Job Summary
Make an impact:
In Salem, the Council, Constituent, and Intergovernmental Relations Manager plays a pivotal role in fostering effective communication and collaboration among the City Council, constituents, Salem’s legislative delegation, and various City departments. This position is responsible for managing support for City Council and constituent communications, coordination of the City’s legislative priorities with a team of subject matter experts and overseeing federal and state lobbyist contracts. This role also writes state capital requests and facilitate meetings with legislative delegations. Success in this role requires a high level of organization, attention to detail, professional communications skills, and a strong understanding of the legislative processes to ensure that the City’s interests are effectively represented.
Learn And Grow
The City Manager’s Office values employees and their professional development. The department offers opportunities to attend conferences, as well as support for ongoing education and certifications.
What You Will Do
The Council, Constituent, and Intergovernmental Relations Manager will serve as a key liaison between City Council, internal departments, and external partners by managing Council inquiries and ensuring accurate, consistent communication. You will develop and coordinate agendas for the City Council’s Legislative Committee, facilitate policy-focused discussions, and support the City’s advocacy efforts. Working closely with subject matter experts across departments such as the Fire Department, Climate Action, Housing, Economic Development, Police Department, and Legal, you will gather input to draft, vet, and deliver legislative testimony aligned with City priorities. In this role, you will act as the City’s legislative liaison, collaborating with intergovernmental relations staff, lobbyists, and state representatives, organizing meetings with legislative delegations, and communicating the City’s positions clearly. You will also provide high-level support for council and constituent management, including preparing council members for meetings, responding to inquiries, and ensuring smooth pre-council communications.
Additional Information On Job Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary liaison for Council inquiries, managing the council inquiry process to ensure consistent and accurate information dissemination to all council members and constituents.
- Develop and manage City Council Legislative Committee agendas, facilitating conversations that highlight key issues and guide policy statements for the City’s advocacy.
- Coordinate with subject matter experts (SMEs) across various fields, including Fire, Climate Action, Housing, Economic Development, Human Resources, Wastewater, Police Department, and Legal, to gather valuable input for legislative testimony and advocacy efforts.
- Write and vet testimony on behalf of the City, ensuring alignment with the City’s goals.
- Act as the legislative liaison, engaging with intergovernmental relations (IGR) and collaborating with external partners, including lobbyists and state representatives.
- Organize and lead meetings with legislative delegations, ensuring that the City’s priorities are effectively communicated and represented.
- Provide high-level support for constituent and council management, addressing the volume and complexity of inquiries with professionalism and efficiency.
- Facilitate pre-council meeting communications to prepare council members for meetings and discussion topics, and to provide response to Council questions.
What can we offer you for all your hard work?
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
- Paid vacation and sick time in accordance with City policies.
- Competitive pay.
- Employer-paid PERS contribution of 6%.
- Opportunity for voluntary pre-tax contributions to a 457b account.
- Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
- Voluntary long-term care.
- Employee wellness program.
- Employee assistance program.
- Employee health clinic.
- Position schedule is Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Our team follows a hybrid work structure where employees can work remotely or from the office (440 Church Street, SE, Suite 400, Salem, OR 97301), as needed, based on demands of specific tasks and manager approval. This is subject to change based on business needs.
- The City of Salem offers a comprehensive and equitable base salary within the listed range based on your experience, skills, and education. We encourage you to clearly describe how you meet the minimum qualifications and essential attributes in your application materials. Learn more about Equal Pay .
What are the minimum qualifications?
- Must pass the pre-employment background check.
- Must have reliable transportation (e.g., carpool, rideshare, public transit, waling biking) to report to and from work sites, events, trainings, and meetings.
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in business or public administration, emergency management, engineering, human resources, finance or accounting, journalism or communications, urban and regional planning, or a related field, and five years of experience in a related field, including two years of progressive work experience in public sector or a related field preferred, or any combination of education, experience, and training that demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed, and ability to perform the essential job functions.
- Master's degree in a related field preferred and may substitute for two of the five years of work experience required.
- Depending on the area of assignment, certifications or licenses may be required or preferred (and maintained throughout employment).
- Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to give detailed information in your application that includes your experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as requested in the supplemental questions and job advertisement.
Preferred Qualifications (Not Required To Apply)
- Bilingual skills are desired.
What You Will Bring Along
- Experience in council and constituent relations, public administration, or a related field, preferably within a public sector or local government setting;
- Experience in developing strategies and recommending short-and long-range plans addressing legislative and regional issues;
- Knowledge of legislative processes and intergovernmental relations, with the ability to navigate complex political environments;
- Experience in verbal and written communication, including the ability to effectively convey complex issues to diverse audiences;
- Experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with elected officials, community members, and various stakeholders;
- Knowledge of organizational best practices and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines;
- Experience of executive-level assistance, including drafting correspondence and preparing testimony;
- Experience in building and sustaining high-performing teams through effective leadership and collaboration;
- Experience in crisis communication and risk management, with the ability to respond to inquiries and issues outside of normal working hours, including weekends and holidays.
About Us
Salem is the second largest city in Oregon and the capital city. Centrally located in the Willamette Valley, Salem is 49 square miles in size and extends across to counties, Marion and Polk. The community has well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings with wide diversity and a family-friendly ambiance. The city is home to nearly 180,000 residents. For a full community profile detailing demographics and housing statistics, visit the City of Salem website.
The City of Salem organization has eight primary departments: Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community Planning and Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City of Salem employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members and works collaboratively with five labor unions.
Where can I find out more about the position?
Go to the menu option for Class Specifications and search for Program Manager III .
How can I apply?
The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.
To apply, click on the green “Apply” button to complete your application. Make sure that you specify how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification and complete the application.
Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.
You may subscribe for automatic notification of job openings at the City of Salem through the Job Interest Cards – sign up today!
For more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs .
This announcement is not an implied contract and may be modified or revoked without notice.
