Training Design Specialist, SF Ethics Commission - Ethics@Work Program

The position will be appointed by the Executive Director to serve as at-will employee for a three-year limited term project.

Salary Range: $105,118 - $127,738/year

ABOUT THE COMMISSION

The San Francisco Ethics Commission was created by the City’s voters with the passage of Proposition K in November 1993. Our mission is to practice and promote the highest standards of integrity in government. We achieve that by shaping and promoting compliance with the laws and by delivering impactful programs that promote fair, transparent, and accountable governmental decision making for the benefit of all San Franciscans. Through its 33-member staff, the Ethics Commission is responsible for the independent and impartial administration and enforcement of laws related to campaign finance, public financing of candidates, governmental ethics, conflicts of interest, and registration and reporting by lobbyists, campaign consultants, permit consultants, and major developers.

The Ethics Commission is committed to recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse, collaborative, and high performing staff of individuals whose individual experiences, knowledge, and talents collectively drive achievement of the Commission’s unique mission in San Francisco city government. We honor and value diversity, inclusion, and engagement, and are committed to promoting racial equity and to creating and sustaining a work environment that reflects and engages the diversity of our communities. Applicants who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply. The Commission provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected category.

ABOUT ETHICS@WORK

All those who work, live, and play in San Francisco should have confidence that the operations of the City and County and the decisions made by its officials and employees are fair, just, and made without any regard to private or personal gain. However, recent indictments of high-level officials and contractors, resignations of department heads, and the convictions of multiple contractors have revealed a culture of corrupt practices and influences that have eroded public trust in government.

Ethics@Work is a new outreach and training program to strengthen governmental integrity and prevent corrupt practices from taking root by equipping decision-makers with practical tools and skills to effectively navigate ethical challenges in public service and promote public trust. Through strategic communications, in-person and online workshops, and focused outreach, the Ethics@Work program will engage and inform city officials, employees, contractors, and other key stakeholders with practical learning content that raises awareness, develops common understanding, and improves compliance with government ethics laws. The Ethics@Work team will have a direct impact in re-shaping how expectations for public service are set and supported and will play an essential role in supporting the Commission’s core mission to promote the highest standards of integrity in government.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Working under general direction of the Training and Outreach Manager, the Training Design Specialist will provide technology expertise and day to day support in the design and execution of a comprehensive new communication and training program that delivers cohesive and engaging learning content across a diverse range of audiences, organizations, settings and platforms. Ethics@Work outreach and educational communications and materials will be developed for learning opportunities in both live and digital environments. Prior experience applying strong technology and design skillsets in the areas of stakeholder outreach, training, digital content creation, graphics, UXUI, instructional design, and/or e-learning is essential.

The position will collaborate closely with the Training and Outreach Manager and two Training and Outreach Specialists to develop and execute outreach and training plans that provide complex information in practical and understandable terms. This position has responsibility for the technology design and implementation of all program elements, including the organization, production, delivery and evaluation of content and materials to ensure achievement of program goals and timeframes.

The Training Design Specialist must be an experienced and highly organized technology professional who is adept at working individually and collaboratively as a member of a team. They must be able to convey complex information clearly and concisely in writing, verbally, and in presentations, and establish clear goals and identify effective paths to achieve them with successful and measurable outcomes. To maximize program impact, the position must be a quick study and will be expected to develop and maintain in-depth subject matter knowledge of relevant and complex laws, regulations and policies to help translate content into broadly understandable materials to new audiences, platforms, and mediums. Familiarity with public sector organizations, and prior professional experience working with creative professionals, trainers, or communications teams are highly desirable.

As with all positions at the Ethics Commission, the Ethics@Work Training Design Specialist must be willing to forego involvement in all local political activity while a member of the Commission staff. To support objectivity in the Commission’s work, this position is among those identified to file public Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) to ensure that any possible conflicts of interest between personal financial interests and governmental duties can be detected and avoided.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Essential duties of the Ethics@Work Training Design Specialist position include but are not limited to the following:

Program Development and Execution

·Develop technology strategy to execute comprehensive communications, outreach, training, and website plan to achieve measurable program goals using standardized methods and best practices including compliance with City’s accessibility requirements.

·Identify and implement communications platform solutions and assist team with development of communication content and delivery. 

