Chief Intergovernmental Relations Officer - City of San Jose : Job Details

The City Manager's Office provides strategic leadership that supports the Mayor and City Council in making public policy decisions and ensures the organization is delivering cost-effective services that meet the needs of our community with the highest standards of customer service. The City Manager's Office also serves to guide fiscal and change management, the building and development of our workforce, and development of long term, data driven strategies to invest in the City's future. The City Manager has designated five foundational strategic support areas aimed at ensuring organizational health and improving service delivery to the community. These five foundational strategic support areas include: delivering excellent customer service; closing racial and social inequities; structurally balancing the General Fund; driving organizational performance, and making San José a great place to work.

About Office of Administration, Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations (API)

The City Manager's Office of Administration, Policy and Intergovernmental Relations is responsible for administrative support, policy analysis, and intergovernmental affairs. Administrative duties include oversight, management, and planning of the City Manager's Office budget, contract development and management, fiscal and purchasing services, hiring and retention of staff in the City Manager's Office, management of administrative staff, strategic and operational support for city-wide initiatives, and coordination of multi-departmental Public Record Act (PRA) requests. Policy duties include City Council and Committee agenda services and tracking of referrals, oversight of the design of complex, interdepartmental or interjurisdictional policy and special initiatives, support of program evaluations, strategic planning efforts, and the strategic support for the City Council's and City Manager's focus areas. Intergovernmental Relations duties include tracking, monitoring and advocating for legislation at the federal, state, and local levels, and oversight of the state and federal lobbying contracts.

The City of San José seeks an experienced legislative professional to lead the City's Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) team within API. This position reports to the API Director, and currently supervises two direct reports in addition to leading an interdepartmental legislative team, managing two lobbying firms (state and federal), and overseeing the lobbying contracts. IGR is responsible for managing the City's regional, state, and federal legislative priorities as defined by the City's Legislative Program that is approved by City Council on an annual basis. This includes initiating and influencing legislation at all levels, monitoring state and national legislation that affects the City, coordinating with legislative liaisons within City departments, engaging in regional coordination, and crafting and executing strategies with the City's state and federal legislative advocates.

The Chief Intergovernmental Relations Officer position, which is classified as a Deputy Director, communicates regularly with elected federal, state, and local elected officials, exchanging information to keep them informed on issues that have an impact on the City. The position provides the City's elected officials and Senior and Department staff with information about federal and state legislation, hearings, regulations, reports, studies, agencies, and stakeholders. The Chief Intergovernmental Relations Officer will work on a wide variety of issues with an opportunity to affect change by advocating for the City's legislative agenda and goals. This role requires leadership capacity to support the larger API office, as needed, with expertise to advise on, and support the development of, complex policy issues at the city level.

Key position responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Identify emerging issues, coordinate legislative proposal monitoring; ensure representation on issues is aligned with the City's overall strategic plan, vision, adopted legislative priorities and policies.
• Maintain awareness of legislative activities affecting City operations and the potential impact on City operations; track state and federal legislation; anticipate legislative issues and identify opportunities to develop and influence policy to best meet the needs of the City.
• Serve as a liaison; develop and enhance positive, effective relationships with other agencies and representatives.
• Coordinate, develop, and lead strategies on legislative and regional issues with City Council, regional stakeholders, lobbyists, and staff.
• Represent the City at regional forums; provide support to regional committees; and act as staff support for City Council members appointed to intergovernmental committees.
• Work closely with City departments and the Office of the Mayor on cross-departmental legislative and policy issues.
• Manage the state and federal contracted advocacy firms/resources, and work with statewide and federal coalitions.
• Manage and mentor staff within the IGR team and the larger API office.
• Represent the Director as assigned.
• May supervise support staff as assigned.
• Evening and weekend work is occasionally required.
• Travel to Sacramento occasionally required throughout the year; may need to travel to Washington, D.C. once a year.

Education/Experience: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, business administration, or a discipline related to the business performed by the department, AND six (6) years of management and/or administrative experience in government or private business/industry. A Master's degree is preferred and may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

Licenses/Certificates: Possession of a valid license authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in California may be required. Certain positions may require possession of a specialized certificate, license, and/or registration related to a specific area of responsibility.

Form 700 RequirementThis position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an Assuming Office Form 700 with the City Clerk's Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.

The ideal candidate will have experience and demonstrated success in highly visible legislative affairs. They are confident, politically astute, and customer service-driven when leading large inter-department teams on legislative efforts.

They will be able to quickly learn the City of San José's processes, systems, and priorities with respect to state and federal legislative issues. The successful candidate will represent the City of San José at the state and federal levels and make the City's presence and positions known. This person will be a key team player. They will champion Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), inspire, and engage others as he/she/they bring about change. This person will have strategic agility, drive for results, demonstrate outstanding leadership skills, and enjoy collaborating with other City departments and elected officials of all political perspectives.

Candidates must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills with the ability to make direct and effective public presentations, experience analyzing complex legislation, and the ability to communicate potential impacts to the City decision makers. Candidates will travel to Sacramento as needed to represent the City before the legislature and be able to represent the API office as needed and help support, mentor, and problem solve with the larger API team.

Core Competencies:The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies and related skills, as demonstrated from past and current employment history:

• Vision/Strategic ThinkingSupports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization's vision and values; understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; builds a shared vision with others and influences others to translate vision to action. Experience in the development and implementation of strategies to solve complex organization business and municipal problems.
• 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. Demonstrate a positive attitude and flexibility to change, and a high tolerance for ambiguity. Maintain steady leadership in challenging and fluid situations.
• Management: Strong project management experience. Proficiency in guiding data-informed and community-driven decision making. Strong administrative, budgeting, organizational, and planning skills. Evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit. Detail-oriented and can balance strategic-level thinking with managing day-to-day tasks on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Job ExpertiseDemonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Supervision: Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
• 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. Strong meeting preparation and facilitation skills.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal SkillsDevelops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the job-specific questions. You must fill out the online application available on the City of San José website. As part of this process, you will be required to answer three (3) supplemental questions. References to resumes will be considered incomplete and your application withheld from further consideration. Please limit your response to no more than 2 pages.

Those candidates with experience and training that best match the position will move forward to the next phase of the selection process, which will include interview(s) and reference checks.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

To apply, please complete an application via the City of San José's website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers. This recruitment will close on Friday, September 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m.Pacific Time.If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the recruitment, selection, or hiring process, please contact Edwin Huertas, Senior Executive Analyst, at (408) ###-#### or [email protected]

The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate's qualifications and experience.