Job Description:

ABOUT THE POSITION

Riverside University Health System (RUHS)seeks candidates for a Sr. Public Information Specialist. Responsibilities of this position entail developing, preparing, and implementing specialized and comprehensive public information and education programs mandated by the government or emanating from the organization's goals; p roviding communications assistance during emergencies/crises; staffing the County's Emergency Operations Center when necessary; and responding to Public Records Act requests; and to do other work as required. This position has a 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off and there will be occasional travel between Riverside and Moreno Valley.

What we are looking for in candidates:

• Experience in Healthcare Public Relations, Newspaper reporting, and other media or communications outlets


• Five years of full-time experience developing and writing printed materials and/or media releases for use in print and electronic media strongly preferred


• Ability to meet and adhere to strict deadlines


• Ability to bring creativity, new ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to ensure RUHS has a robust and comprehensive public information program


• The ability to adjust quickly and responsively to an ever-changing, fast-paced environment.

Applicants will be asked to provide three writing samples along with their application.

Positions in this class are identified as the advanced journey level and are characterized by performing the more complex public information functions, such as spokesperson for the department. The incumbent will typically report to senior management and is responsible for project planning, coordination, and implementation. Certain positions in this class may work more closely with multiple county agencies/departments and outside agencies, and may also augment ongoing public information activities.

The Senior Public Information Specialist class is distinguished from the Public Information Officer by the latter's overall responsibility for the development and implementation of Riverside County's Public Information Program and for advising, planning, and directing programs for the Board of Supervisors, County officials, and department heads.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Establishes and maintains regular contacts with the media, community groups, and government/private representatives to meet the organization's public information, awareness, and education needs.

• Develops and determines effectiveness of distribution and outreach media plan; makes recommendations for modifications as required.

• Writes feature articles and media releases on the organization's activities, services, programs, and functions; prepares presentations, brochures, flyers, and other collateral.

• Coordinates release distribution to the media; organizes and arranges public information campaigns and press conferences.

• Plans, coordinates, and implements specialized public information and education programs pursuant to informing the public of the organization's programs and services.

• Locates and utilizes existing resources available for special public information programs; writes Requests for Proposals to secure funding for specialized public information and education programs.

• Monitors program expenditures; initiates and answers correspondence related to public inquiries and citizens' problems and complaints.

• Performs public speaking activities; writes scripts and uses various forms of presentations; coordinates activities with audio-visual specialists, graphic artists, or other related staff.

• Provides writing support to the organization; coordinates and edits the organization's newsletter; may monitor the work of consultants; may supervise interns and guide the work of small project teams.

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

Experience: Three years of full-time experience in developing and writing printed materials and/or media releases for use in print and electronic media; or in public or community relations which included the dissemination of information to internal and/or external audiences through various media formats.

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 relations 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 Required: Possession of a valid California class "C" driver's license may be required for local travel.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
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). If you are a qualified individual and need a reasonable accommodation to take this exam, contact the recruiter before taking the exam. For additional information and the accommodation form, visit the Disability Access Office web page at: http://dao.rc-hr.com

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 veterans' preference. See the policy here ( Download PDF reader ).

Pre-Employment
All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of both a pre-employment physical exam, including a drug/alcohol test, and a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from County employment).

Probationary Period
As an Approved Local Merit System, all County of Riverside employees, except those serving "At Will," are subject to the probationary period provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

What's Next?

Open to All Applicants
This recruitment is open to all applicants.Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of TheRiverside University Health Systemmay be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

Application Period
BASED ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. All applicants must submit a complete application by the closing date of this recruitment. No late applications will be permitted.
Include relevant work experience details on resume and/or application.
Applicants who fail to provide information demonstrating they possess the position requirements may not be considered further in the application process. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account. If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

For questions regarding this recruitment contact the recruiter,Angela Levinson:
alevinson@rivco.org / 951-955-5562

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. As of July 1, 2020, the employee contribution is 7.25% and subject to change annually.
  

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: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

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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