·Create technology solutions to conduct effective outreach, including online meeting tools, social media platforms, survey tools, and other avenues to foster shared understanding of the purpose and practice of governmental ethics laws and standards in City service. Assist program team with outreach and engagement efforts with community stakeholders. 

·Design and implement high-quality solutions to develop training materials, including in-person workshops, live webinars, online video content, interactive e-learning modules, integrated learning assessment tools, and informational guides for large and varied audiences. Collaborate with City departments to make training materials available through City’s learning platforms. Assist program team with facilitating live training sessions.

·Develop and maintain Ethics@Work content for Commission’s website using visually engaging and interactive elements. Collaborate cross-functionally with other Commission staff to broadly improve and enhance content and usability.

·Assist with the development, editing, and design of content including text, graphics, audio, and video across all mediums that conveys complex information in clear, succinct, accurate, and understandable terms. 

·Maintain and support program’s communications, outreach, and training environments on a day-to-day basis. Understand and anticipate user issues, troubleshoot problems, respond to inquiries, and assist users to access these systems.

·Develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of applicable laws and regulations and the oversight programs and systems used by the Commission to support compliance, public disclosure, and accountability.

·Assist in the development and maintenance of internal tools, resources, procedures, and standards for the team to implement the Ethics@Work program as may be assigned.

·Assist with other projects to heighten effectiveness and impact of Commission programs and operations as requested.

Teamwork and Collaboration

·Coordinate with technology, budget, and procurement staff to identify and deploy hardware and software needs to implement Ethics@Work technology strategies. Assist with procurement and management of vendors in compliance with City’s policies and procedures.

·Gather and share stakeholder feedback to help improve existing laws, regulations, or compliance support methods.

·Act as a liaison and resource of the Ethics Commission, including by participating in external meetings or other events as may be appropriate to expand the reach and impact of the Ethics@Work program.

·Promote and participate in knowledge sharing and cross-training among staff on program platforms, policies, procedures, operations, and best practices.

·Provide support for other learning and development initiatives as needed.

·Lead by example individually and as a member of a diverse team, demonstrating professionalism, exceptional independent judgment, and the highest standards of integrity in carrying out duties.

Performance and Accountability

·Organize, plan, and complete project deliverables aligned with program and performance goals to ensure program effectiveness, including by regularly assessing feedback received for continuous improvement and strong outreach and training outcomes.

·Assist in development and maintenance of program performance data including operational statistics, training participation, user engagement, and learning outcomes to improve program delivery and timely resolve any issues. Create visual dashboards and reports to capture qualitative and quantitative information regarding program performance. Identify trends and patterns in data.

·Establish, standardize, and document outreach and training operations and procedures for business continuity and knowledge-sharing of operations.

·Assist in providing regular updates to the leadership team and in presenting public reports to the Commission on the status of established goals and workplans to support program oversight, accountability, and transparency.

·Maintain and retrieve documents, records, and correspondence in accordance with established procedures for data retention and public records requests.

·Maintain confidentiality of sensitive and confidential information obtained through the course of completing assignments while working comfortably in an open government environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. Possession of a graduate degree (Master's degree or higher) from an accredited college or university and three (3) years of full-time equivalent experience performing professional level analytical work as described in Note A: OR

2. Possession of a graduate degree (Master's degree or higher) from an accredited college or university with major college coursework as described in Note B and two (2) years full-time equivalent experience performing professional level analytical work as described in Note A; OR

3. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and four (4) years full-time equivalent experience performing professional level analytical work as described in Note A; OR

4. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with major college coursework as described in Note B and three (3) years full-time equivalent performing professional level analytical work as described in Note A

SUBSTITUTION: Applicants may substitute up to 2 years of the required education with additional qualifying experience in budget analysis, financial analysis and reporting, legislative/policy analysis, or contract/grant administration. One year (2000 hours) of additional qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to 30 semester units/45 quarter units.

Notes on Qualifying Experience and Education:

A. Qualifying professional-level analytical experience must be in one or more of the following functional areas: complex budget analysis, development and administration; complex financial/fiscal analysis and reporting; development of complex contracting systems and administration of competitive bid processes and complex contractual agreements; development and evaluation of complex management/administrative policy; complex grant administration and monitoring; complex program evaluation and planning; complex legislative analysis; complex economic analysis; or other functional areas related to the duties of positions in Class 1823, where the primary focus of the job is complex professional-level analysis for evaluation, recommendation, development and implementation of major programs and functions of department/organization. Analytical experience equivalent to the duties of Class 1822 is considered qualifying.

