CITY OF FREMONT, CALIFORNIA

Communications And Legislative Affairs Director

A rare opportunity to have massive impact!

THE COMMUNITYCentrally located and serving as the eastern anchor of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, the City of Fremont (pop. 235,439) is the 4th largest City in the Bay Area and prides itself on being a vibrant and strategically urban community. Originally an agricultural area comprised of five small towns, Fremont has developed into a technological and advanced manufacturing power base that captures metropolitan living at its best, with one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse populations in the Bay Area.

Within its 92-square miles, Fremont boasts over 42 million square feet of office, R&D, manufacturing, and warehouse building space. It is home to a wide variety of over 1,200 innovative high tech, life science, and clean technology firms including Tesla Motors, Lam Research, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Boston Scientific, and Western Digital, among many others. The City’s Innovation District is known as the hottest new address for start-ups. Over the last two years, companies in Fremont received more than $400 million in venture funding according to PitchBook Data.

In 2017, a new Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) station opened in the Warm Springs/South Fremont area; an additional extension to San José is expected to open in 2020, connecting Fremont to the rest of Silicon Valley for the first time by public transport. Activation of the City’s Warm Springs area continues to bring employment growth and housing developments, while downtown Fremont is being transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban mixed-use district.

Fremont boasts a high rate of home ownership, a nationally recognized and highly rated public school system, and low crime and unemployment rates. Fremont residents have an average household income of approximately $114,000, and 54 percent hold bachelor’s, graduate or professional degrees.

With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that Fremont is frequently recognized as an ideal place to live. Fremont has been recently ranked as the Happiest City in the U.S., the Least Stressed City in America, the 3rd Best City to Raise a Family in the country, and the 7th Greenest City in America, all by WalletHub. In addition, SmartAsset™ named Fremont the Nation’s 15th Best City for Women in Tech, and the Urban Institute rated Fremont the Most Inclusive City in the U.S. Fremont is also consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.

An innovative, high-tech city with a growing economy and a vibrant community life, Fremont

is a City moving forward.

CITY GOVERNMENTIncorporated on January 23, 1956, Fremont is a General Law City operating under a Council/Manager form of government. In 2018, the City Council implemented district-based elections, with six council districts and a mayor elected at-large. Together, the members of the City Council adopt the City budget and make all major policy decisions.

The City Council is assisted in its duties by a variety of advisory boards, commissions, and committees, whose members are appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Council. The City Council also appoints both the City Manager and the City Attorney. City departments include City Attorney; City Clerk; Community Development; Community Services; Economic Development; Finance; Fire; Human Resources; Human Services; Information Technology Services; Police; and Public Works. Garbage collection and recycling are provided through contract with Republic Services.

Fremont maintains a workforce of approximately 940 staff and is an employer that values its people, creativity, quality service, integrity, open communication, mutual respect, and diversity. City employees find their work challenging, and most importantly, enjoy the chance to make a difference through public service.

Fremont operates on a FY 2019-20 General Fund Budget of $219.9 million. The local economy is expected to continue to expand for the next few years, and the City’s most significant revenue sources are property tax and sales tax. The City also has healthy financial reserves with a total reserve level of nearly 17.0 percent, with a budget that provides a sensible combination of funding for maintaining and, in some cases, improving on current service levels while strategically investing for the City’s future.

Fiscal discipline and wise stewardship have served the City well over the years and remains the City’s philosophy. Fremont continues to dedicate resources to important economic development, capital projects, and

The City of Fremont is offering an

unprecedented opportunity to serve the

communications and legislative needs of its

citizens by creating a unique executive level

manager. This new member our executive

team will play an essential role in shaping

and communicating Fremont’s agenda.

legislative advocacy initiatives while remaining committed to fulfilling the City Council’s vision that Fremont will be a strategically more urban, vibrant, sustainable, well-designed, diverse and globally-connected economic center anchored by strong neighborhoods, community pride, an involved citizenry, and an outstanding quality of life.

To learn more about Fremont, visit: https://www.fremont.gov/.

COMMUNICATIONS & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DIRECTORThis new position will be empowered to take Fremont’s Communications and Legislative Affairs activities to an unprecedented level. Reporting to a Deputy City Manager as a member of the City’s Executive Team, this Director will be responsible for designing, maintaining and implementing a strategic city-wide information plan and legislative agenda that are aligned with the vision and goals of the City Council. This individual will essentially serve as the chief internal consultant and advisor to the City Manager and City Council on communications, marketing, branding and media relations matters as well as the primary liaison on local, State and Federal Policy issues.

This recruitment represents a rare opportunity to have massive impact on an organization and community by designing and managing comprehensive communications and legislative advocacy programs for a dynamic and growing Silicon Valley city. The successful candidate will help create and communicate the City’s agenda on topics such as:

• Managing growth and incentivizing affordable housing

• Addressing traffic congestion

• Reducing homelessness

THE IDEAL CANDIDATEThe ideal candidate will bring a passion for public policy and effective communications. He/she will be highly strategic and an exceptional critical thinker with demonstrated success in applying savvy approaches to messaging and brand management. The proven ability to develop and consistently execute on short and long-term strategic objectives in entrepreneurial ways that serve to advance the vision of an organization is essential to be a good fit in Fremont.

