Senior Public Information Specialist (Project)

Contra Costa Water District; Concord (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Paid leave

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) is seeking a Senior Public Information Specialist to join our Public Affairs team and shape how the community understands CCWD’s services and projects. You will plan and implement communications, outreach, public engagement, and education programs while guiding staff and ensuring clear direction and daily support.

You’ll lead with a customer-first mindset, turning complex topics into trusted stories and collaborating across technical staff, leadership, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, marketing, public policy or related field.
• Minimum five years of professional public information or community relations experience.
• Two years of project lead or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Plans, coordinates, and implements strategic communications, community outreach, public engagement, and education programs aligned with CCWD's mission.
• Develops communications plans and manages preparation, writing, and distribution of internal and external communications.
• Supervises staff, provides training, evaluates performance, and oversees selection and discipline decisions.
• Builds relationships with media, customers, community groups, business leaders, partner agencies, and government representatives.
• Represents CCWD at meetings and events, delivering information on services and projects.
• Manages contracted services, RFPs, evaluations, and contractor performance.
• Participates in budget preparation, resource planning, and process improvements.

Skills

Strategic communications

Public relations

Project management

Team leadership

Media relations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations/marketing/public policy

Job description

About CCWD

Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) provides safe, reliable, high-quality water and related services that support the health and vitality of the communities it serves. Through responsible stewardship of both its infrastructure and its people, CCWD is committed to building and sustaining a skilled workforce prepared to meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

Why Work Here

• Meaningful Public Service Play a direct role in supporting safe, reliable water service that protects public health and strengthens the communities we serve.
• Collaborative, Mission-Driven Culture Work alongside dedicated professionals who value integrity, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement in service to the public.
• Competitive Total Rewards & Professional Growth CCWD offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including competitive pay, medical/dental/vision coverage, retirement benefits, paid leave, and opportunities that support ongoing professional growth.

The Opportunity

CCWD is seeking a Senior Public Information Specialist (Project) to join our Public Affairs team and help shape how our community understands and values the water that keeps it thriving.

You’ll plan, develop, and implement strategic communications, community outreach, public engagement, and education programs that put CCWD's services, projects, initiatives and people in the spotlight. You will also guide a team, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and daily support to help staff succeed and grow. We’re looking for a natural project manager with extensive communications experience, a customer-first mindset, and the people skills to lead with confidence. You’ll join a creative Public Affairs team that uses a variety of outreach strategies to engage with customers, community leaders and employees. If you love turning complex topics into stories that build public trust, this is your opportunity to make an impact.

This is a full-time, project-based role with benefits; employment in this position is contingent upon the continuation of the Canal Replacement Program. See the MOU for Local 21 employees for more details.

Why You’ll Enjoy This Role

Make a Real Difference

• Provide an essential service that communities depend on to thrive.
• Know that your daily work directly benefits customers across our community.
• Help ensure reliable water for the region, now and into the future.

Varied, Meaningful Work

• Collaborate closely with a wide array of subject matter experts across CCWD.
• Work with technical staff, the management team, Board members, community stakeholders, and customers.
• Play a key role in helping customers and communities understand CCWD's services, projects, and the challenges of operating a large urban water system.

Join a Dynamic & Collaborative Team

• Work alongside a passionate team with varied backgrounds and skill sets.
• Help strengthen trust and confidence in CCWD by fostering both internal and external communications and relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Plans, coordinates, and implements strategic communications, community outreach, public engagement, and education programs, events, and activities aligned with CCWD's mission.
• Develops communications plans and manages the preparation, writing, and distribution of internal and external communications and publications.
• Supervises staff, including assigning and reviewing work, providing training and policy guidance, evaluating performance, and making recommendations on selection, promotion, and discipline.
• Builds and maintains relationships with media, customers, community groups, business leaders, partner agencies, and government representatives.
• Represents CCWD at community meetings and events, delivering presentations and information on CCWD's services, programs, and projects.
• Assesses community benefits and impacts of CCWD's construction and capital improvement projects and develops engagement strategies to address community concerns.
• Manages contracted services for assigned functions, including developing RFPs, evaluating proposals, and overseeing contractor performance.
• Participates in budget preparation, resource planning, and process improvements for assigned operations.

For a full description of examples of duties, please refer to the job descriptions by visiting the following: Senior Public Information Specialist

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:

Training

Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in journalism, public relations, marketing, public policy or a related field.

Experience

Five (5) years of increasingly responsible professional public information or community relations experience, including two (2) years of project lead or supervisory experience.

Licenses and Certifications

Possession of a valid California driver’s license to be maintained throughout employment

For a full description of required knowledge, skills, and abilities, please refer to the job descriptions by visiting the following link: Senior Public Information Specialist

Possession of the minimum qualifications does not guarantee an invitation to the next step in the selection process. All candidate materials will be carefully evaluated and only those considered best qualified will be invited to the next step in the selection process.

ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS

Employees work in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. Employees may also work at CCWD facilities, construction or project sites, and community events with exposure to outdoor weather conditions, traffic, uneven surfaces, dust, or noise

WORKING CONDITIONS

Employees may be required to work various shifts and outside of normal shift hours on evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Contra Costa Water District is committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination based upon race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other actual or perceived status protected under federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based on individual qualifications and performance.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Creative and effective problem-solving thrives in a workforce where different experiences and perspectives influence employees’ work. Employees thrive when employers recognize the value of those differences and integrate them into the workplace. Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) is committed to harnessing the power of its workforce to solve industry challenges and meet the needs of the communities it serves – now and in the future. To that end, CCWD is committed to the equitable extension of opportunity to join and meaningfully contribute to the CCWD team. We seek applicants who join us in these commitments in their own operations and activities.

BACKGROUND CHECK

Appointment to this classification is contingent upon successfully completing CCWD's pre-employment process. All positions require a criminal background check, verification of employment and education history, and professional reference checks. Depending on the job classification, additional requirements may include a pre-employment medical examination, drug and alcohol testing, and verification of prior drug and alcohol testing history as required by federal regulations.

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All CCWD employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. As such, CCWD employees may be called upon to support the activities of CCWD during an emergency situation.

Applicants requesting reasonable accommodation during any phase of the recruitment process should contact Human Resources at 925-688-8002.