Public relations manager Jobs in Salem, OR

Government Relations Manager - Business Operations Manager 2

Join a collaborative and mission-driven team within the Business Services Division, as the Government Relations Manager, where you will play a key role in shaping policy, strengthening partnerships, and supporting critical agency operations. This division provides essential administrative leadership across Financial Services, Human Resources, Information Services, Internal Audit, Physical Plant Operations, and Governance and Public Affairs. This position provides leadership to the Governance and Public Affairs team, and the individual in this position will help advance initiatives that promote transparency, accountability, and effective public service while supporting important functions such as public records oversight, interstate compact coordination, and agency-wide information practices.

This is a dynamic opportunity for a strategic and relationship-focused professional who thrives at the intersection of government relations, public policy, and organizational leadership. In this role, you will collaborate with legislators, elected officials, state agencies, and community partners across education, human services, law enforcement, and public safety to help develop policies and practices that support the agency's mission.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Lead agencywide information management, public records operations, and legal compliance, including oversight of records retention, disclosure, expunction, archiving, litigation response, and coordination with DOJ, DAS Risk, and legal partners on complex or sensitive matters.
• Direct the agency's legislative strategy and policy development, including bill review and analysis, testimony preparation, legislative concept submission, implementation of passed legislation, and advising the Director and executive leadership on policy impacts, risks, and systemwide implications.
• Provide strategic leadership and supervision across core functional teams, including the Governance and Policy Team, Communications Team, Records staff, and Interstate Compact for Juveniles Office, ensuring alignment with agency priorities, organizational values, and statewide juvenile justice objectives.

Bring your leadership, creativity, and passion for public service to a role where your work will help shape policy, strengthen partnerships, and make a lasting impact across communities statewide.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Six years of supervision, management, or progressively related experience; OR
• three years of related experience and a bachelor's degree in a related field.

Required Skills:

• Experience with creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace, and ensuring the needs of all our youth and communities, especially those who are marginalized. Applicable experience can include formal training/certifications specific to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as lived experiences.
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaboratively, both orally and in writing, to a broad spectrum of executive, management, professional, technical and support staff within the agency, other state and federal agencies, and the public.
• Policy development and strategic planning.
• Ability to facilitate meetings and committees, and to work with people who have diverse interests.
• Ability to understand and communicate how policy changes may affect operations, policy, and the public and partners.
• Knowledge of legislative and rulemaking procedures and format.
• Good public relations skills.
• Understanding of governmental relations.
• Understanding of the public safety system and operating juvenile corrections systems.
• A thorough understanding of the agency's programs and activities, as well as a working knowledge of other state agency responsibilities.

How to apply:

• Resume & Cover Letter Required: In your cover letter, please describe your experiences, skills, and knowledge as they relate to the each of the desired attributes of the position and explain why you are the best fit for this role. Limit your cover letter to no more than 2 pages and ensure it is in PDF format for accessibility.
• Complete the questionnaire. Ensure your application and/or resume thoroughly reflect your skills, experience (both lived, volunteer, and professional), knowledge, and/or education pertinent to this position, including how you meet the minimum qualifications and any/all desired attributes. Please ensure your resume shows month/year and description of job duties on each history.
• After you submit your application, please respond to the public records request authorization and gender identity questionnaire. This step will come after you submit and will complete the process. If you are an employee, the tasks will come to your Workday inbox.
• If you are a veteran, you may receive preference. Click here for more information about veterans' preference. The task to claim preference will come after the public records request and gender identity questionnaire tasks. Click here for a guide on how to upload your documents. For privacy reasons, please do not attach your DD214/DD215/civil service preference letter to your application or combine it with any other required document attachments.

Caution: If you fail to follow these instructions, including failing to attach a resume or cover letter as described above, we will have to disqualify your application. We cannot consider incomplete or late applications.

Applications with generic cover letters may be receive lower scores and could be eliminated from further consideration.