Jacksonville City Council Research Assistant

Job Description

Examples of Work

• Conducts research on a wide variety of public policy and related topics as requested by the City Council, Council committees, or individual Council Members. Conceptualizes and carries out both long-term and short-term research projects.
• Reads and understands complex public policy documents, City Council legislation, state and federal legislation, legal documents, and other written materials and summarizes those materials in a concise, accurate format.
• Accesses and uses a variety of demographic, economic and public policy data and information sources in the context of public policy research and analysis.
• Drafts resolutions and certificates at the request of Council Members to honor, commend, or commemorate notable persons or events.
• Staffs appointed citizen boards and commissions, including the scheduling and noticing of meetings, development of agendas, the taking and production of meeting minutes, and providing relevant, comprehensive background materials on public policy issues appropriate to the membership in order to facilitate their fulfillment of their contribution to the work of the City Council.
• Manages and continually updates the database of City Council citizen board and commission appointees, processes citizen applications to serve on boards and commissions, and drafts appointment resolutions.
• Maintains strict neutrality and impartiality in serving the City Council, its committees, and members on an equally effective basis and provides equally prompt and effective research and service to Council Members with widely varying political and public service philosophies.
• Performs general administrative assignments and related work as may be required in support of the work of the City Council and its staff, exercising responsibility and good judgement in the performance of such duties.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of the principles and practices of local government administration and the functions and activities of the Jacksonville City Council and the organization and functions of a consolidated city/county government and the governments/agencies with which it deals.
• Thorough knowledge of and hands-on ability to use computer equipment and applicable software used in the research and legislative processes, including considerable knowledge of document, spreadsheet, database, presentation, and internet search programs.
• Strong written and oral communication skills are required. Ability to adapt communication style to suit different audiences such as Council Members, administrative staff, other government professionals, business interests, citizen volunteers, and the general public in a professional, courteous, effective manner.
• Ability to read and understand complex public policy documents and to summarize and explain them quickly and accurately in writing.
• Ability to provide positive customer service to both internal and external customers, including a commitment to work with and serve the needs of all members of an active City Council who occasionally represent diverse opinions and philosophies in an equal, fair and unbiased manner.
• Ability to independently prioritize projects and manage time to complete multiple overlapping tasks to meet deadlines.
• Ability to face challenges and explore solutions in an open, positive, and proactive fashion in a cooperative, collegial fashion with co-workers, supervisors and other City Council Members and staff.

Open Requirements/Supplemental Information

• A Bachelor's degree in public administration, political science, or related field and three (3) years of experience in public sector (federal, state or local government) policy analysis or research OR
• A Master's degree or higher in public administration, political science or related field and one (1) year of experience in public sector (federal, state or local government) policy analysis or research OR
• A seven (7) year combination of education and/or work experience in public sector (federal, state or local government) policy analysis or research, which demonstrates the potential ability to perform the duties of the position of Research Assistant.

A FULLY COMPLETED ONLINE APPLICATION IS REQUIRED. Apply at www.coj.net. Work history is required for all employment/volunteer work on which qualifications are being based.

The below documents are required with your application:

• Resume
• Writing Sample (no more than 5 pages, preferably a previous research piece)
• When meeting/basing qualifications on education, a copy of your college transcript, with your social security number blacked out, is required with your application. Transcripts do not need to be official, but must state your name, the school’s name, classes taken, grades received, type of degree, and date degree was conferred.

The application system works best with Google Chrome or Edge with Chromium web browsers. Please try to apply using one of these browsers. Be sure to add coj.net to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications. You may also track the status of your application and see notifications by logging into your account.

Certain servicemembers and veterans, and the spouses and the family members of such service members and veterans, receive preference and priority, and certain servicemembers may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements in employment and are encouraged to apply for positions being filled.

If claiming veteran's preference, you must attach a DD-214 (Member Form-4 copy) or military discharge papers, or equivalent certification from the Department of Veterans Affairs listing military status, dates of service and character of discharge. You must also attach the Veterans Preference Certification Form and, if applicable, the additional forms as noted here: http://www.coj.net/departments/employee-services/veterans-preference

If a candidate believes he or she was not afforded veteran’s preference, he or she may file a written complaint, within 60 calendar days upon receipt of notification of the hiring decision, requesting an investigation to:

Florida Department of Veterans Affairs
Attention: Veterans’ Preference Coordinator
11351 Ulmerton Road, Suite 311-K
Largo, FL 33778-1630
Email: VeteransPreference@fdva.state.fl.us