About the Department

The San José City Council consists of ten Councilmembers elected by district and a Mayor elected at-large, each for four-year terms. The Mayor and Council represent the residents of San José, and are responsible for providing accountability, reviewing public policy and programs, and adopting those policies which best meet the needs of the residents, visitors, and businesses in San José.

The Mayor serves as the political leader of San José, and under the City Charter, is responsible for communications for the City, in addition to recommending policy, program, and budget priorities.

Digital Director for the City of San Jose

The Digital Director is an at-will position that reports to the City’s Chief Communications Officer (CCO) and regularly interfaces directly with the Mayor to plan and execute the City's communications to the public and the news media.

The Digital Director will develop and execute digital media strategy that follows the larger strategic communications plan developed by the CCO for policy, initiatives, programs, and annual budget messages.

The Digital Director is responsible for digital marketing campaigns, social media strategy and execution, content capture and creation. The Digital Director is expected to be a forward-thinking self-starter with a vision – someone who can concept, develop, produce and edit engaging content that resonates with our community.

The Digital Director assists the CCO in overseeing a team that currently includes staff responsible for media relations, speechwriting, and graphic design.

The Digital Director will lead social media strategy for the Mayor’s Office on various platforms. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Planning and goal setting to ensure consistent and relevant content directed at informing and educating the public on the goals and priorities of the Mayor and City of San Jose
Analyze campaigns and translate anecdotal or qualitative data into recommendations and plans for revising social media, content marketing, SEO and social advertising campaigns
Research social media tools and promotion strategies for an increasingly digital world
Research audience preferences and identify social networks that would be optimal for building brand reputation
Present weekly and quarterly reports to manage with recommendations and insights based on analysis
Managing and growing a newsletter list

The Digital Director is also responsible for maintaining the Mayor’s website, creating presentation decks for various speaking engagements, and designing, segmenting, and scheduling mass email communications via Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or similar tools.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The ideal candidate will have the background, experience, and knowledge to demonstrate:

Proven mastery of principles, practices, and techniques in digital strategy, including a deep understanding of emerging trends in the digital landscape.
Demonstrated success in developing and executing comprehensive digital media strategies that align with overarching communications objectives across different platforms.
Exceptional creativity in crafting compelling and shareable content across various digital platforms, including social media, websites, and video channels.
Experience leading marketing programs, ensuring content is not only engaging but strategically aligned with organizational goals.
Experience leading and growing multifaceted teams.
Demonstrable track record of growing social audiences.
Strong understanding of social media marketing strategy and the entire social marketing mix—paid, organic, owned and earned.
Deep experience with web and social analytics tools; proficiency in metrics-based decision making. A forward-thinking mindset with the ability to introduce and implement innovative digital solutions that enhance the City's online presence and communication effectiveness.
Skilled in using email marketing platforms to develop targeted outreach campaigns and analyze engagement metrics.
Success in crafting language on politically sensitive subjects, with the skill to distill complex policy issues into easily accessible and digestible digital communications.
An interest and understanding of local, statewide and national politics.
A strong commitment to public service.
Willingness and ability to work nights and weekends as required, understanding the dynamic nature of digital media and the need for real-time engagement.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Strong communication and exceptional customer service skills, including the ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences with empathy and professionalism.
Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, often under tight deadlines and in a changing, complex environment.
Deep knowledge of local politics, including the South Bay, State, and Federal government.
Bilingual language fluency in Spanish or Vietnamese (written and oral skills).

Education and Experience

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with an emphasis in communication, information technology, digital marketing, journalism, public relations, public administration, traditional marketing, or a related field providing education in writing and public policy.
Four (4) to eight (8) years of professional experience with escalating levels of responsibility in the field of public/media relations and/or marketing in a political office, government entity, major corporation, or nonprofit.
Candidates must be willing to work frequent evenings and weekends, and as exempt management employees, are not eligible for overtime compensation. Employees in this classification are not members of the classified civil service and are appointed "at will."
Each appointment is for a specified period of time to be determined by the appointing Mayor and does not extend past the end of the elected official's or appointing authority's term. This unclassified position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions.

To be considered for this position, you must fill out the online application on the City of San José website and submit the following:

Cover Letter
Resume
Three (3) samples of past work (these samples must be your work product; best performing social posts, compelling videos, or a digital portfolio)

The total salary range for the Mayor’s Chief Development Officer is $85K - $150K. 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.

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. If you have any questions regarding the COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination policy, please contact the Office of Employee Relations at employee.relations@sanjoseca.gov.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact tasha.dean@sanjoseca.gov.

City of San José jobs

Digital Director for the Mayor's Office