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Traditional Chinese/Mandarin, in addition to English, using language access vendors and collaboration with in-house multilingual staff.
The position also coordinates with the City Manager’s communications team on emergency preparedness messaging and delivery. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
Essential duties for this position include but are not limited to:
- Serving as the Public Information Officer for OEDCA, responding to media inquiries, coordinating interviews, developing talking points, and serving as spokesperson as needed.
- Planning and executing integrated communications and public outreach campaigns for OEDCA divisions, with emphasis on downtown, small business, and corporate outreach initiatives.
- Managing communications budgets, consultants, and vendors.
- Overseeing development of public information materials, including print, digital, graphic design, audio-visual content, website management, and social media campaigns.
- Supporting positive relationships with the public, businesses, community groups, employees, and government partners through clear and consistent communications.
- Monitoring media coverage, public sentiment, and emerging issues related to OEDCA programs and advising senior office leadership on implications.
- Collaborating with other governmental agencies, businesses, and organizations to support coordinated service delivery.
- Preparing and delivering presentations on OEDCA programs and activities, including a semi-annual Economic Development Activities report to the City Council’s Community and Economic Development Committee.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, mass media communications, public relations, advertising, marketing or a closely related field,
Experience: Six (6) years of increasingly responsible journalism, mass media communications, public relations or public information experience, including three (3) years of supervisory experience. Experience working in communications for a municipality is desirable.
Licenses or Certificates: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License may be required.
Other Qualifications
Competencies
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies as demonstrated from past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:
Job Expertise - demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
Analytical Thinking - approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
Political Skill - demonstrates an understanding and consideration of how taking a certain action will impact stakeholders and other areas in the organization.
Collaboration - develops networks and builds alliances; engages in cross-functional activities.
Communication Skills - effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts.
Creativity - addresses objectives and problems while questioning traditional assumptions/solutions to generate creative ideas and new ways of doing business; exhibits creativity and innovation when contributing to organizational and individual objectives; seeks out opportunities to improve, streamline, reinvent work processes.
Initiative - exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.
Leadership - leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction; drives analysis and decision making; gets the project to “yes.”
Management - evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit.
Selection Process
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's education, training, and experience based on the application, resume, and responses to the Job Specific Questions. You must answer all job-specific questions and complete the Education/Work History section of the application to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Submission of a resume, cover letter, and published document or a work product that best represents your writing style are required.
Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise. Applicants should be prepared to provide a portfolio of writing samples, placed articles, and other demonstrated experience.
This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.
You will be prompted to answer job-specific questions during the online application process. You may answer these questions directly in the on-line application system or on a separate document and then cut and paste your answers into the appropriate spaces when prompted. If you have questions about this position or the selection process, please contact Lori Venzon at lori.venzon@sanjoseca.gov or (408) 975-7269.
The Education, History, and Work History sections of the application must be completed, or the application will be considered incomplete and may be withheld from further consideration.
E-mail is the default method of communication with applicants. To ensure that you receive timely notification regarding your application status, please provide a current e-mail address when submitting your application. It is also recommended that you adjust any spam filters to ensure that you can receive e-mails from @sanjoseca.gov.
Additional Information
- Link to Benefits page
- California Equal Pay Act
Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, please complete an application via the City of San Jose’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers. The application deadline is 3/31/2026. Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit it before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application. Please contact Human Resources at (408) 535-1285, or Human.Resources@sanjoseca.gov if you have any questions.
Additional Information:
Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.
You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.
Please note that applications are currently
not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.
This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.
Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.
AI and the Hiring Process
We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However,
we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures
fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.