B. Coursework applicable to a baccalaureate or higher degree in specialized subject matter areas such as public or business administration, management, business law, contract law, public policy, urban studies, economics, statistical analysis, finance, accounting or other fields of study closely related to the essential functions of positions in Class 1823.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES  

·Ability to think creatively, conceptualize, design, and execute communications, outreach, and training solutions that provide practical learning tools to a broad range of audiences.

·Ability to develop, organize, plan, implement, and monitor use of high quality and standardized processes, workflows, policies, and procedures to ensure consistent and cohesive approaches, content, and messaging across varied outreach and training components.

·Knowledge of instructional design approaches and production workflows to create meaningful and memorable learning experiences.

·Knowledge of production and post-production tools, hardware, and workflows for producing video and audio-based content.

·Knowledge of communications, training, and stakeholder engagement principles and practices.

·Knowledge of principles and practices of public sector organizations.  

·Ability to maintain in-depth knowledge of laws, regulations, policies, and systems related to the integrity of governmental operations and to apply strategic thinking and sound logic and judgment in analyzing and developing program approaches consistent with those oversight purposes.

·Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills, including orientation to detail and the ability to organize, develop and present complex and detailed information in an accurate, engaging, and concise manner to promote understanding.

·Exceptional project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills to successfully contribute to effectiveness of a new program from the ground up.

·Ability to learn and work quickly, flexibly, and successfully in producing quality work deliverables for multiple competing priorities, including ability to break down complex projects into organized, logical, and achievable actions.

·Knowledge of principles, methods and techniques for evaluating systems, operations and performance, including the ability to drive and improve program deliverables to meet program goals based on insights gathered in a data-driven manner.

·Proficiency with the use of computers and knowledge of software applications including:

o Office Suite Applications: Microsoft Office 365;

o Creative Tools: Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premier, Audition, Captivate) or Apple Pro Tools and related audio/video hardware;

o Web Publishing: Wordpress or other content management systems; knowledge of HTML/CSS;

o Communications Platforms: MailChimp/Emma; and

o Collaboration tools: SharePoint, MS Teams or similar.

·Experience applying accessibility standards to web-based content and materials.

·Demonstrated commitment to customer service and effective stakeholder engagement.

·Experience creating learning materials for diverse audiences and reviewing content to eliminate bias and stereotypes.

·Adaptability and flexibility in handling changing circumstances in dynamic work environments, and openness to new ideas and practices.

·Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish and maintain appropriate tact and professional rapport with others in highly-pressurized and difficult situations and the ability to work effectively with varied stakeholders in high-visibility or sensitive settings.

·Ability to demonstrate the highest standards of integrity in carrying out duties, including the ability to work objectively in politically sensitive environments and a willingness to forego all local political activity.

 HIGHLY DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

During the selection process the following desirable qualifications may be used to identify applicants selected to become a job finalist

·A Master's degree in communications, information systems, technology, marketing, journalism, public or business administration, public policy or a related field of study.

·3+ years prior hands-on experience planning, developing, and conducting complex strategic communications and/or training initiatives for varied audiences in both live and digital environments, including prior hands-on experience creating interactive e-learning modules and video content.

·Experience with governmental ethics or accountability issues, regulatory or oversight operations, and public sector organizations and management practices.

·Prior successful experience developing and executing projects in high-visibility, highly-sensitive, or highly-politicized settings.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, please submit the following documents using the Apply Now link at the bottom of this document:

1. Statement of Interest that details your interest in the position and relevant work experiences, including any related to accountable government or public integrity.
2. Current Resume
3. One sample of recent visual publication or digital media (e.g., e-learning module, guide, brochure, infographics, web site, online video)

Applications that do not contain the requested information will not be considered.

Complete applications will be reviewed as they are received and applicants selected to advance to the interview process will be contacted by phone or email. Candidates invited to interview may be asked to provide additional samples from their portfolio of work.

** Please note that due to ongoing COVID19 public health restrictions all candidate interviews will take place online using remote technology. In addition, subject to further official notice, the successful candidate should expect to perform their duties working both remotely and onsite. In addition, any City employee may be called in for Disaster Service Work duty or to work on site subject to the City’s and Department’s established Health and Safety protocols. In such instances, employees may be required be on site with 24-hours’ notice.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.