This professional must be an extraordinary writer and verbal communicator who displays the appropriate versatility necessary to effectively address a wide array of audiences on an ongoing basis. Outstanding interpersonal skills supported by an impressive track record of building and maintaining productive relationships are critical to the success of the new director. The individual selected will possess extensive media relations experience that includes notable on-camera appearances. Similarly, he/she will exhibit a high comfort level in serving as an agency spokesperson, engaging with the community in different formats, and presenting before City Council and other stakeholder groups.

This accomplished professional will be energized by the rapid evolution of contemporary tools combined with the insatiable nature of information needs and unlimited opportunities to educate, engage and influence. With a history of staying current on changing algorithms and application features, he/she will display a mastery of social media and a sophisticated awareness of internal and external community engagement platforms. The demonstrated ability to produce and procure an abundance of content that can be appropriately purposed across digital and traditional outlets will also be expected. The ability to develop strategies to engage our diverse community, sometimes in multiple languages, has also been identified as an extremely desirable skill.

The ideal candidate will be high energy and creative professional regarded as a constant source of ideas and a valuable sounding board for internal stakeholders. He/she will ensure that the customers of the Communications and Legislative Affairs team have the skills and confidence to craft and drive their messaging in proactive ways that enhance public education efforts and the overall Fremont brand.

The candidate selected will be a team player who appreciates how she/he can add value to the executive team and city leaders. Known for being a collaborative professional who is invested in the success of others, he/she will have the ability to position his/her team as a valuable and reliable resource for the entire organization. This talented individual will be an inspiring people manager who takes great pride in overseeing and developing a small cadre of staff. Known for holding team members to high standards, he/she will enjoy guiding and mentoring staff in ways that continually build on strengths and potential.

The ideal candidate will be skilled at analyzing and interpreting legislation for policymakers as well as presenting information in meaningful ways. He/she will have the confidence to make thoughtful recommendations based on experience, sensible research, city values, and council priorities. Further, the individual selected must possess outstanding political acumen and a track record that reflects the ability to anticipate issues and maximize opportunities in the best interest of the community.

Any education and experience that demonstrates possession of and competency in requisite knowledge, skills and abilities would be qualifying. Ideal candidates would typically bring five to six years of experience in public affairs, government-related communications and/or public relations, marketing and/or social media management that includes one-year of related experience in the public sector or serving a public sector entity. Supervisory experience and proven program administration responsibility are highly desirable. Familiarity with sound public agency communications policies and procedures will be expected. Experience with first responder departments, emergency preparedness, disaster response, and/or crisis communications will be considered favorably. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in marketing, journalism, public relations, business or public administration, or a related field is desirable.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS The City of Fremont offers a competitive salary and benefits program. The salary range for this position is $137,315 to $185,327. Placement within the range will be DOQE.

Fremont’s benefits program includes, but is not limited to:

• Retirement – CalPERS Program » 2 % at 60, three highest years for “CLASSIC” members. Employees pay 7% of member

rate on a pre-tax basis. » 2 % @ 62, three highest years for “NEW” members. Employees pay 6.25% of member rate

on a pre-tax basis.• City Paid Health Benefits Allowance – monthly allowance of $2,280 towards medical, dental

and vision programs. » Employees are eligible to receive up to $580 per month if full allowance is not allocated towards health programs.

• Retiree Medical – reimbursement program available based on years of service. Consideration will be given for prior years of experience.

• Employee Assistance Program – program provided.• Life Insurance and Long-term Disability – Maximum life insurance coverage of $100,000 and LTD coverage provided.• Annual General Leave – Employees accrue 128 hours of annual general leave initially, increasing to 188 hours after 16 years of

service. Consideration will be given for prior years of experience.• Holidays – 12 fixed holidays, 1 floating holiday.• Management Leave – 112 hours initially, increasing to 124 hours after 11 years of service.• Deferred Compensation Programs – City contributes 2% of salary towards 401(a) program and $4,000 towards 457 Plan

annually.• Reimbursement of relocation expenses – reimbursement of certain relocation expenses may be considered.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESSThe closing date for this recruitment is Sunday, April 19, 2020. To apply for this opportunity, upload cover letter, resume and a list of six professional references using the “Apply Now” feature at www.tbcrecruiting.com.

Teri Black • 424.296.3111 • Elizabeth EmmettTERI BLACK & COMPANY, LLC

www.tbcrecruiting.com

Following the closing date, resumes will be screened in relation to the criteria articulated in this brochure. Applicants with the most relevant qualifications will immediately be granted preliminary interviews by the recruiters. A small group of candidates will be invited to additional interviews scheduled in April in Fremont. The top candidate will undergo reference checks and be subject to a high security background check at the conclusion of the process and the City anticipates making an appointment shortly thereafter.