Government Affairs and Communications Director

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

County-wide open recruitment to establish an eligible list to fill a current vacancy in the County Executive Office and may be used to fill future vacancies in other agencies within the County of Orange. The eligible list may also be used to fill similar and/or lower classifications throughout the County of Orange.

This recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will remain open until August 4, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. (PST) .

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Government Affairs and Communications Director is a senior manager position serving as the County’s principal strategist for government/legislative affairs, communications, and community relations. This position will provide direct management of the CEO Legislative Affairs Director and the CEO Public Information Manager, as well as their teams, integrating legislative advocacy, stakeholder relations, media engagement, and strategic messaging into one cohesive, forward-thinking unit.

The ideal candidate will be a visionary and collaborative leader who excels in aligning internal communications, public information, and legislative priorities across a complex organization. This position will lead high-level strategic initiatives, promote transparency and trust, and support the County’s mission to serve the public through effective governance and communication.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as principal advisor to the Chief Operating Officer and CEO Executive Team on strategic government relations and communications.
• Lead and mentor both the CEO Legislative Affairs and CEO Communications Directors and their respective teams.
• Develop and implement a countywide strategic communications and legislative engagement plan.
• Coordinate executive messaging across departments to ensure consistency, accuracy, and alignment with County goals.
• Cultivate strong relationships with federal, state, and local elected officials, media representatives, and community stakeholders.
• Represent the County at legislative hearings, media briefings, intergovernmental meetings, and public forums.
• Guide issue and crisis communications, ensuring rapid, transparent, and accurate messaging during emergencies or high-profile events.
• Oversee contracts, consultants, and initiatives related to legislative advocacy and media strategy.
• Champion innovation and continuous improvement in government transparency, branding, and civic engagement.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND CORE COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned professional with a background and understanding of municipal governments and possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Communications, Journalism, or a closely related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in communications, government affairs, public relations, or community relations, including at least four (4) years in an executive or senior leadership role within a complex organization.
• Proven experience supervising a multidisciplinary team, including the ability to build cohesiveness, provide strategic leadership, and align individual and team performance with departmental and organizational goals and objectives; experience leading large teams and/or multidisciplinary units is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing large-scale communication and legislative strategies.
• Experience managing teams of professionals across disciplines, with a proven ability to coach and inspire high performance.
• Expertise in federal, California state and local legislative processes , public sector communications , and policy development .
• Ability to thrive in a high-stakes, politically sensitive, and fast-paced environment .

In addition, the ideal candidate will have proven experience related to the following key competencies:

Strategic Leadership — Ability to see the big picture, align competing priorities, and navigate political environments with tact.

Political Acumen — Strong understanding of the intergovernmental landscape and adeptness in dealing with elected officials and external agencies.

Communication Excellence — Outstanding writing, editing, public speaking, and media relations skills.

Innovation and Adaptability — Forward-thinking with a readiness to adopt emerging communication technologies and advocacy tools.

Relationship Management — Builds trust and rapport across internal teams, elected officials and their staff, community partners, and media outlets.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum qualifications for this position include:

• One (1) year of experience as a Business Services Assistant Deputy Director or two (2) years of experience as a Business Services Manager, Senior or its equivalent with the County of Orange.
• Or Six (6) years of business services management experience related to assignment; must include two (2) years of supervisory experience.

Educational Substitutions:

• A Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, human resources, business, public administration, healthcare administration or related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.
• A Master’s degree in accounting, finance, human resources, business, public administration, healthcare administration or related field may substitute for two (2) years of the required experience.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

Human Resource Services will screen all resumes to identify the qualified candidates who meet the minimum qualifications. Those applicants will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competitive process.

Resume Screening | (Refer/Non-Refer): Resumes will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those candidates that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Performance Examination | (Weighted 100%): A performance examination is a test in which applicants demonstrate their skills and knowledge by performing job related tasks rather than selecting answers from a list. It is designed to assess how effectively applicants apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities in realistic or simulated scenarios. A panel of job knowledge experts evaluates performance using standardized criteria. Only the most qualified applicants will move forward to the next step in the recruitment process or will be placed on the eligible list.

Eligible List

Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies in this classification, related classifications, and/or lower classifications related to the position duties and responsibilities.

Based on the County's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedures.

Veteran's Employment Preference

The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.

Email Notification: Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at .

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Aniko Ruha at or .

Orange County , as an equal employment opportunity employer, encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

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