Description

MEDIA / PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Oakland, CA

Salary: $14,753 - $18,279/month, 37.5-hr work week

Your Port. Your Community. Your Career.

When you join the Port of Oakland, you become part of a proud local legacy, an organization that touches virtually every resident with its services and programs. The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport (“OAK”), and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is one of the top ten busiest container ports in the U.S.; OAK is one of three major commercial airports serving the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas.

The Port is currently recruiting for the classification of Media/Public Relations Manager. Under general direction, the Media/Public Relations Manager is responsible for the overall management of media and public relations activities, profile and communications for the Port of Oakland.  The incumbent promotes the Port’s mission, goals and objectives to internal and external audiences and directs staff in the implementation of media and public relations programs. Performs related work as assigned.

Typical duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as one of the principal assistants to the Director of Communications and may act as the director in his/her absence.
• Develops and implements strategic public relations programs and projects to inform the public, to increase public understanding, and to obtain support and cooperation from the public.
• Manages media relations, including queries, press releases, interviews and placement of stories, press conferences and events for the Port and its various divisions on the local, national and international levels.
• Responsible for producing special stories, feature articles and general information to the media upon request; maintains media contacts to provide on-going information on the Port’s activities and accomplishments.
• Supervises and/or acts as spokesperson for the Port to news media and the general public, as appropriate.
• Serves as advertising manager, creating and placing media campaigns in support of marketing objectives of the revenue-producing divisions; encourages the media to publicize news of Port activities, facilities, accomplishments, products and services of Port tenants.
• Responsible for production of Port collateral materials, brochures, presentations and special reports.  Writes, edits and coordinates the production of Port publications, brochures, slide presentation and exhibits; supervises Public Relations activities, media and the Reprographics Office.
• Coordinates photo opportunities for Port news releases, including providing direct photography services.
• Plans and prepares speeches, special papers, testimonies, radio and television scripts and other materials for Port Commissioners and other Port representatives.
• Supervises, plans and oversees special events and visitor handling; provides support to the Social Responsibility and Governmental Affairs Departments as appropriate.
• Prepares and monitors annual department budget, staff performance evaluations and department performance evaluation reports.
• Serves as liaison to other departments/divisions to meet their public relations needs.
• Performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This examination is open to persons who have a combination of education and experience that would reflect possession of the required knowledge, skills and abilities.  A typical combination would include the following:

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in public relations, public affairs, communication, public administration or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred. 

Experience: Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in media and public relations.

Additional Requirements:  Must possess a valid California Class C driver’s license at the time and for the duration of appointment.

The Port of Oakland requires each incumbent to successfully complete a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) background check, which will include a fingerprint-based Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) and a Security Threat Assessment (STA), prior to being considered for this position. This status must be maintained for the duration of employment at the Port.

Available for on-call duty as required by emergency situations, or as required for uninterrupted Port operations.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge of Port’s operations and organizational structure; major Port initiatives; principles and procedures of effective media and public relations; Aviation, Commercial Real Estate and Maritime organization and activities; organizational communications; collateral design and production; effective use of the media; project management and organization; issues facing various population groups in an ethnically diverse and multi-cultural community; organizational and management practices and methods, including goal setting, program development and implementation, and employee supervision, and computer user applications as related to program areas.

The Port’s compensation and benefit program ranks among the best in the region for public jurisdictions and is designed to reward performance and promote a balanced lifestyle, both at the workplace and away from the workplace, for our employees and their families. The Port is committed to the health and well-being of its employees and has been recognized as a FIT-Friendly Employer by the American Heart Association. We offer a comprehensive benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 457 plan and paid leave. The Port offers retiree medical benefits for employees and dependents after 10 years of CALPERS service (including 5 years at the Port).

To apply for this exceptional opportunity or obtain more details, please visit us at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/portoakland.  Application deadline is August 10, 2026 at 5:00pm.

The Port of Oakland is an Equal Opportunity Employer