Disability Affairs Officer

About the City Manager’s Office:

The City Manager’s Office provides strategic leadership that supports the Mayor and City Council and motivates the organization to deliver high-quality services that meet the community’s needs.

About the Office of Racial and Social Equity

The City Manager’s Office of Racial and Social Equity’s (ORSE) mission is to support the City in embedding a racial and social equity practice and embody a culture that sustains it. ORSE works to improve life outcomes for immigrants, communities of color, and other underserved populations, including people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ  through three portfolios of work: Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and Disability Affairs. 

The Disability Affairs portfolio operationalizes the City’s Disability Inclusion Equity Pledge adopted in June 2023. The pledge defines disability “as an evolving concept resulting from attitudinal and environmental barriers hindering the participation of persons with disabilities in society.” To remove these barriers and ensure full participation for people with disabilities, the Disability Affairs Officer will continue to advance a portfolio of work centered around a proactive approach to accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities across the organization in design, implementation, and funding of City policies, programs, and services.

The Disability Affairs Officer (Assistant to the City Manager) in the City Manager’s Office is a key member of the Office of Racial and Social Equity. The Disability Affairs Officer will oversee disability affairs and work closely with the City's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, acting as the primary point of contact both internally and externally on issues affecting the disability community. Historical context for this position can be found under the Manager’s Budget Addendum #16 FY 2022-2023 titled Disability Community Engagement and Service Evaluation.

The Disability Affairs Officer will advance the City’s disability affairs portfolio, strengthen data collection, community partnership, learn where inequities and opportunities exist, and create informed policies and interventions in collaboration with departments aimed at improving life outcomes for people with disabilities and other intersectional marginalized groups based on age, gender identity, immigration status, language, race, religion, and others that face systemic inequities. The position will lead the organization with a focus on five areas of improvement: 1) communications and information access, 2) community engagement, 3) physical access, 4) employer access, and 5) shared data collection.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for working in multi-disciplinary teams and understands administrative functions in the public sector with an enthusiasm for continuous quality improvement. A strong sense of integrity and belief in the value of equity, inclusion, and belonging are desired. Central abilities key to this position includes excellent communication (written and verbal), leadership and interpersonal skills, strategic thinking, a commitment to customer service and serving the most vulnerable residents, and the ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and issues.

The ideal candidate will have lived experience and/or direct experience in disability affairs, policies, programs, and services for individuals with disabilities within a government setting. They should have knowledge of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, universal design principles for accessibility, reasonable modifications, assistive technology, digital accessibility, effective communication strategies, and alternative formats used by individuals with disabilities. Additionally, candidates who are certified access specialists, ADA Coordinators, or interested in obtaining certification are encouraged to apply.

The organization is looking for people with a proven record of facilitating organizational change, building capacity, and embedding equity practices. Due to the complexity and scope of authority involved, this position requires someone who can work both independently and interdependently to ensure work is completed in an accurate, complete, and timely fashion.

Key position responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop an annual workplan, implement deliverables, monitor, and evaluate performance.
• Assess organizational structures, functions, procedures, and practices; provide analysis and recommendations for improvement.
• Coordinate activities within the Office of Racial and Social Equity and insure alignment with the Office’s mission.
• Write staff reports, develop training modules, prepare and deliver presentations, and ensure adherence to City policy and procedures. 
• Oversee the performance of the organization in meeting the City's goals and in carrying out directives of the City Manager and Emergency Operations Center (when activated).
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with a diversity of individuals, community groups, and organizations to ensure that the City's programs effectively serve the San José community.
• Represent the Director as assigned.
• May supervise professional and/or support staff as assigned.
• Evening and weekend work is occasionally required.

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, business administration, or a discipline related to the business performed by the department, AND six (6) years of management and/or administrative experience in government or private business/industry. A Master’s degree is preferred and may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San José will NOT sponsor, represent, or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

Core Competencies: The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies and related skills, as demonstrated from past and current employment history.

• Vision/Strategic Thinking: Supports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization’s vision and values; understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; builds a shared vision with others and influences others to translate vision to action. Experience in the development and implementation of strategies to solve complex organization business and municipal problems.
• Leadership: Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction. Demonstrate a positive attitude and flexibility to change, and a high tolerance for ambiguity. Maintain steady leadership in challenging and fluid situations.
• Management: Strong project management experience. Proficiency in guiding data-informed and community-driven decision making. Strong administrative, budgeting, organizational, and planning skills. Evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit. Detail-oriented and can balance strategic-level thinking with managing day-to-day tasks on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Supervision: Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
• Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts. Strong meeting preparation and facilitation skills.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the job-specific questions. You must fill out the online application available on the City of San José website. As part of this process, you will be required to answer four (4) supplemental questions. References to resumes will be considered incomplete and your application withheld from further consideration. Please limit your response to no more than 3 pages.

To apply, please complete an application via the City of San José’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers. The posting will close at Monday, April 28, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit it before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application. Please contact Human Resources at (408) 535-1285, or Human.Resources@sanjoseca.gov if you have any questions.

The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. In addition to the starting salary, employees in the Assistant to the City Manager classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay.

Those candidates with experience and training that best match the position will move forward to the next phase of the selection process, which will include interview(s) and reference checks.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the recruitment, selection, or hiring process, please contact Edwin Huertas at edwin.huertas@sanjoseca.gov.

Salary : $133,940 - $208,501