Public Information Representative I/ II - Library Department

City of San Jose; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of San José invites applications for a Public Information Representative I/II role within the San José Public Library’s Marketing and Communications Unit. You will develop and implement strategic marketing and communications plans to promote library services, programs, and initiatives.

You’ll create accessible digital and print materials using Adobe Creative Suite and Canva, coordinate translations, manage vendor orders and expenses, support media relations, events, and campaigns, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or closely related field.
• Two years of progressively responsible public information, marketing, or public relations experience for PIR II; no substitution for education.
• Bilingual candidates with fluency in Spanish or Vietnamese encouraged to apply.
• Strong English writing, verbal, and editing skills; ability to research and verify information.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic marketing and communications plans to promote library services, including programs, announcements, events, membership, and systemwide initiatives.
• Create, edit, schedule, organize, and publish digital content, graphics, photographs, and videos using tools such as Lnk.Bio, Flickr, Microsoft SharePoint, Hootsuite, and Constant Contact.
• Coordinate department-wide translation requests, vendor orders, track expenses and inventory, and ensure timely delivery of materials to library locations.
• Support media relations by preparing public information materials and coordinating responses to media inquiries, ensuring accuracy and consistency with SJPL messaging.
• Apply marketing, branding, and project management principles to deliver campaigns; use Excel to analyze metrics, evaluate promotional strategies and recommend improvements.
• Provide excellent customer service to staff, partners, vendors, and the public.
• Support press conferences and special events with photography and visual storytelling, including editing videos for social media and YouTube.

Skills

Writing

Editing

Verbal skills

Project management

Storytelling

Event planning

Bilingual

Social media

ADA compliance

English language

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Canva

Hootsuite

Constant Contact

Microsoft SharePoint

Lnk.Bio

Flickr

Job description

The award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) consists of more than 550 employees and has a 23% bilingual workforce, with 24 branch libraries across San José, in addition to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the city’s main library jointly operated through a unique partnership with San José State University. SJPL currently has more than 760,000 members and serves a diverse community of roughly one million residents. Last year, SJPL attracted nearly 4 million visitors and circulated over 7.7 million items .

In recent years, SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience dedicated to public service and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core. In addition to providing library services to the community, SJPL proudly leads two citywide initiatives - the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and the SJ Access digital equity initiative, which has become the number one provider of free public access to Wi-Fi connectivity, tech device lending, and multi-lingual digital literacy programs and support. SJPL is led by Jill Bourne, City Librarian, nationally recognized as Library Journal’s “Librarian of the Year” in 2017.

SJPL enriches lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and information. The library department is a place where people do great work and make a difference in our community. To see examples of SJPL’s work and learn more about its impact, visit www.sjpl.org. Join us to make a difference!

San José Public Library (SJPL) is looking for a Public Information Representative (PIR) I/II to join the library’s award-winning Marketing and Communications Unit. This position reports directly to the Senior Public Information Representative and is part of the library’s Public Engagement division.

The Public Information Representative I/II will develop and implement strategic marketing and communications plans to promote library services, including programs, announcements, events, membership, and systemwide initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have excellent English writing, verbal, and editing skills, with experience researching, gathering, and verifying information to develop accurate communications. The Public Information Representative I/II will use products such as Adobe Creative Suite and Canva to create accessible digital and print materials, including flyers, posters, banners, signs, and other promotional designs. The candidate will also coordinate department-wide translation requests, vendor orders, track expenses and inventory, and ensure timely delivery of materials to library locations.

Strong project management, storytelling, and event planning skills are essential. The successful candidate will be organized, proactive, reliable, flexible/adaptable to change, and committed to upholding SJPL’s brand. The Public Information Representative I/II will collaborate with a large, diverse staff, the San José Public Library Foundation, elected offices, and other partners to engage San José’s diverse communities, as well as stay current with marketing, local, and library trends.

Additional responsibilities and skills include but are not limited to:

• Create, edit, schedule, organize, and publish digital content, graphics, photographs, and videos using tools such as Lnk.Bio, Flickr, Microsoft SharePoint, Hootsuite, and Constant Contact.

• Manage, publish and write engaging content for blogs, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, and YouTube, platform analytics to monitor engagement and inform content strategies. Review and ensure digital content meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements and WCAG 2.1 standards.

• Support media relations by preparing public information materials and coordinating responses to media inquiries, ensuring accuracy and consistency with SJPL messaging.

• Apply marketing, branding, and project management principles to deliver campaigns; use Excel to analyze metrics, evaluate promotional strategies and recommend improvements.

• Provide excellent customer service to staff, partners, vendors, and the public.

• Support press conferences and special events with photography and visual storytelling, including editing videos, both long form and short form for social media and YouTube.

The Public Information Representative I/II will work independently as well as part of a team to increase awareness of SJPL’s free services, programs, and collections. A passion for libraries, education, digital inclusion, and public service is essential. The candidate must also be creative, outgoing, and reliable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities. Bilingual candidates with fluency in Spanish or Vietnamese are encouraged to apply. This position may be required to work evenings and weekends to support public meetings and events.

Public Information Representative I

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or closely related field. No minimum experience required.

Acceptable Substitutions

Additional years of professional experience in public relations, public information, or other related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis up to two years.

Public Information Representative II

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or closely related field and two years of progressively responsible professional public information, marketing, or public relations experience. No substitution for education.

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise -Demonstrates knowledge of, experience with, or ability to learn applicable professional/technical?principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures and policies, and federal and state rules and regulations.

• Multi-Tasking -Demonstrates successful performance under a complex workload, and able to manage multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; uses work plans, timelines,