Job Description
First 5 Alameda County believes every child in Alameda County should have optimal health, development, and well-being to reach their greatest potential. Through innovative programs and policy advocacy, we help provide children and their families access to resources that support their first five years of development.
Join our mission-driven team that in partnership with the community, supports a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves peak years of child development.
The Government Affairs & Policy Officer works with the Chief of Staff (COS), Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Executive Leadership to lead and direct the Agency’s Government Affairs and Policy work. Priority responsibilities include strategically directing First 5’s role, responsibilities, and representation in governing bodies and with public systems. This position will supervise policy staff and work closely with agency communication, program, and operations staff on identifying and developing materials for compliance and communication.
- In collaboration with the COS, CEO, and Executive Leaders, develop and oversee a strategy to build and maintain relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and other key stakeholders to increase understanding of and support for the Agency, ensure positive and effective relations between the Agency and governmental entities, and advance the Agency’s legislative, budgetary, and policy priorities.
- Support the CEO and COS’s participation in public bodies; serve as a liaison, coordinator, and spokesperson with governmental agencies, oversight bodies, and elected officials.
- Plans for and conducts meetings with government agency partners and elected officials to position and advocate for the Agency and its priorities and needs.
- As assigned, represent and advocate for the Agency at regional, state, and local government boards and commission meetings.
- Develop and oversee government affairs strategy for new local funding:
- Create a template for annual program plans and budget submissions in collaboration with Compliance staff.
- Prepare F5AC’s participation in routine reporting to oversight and governing bodies.
- Support community engagement strategies and ensure alignment with oversight bodies’ community engagement goals and priorities.
- Monitor, prepare, participate, respond, and coordinate on behalf of First 5 with governing bodies and public systems.
- Align participation to ensure adherence to all regulatory requirements.
- Build and supervise the Government Affairs and Policy teams.
- Work with COS to identify staffing needs, recruit, hire, and build teams.
- Supervise and ensure alignment of the Government Affairs and Policy work related to overall agency goals and provide clear communication on progress towards team deliverables.
- Provide leadership, direction, and support to Government Affairs and Policy staff, that will require both technical knowledge (e.g., policy writing, strong oral communication, comfort with data and statistical analysis) and strong project management skills that ensures timely quality work projects with an eye to supporting ongoing staff development and growth.
- Staff the First 5 Alameda County Commission, including overseeing all meeting logistics, content and material development and finalization, and adherence to the Brown Act.
- Play a key role with the Directors, ELT and SLT in program and strategic planning, ensuring that planning is tied to government affairs and policy objectives and responsibilities.
- Provide input to Government Affairs and Policy budgets, including managing RFP/RFQ development for appropriate budget items.
- In collaboration with Communications, Policy, Program, and Evaluation staff, develop and/or coordinate all materials in support of the Agency’s government relations and policy agenda, including talking points, testimonies, presentations, reports, talking points, and briefs, ensuring consistent representation of the Agency and alignment of messaging.
- Collaborate with Policy, Communications, Data and Evaluation, and Program staff to support the Agency’s overall development of analysis and reports.
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
- Minimum eight years full-time progressively responsible experience in a related field, including policy advocacy, legislative/government/public/community/external affairs, strongly prefer experience supervising professional-level staff.
- Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, Communications, or related field may be substituted for 4 years required experience. A Master’s degree may be substituted for an additional year of required experience.
Knowledge of:
- Principles and practices including laws governing elected bodies and public agencies.
- Principles and practices of effective, clear and accessible presentation of complex information.
- Principles and practices of public policy analysis, advocacy, and implementation.
- Principles and practices of negotiation and communication.
- Program planning, project management, process design, and facilitation.
- Principles and practices of management and supervision, including work planning, resource allocation, and training.
- Strategies to advance equity using data and policy, including participatory approaches.
- Public policies and programs related to early childhood and maternal and child health, education, public health, community development, or related field.
- Strategic planning practices, techniques for stakeholder engagement
- Applicable federal, state and local policies, both legislative and administrative.
- Principles and practices of business and public administration.
- Principles and practices of direct client service delivery.
- Budgetary and contract administration practices.
- Office administrative practices and procedure, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.
- Computer applications and software related to work including database development and modification, and report generation techniques.
- Cross-cultural sensitivity.
Ability to:
- Oversee a team of policy and government affairs professionals.
- Think strategically about long-term goals and how to achieve them.
- Negotiate with representatives from other governmental entities to ensure the Agency’s needs and priorities are addressed.
- Manage project activities and the activities of multi-disciplinary teams.
- Establish, balance, and adjust priorities and meet critical deadlines.
- Establish, build, and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work
- Represent the Agency in meetings with others and make effective presentations to diverse groups.
- Promote a customer-oriented approach toward meeting the needs of the Agency.
- Speak effectively before small and large groups.
- Facilitate small and large groups.
- Establish standards and evaluate performance.
- Resolve operational and procedural problems and conflicts.
- Respond effectively to a variety of changing situations.
- Identify programmatic and operational problems, investigate, and evaluate alternatives and implement effective solutions.
- Interpret, explain and apply complex regulations, policies and procedures.
- Prepare and present clear and concise oral and written communications.
- Prepare clear, accurate and effective reports, correspondence, policies, and other written materials.
- Maintain accurate records and files.
- Exercise discretion and sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
- Travel within Alameda County as necessary to carry out job duties.
Other:
- We will not begin interviews for this position until Friday, March 17th.
- We will return to office on a hybrid basis in March 2023 and may return full-time at an undertermined date.
- All First 5 employees must live and work in California.
- The salary range for this position is $119,000 to $163,500 and as an independent government agency, the posted salary is the set salary range for this position. We cannot offer salaries above this posted range.
First 5 Alameda County Benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefits package with health care options to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. These benefits include but are not limited to Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage, $1,500 credit per year to spend on benefits, Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Employer Paid & Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Retirement Plans including the ACERA Pension Plan, Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Plan and more.
We also offer paid vacation, paid time off and sick time. We have 17 paid holidays including the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day as paid time off.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $119,000.00 - $163,500.00 per year
Schedule:
- 10 hour shift
- 8 hour shift
Work Location: One location
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