We’re Hiring a Constituent Services and Policy Aide!
How to Apply
Only complete applications will be considered. A complete application consists of 3-5 (three to five) uploaded PDF documents, as outlined below:
Resume (no more than 2 pages)
Cover Letter based on the prompts in the “Cover Letter Prompts” section below (no more than 2 pages)
Answers to the prompts in the “Application Prompts” section below
Encouraged but not required: Letter of Recommendation from a mentee (someone whose leadership you have supported) of greater than 1 year
Encouraged but not required: Letter of Recommendation from a mentor (someone who has supported your leadership) of greater than 2 years
Cover Letter Prompts
Please introduce yourself. Politics, policy, and governing are deeply personal, as is this position and the interactions you will have with Hennepin County staff, partners, providers, and community members.
Success in this job will require initiative and resourcefulness. In your letter, include an example of when you used these skills.
As indicated in the job responsibilities, this role is highly relational. In your letter, tell us about an individual you take inspiration, delight, or strength from; please share their significance to you, and how this informs how you approach relationships.
Application Prompts
Formatted as you wish, please attach a PDF that completes the following 2 (two) sections.
SECTION 1: Required questions. In this section please keep your answers to 300 (three-hundred) words maximum per question.
What do you see as the role of county governments to systemically fight the current Federal Administration's movement towards fascism and authoritarianism?
Saving Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS or HCMC), building the Blue Line Extension light rail, leading on behalf of domestic violence victims and survivors, and advancing comprehensive public health are all major priorities of the District 2 office. Which of these excites you the most, and what skills and experience do you have to help move these initiatives forward?
This job will include significant night and weekend availability to meet the needs of the office’s policy agenda and community needs. This can look like attending evening neighborhood meetings on behalf of the Commissioner or acting as a surrogate at community events. We also believe in balancing professional workload, and this remains a 40-hour/week role. Given the complex time-management of this role, how do you approach relative prioritization as it relates to your values? What strategies do you have to navigate the balance of professional and personal time?
Consider Operation Metro Surge and the current situation in Hennepin County with federal immigration enforcement: think big and write about your most big-picture solution that Hennepin County can implement. We invite you to utilize your policy imagination and vision to answer this question so we can get an understanding of your values, voice, and approach.
Choose a statement published by the office (hennepinD2.com/statements). Offer feedback and suggested improvements to the communication. Your feedback could name audiences, tonal shifts, or even missing background information. This is an opportunity for us to understand how you’d plug-in to our office’s process of practicing, drafting, and providing feedback.
SECTION 2: Optional get-to-know-you activity, pick up to 3 (three) prompts below. Please keep this section to a maximum of 300 (three-hundred) words total.
What’s a music album you’ve been listening to that helps you get through the day-to-day reality we‘re living in?
Where is your favorite place in Hennepin County and why?
If you could be any character in any story — who would you be, in what story, and why?
If you could meet a celebrity and visit anywhere in the world — who would it be and where would you go?
Imagine you could appear as a stranger to younger-you and can share some advice — what age would you pick, and what advice are you telling younger-you?
What is a book, movie, show, musical, or play that you would recommend right now?
Any hobbies or interests you’d like to share?
Any personal goals or intentions you’d like to share?
How would your closest friends or family describe you?
Application Process and Timeline
Public announcement of the open position on Friday, March 13.
Submissions will be accepted between Monday, March 16 and Monday, March 30.
There are three rounds to the full process, and not all candidates will move forward to each next round.
The first round is a robust application submission, which has been curated intentionally to assist with the rolling application review process.
The second round consists of a virtual screening between Wednesday, March 18 to Wednesday, April 1.
The third round will be an in-person interview with Chair Fernando, ideally on Friday, April 3 with Monday, April 6 as a back-up date.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with rolling scheduling for the virtual screenings.
If you are chosen to proceed to the second round, you will participate in a virtual screening with the Communications and Policy Aide and the Board Specialist. You will receive a link via email to sign up for a screening between Wednesday, March 18 and Wednesday, April 1. These screenings will be scheduled for up to 30 minutes. We will ask you a handful of questions, some of these might be:
We believe in investing in one-another in our office, so we want to understand some of your growth edges. How do you hope this role will allow you to grow professionally?
As you can see from the application and screening process, this job is multi-faceted and requires wearing many hats. How do you communicate stress, overwhelm, or dissatisfaction?
We will be your co-workers and ensuring success in the office begins with caring about one-another. What are your strategies for building dynamic, trusting relationships quickly?
Candidate-specific question related to experience.
Ideally, the incoming Constituent Services and Policy Aide will be offered the role via formal letter no later than Wednesday, April 8, with the intended start date of Monday, April 20.
Since this is a political appointment, upon acceptance of the offer via formal letter, the candidate will then complete a background check and go through an administrative process with Hennepin County.
Ideally, the new Constituent Services and Policy Aide will begin Monday, April 20, in order to overlap with the current Constituent Services and Policy Aide whose intended last day is Friday, May 1.
As an applicant for Hennepin County employment, the data you submit will be classified according to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), Minn. Ch. 13. Under the MGDPA, data on job applicants is private unless classified as public under Minn. Stat. § 13.43, subd. 3. For example, the following data on job applicants is public: veteran status; relevant test scores; rank on eligible list; job history; education and training; and work availability. The data you submit will be used by Hennepin County to determine your qualifications for the job. You are not required to provide this data, but if you do not provide it, your application may be denied.
Job Classification Information: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/hennepin/classspecs/1565663