Senior Employment Specialist

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online.

Qualified bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari, Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to apply. There is an additional biweekly compensation for persons in positions designated bilingual. Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

DESCRIPTION

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county. The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion. Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth-largest city. One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities, and rural areas. As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens. The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles. The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities, and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.

ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH

Alameda County Health is the local government agency that promotes and protects the health and well-being of all who live, work, learn, and play in Alameda County. We coordinate services and cultivate partnerships with community organizations and providers to help ensure access, organize, and deliver health care and services to people with Medi-Cal and without insurance, support resilient communities, and improve health for all. We focus on health equity by developing programs and systemic solutions that reduce disparities for the people and communities we serve.

Alameda County Health’s departments and programs focus on services and support that provide care for the whole person.

• The Behavioral Health Department provides mental health and substance use services for people with Medi-Cal and without insurance and supports people along their path to wellness, recovery, and resilience.
  
• The Environmental Health Department works to keep our air, water, and food safe; it regulates, protects, and promotes the health of everyone in Alameda County by enforcing environmental health codes to reduce exposure to toxins and diseases.
  
• The Public Health Department focuses on community and population-level health, preventing and addressing root causes of health inequity across a range of communicable and chronic diseases.
  
• Alameda County Health also provides services through Housing and Homelessness Services, Emergency Medical Services Agency, HealthPAC, and Healthy Schools and Communities.
  

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

As part of Alameda County Health, the Behavioral Health Department supports people with Medi-Cal and without insurance living with serious mental illness and substance use conditions along their path toward wellness, recovery, and resiliency. We provide services through a network of contracted mental health and substance use providers and administer the State’s resources and training for behavioral health providers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals. We advocate for our patients and families and create space for personal engagement in their care.

We are outpatient specialists for mental health services for older adults and youth, substance use providers and treatment program specialists, advocates for quality improvement and patients’ rights, and psychiatric and integrated health care providers.

For more information about the Behavioral Health Department, please visit www.acbhcs.org .

THE POSITION

Under general direction from the Division Director, to supervise multi-disciplinary staff providing vocational and employment services to Mental Health clients; to personally perform therapeutic, rehabilitative, and related services; and to do related work as required.

Senior Employment Specialist is the first-line supervisory level in the Employment Specialist series. Incumbents provide the full range of supervisory duties including delegating work, scheduling staff, training, evaluating performance, addressing discipline, program planning, and performing limited administrative duties. This supervisor is a specialist in the implementation and monitoring of the Evidenced Based Practice - Individual Placement and Support - Supported Employment, but will also need to be knowledgeable in billing standards of Medi-Cal. Senior Employment Specialists are responsible for assisting with the daily operation of the mental health program and team, such as at the Vocational Program. In addition, Senior Employment Specialists generally have responsibility for only one program and may carry a modified caseload.

For more detailed information about the job classification, please visit: Senior Employment Specialist, (#6780).

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the established minimum qualifications, the ideal candidate for the Senior Employment Specialist will:

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  Know principles and practices of effective supervision, training, program planning and community mental health consultation;
  
  
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  Utilize creative engagement strategies to address ambivalent clients, resistant employers and guarded family members;
  
  
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  Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing;
  
  
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  Interview, counsel, and maintain effective working relations with clients, family members, employers, schools, county staff and other agencies;
  
  
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  Know and have experience with psychosocial factors relevant to mental health such as personality, human growth and development, interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, community integration and socioeconomic resource provisions, substance abuse, including the relevance of these as related to plan development and establishing wellness and recovery goals;
  
  
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  Know and stay current with vocational rehabilitation principles and methods particularly as they relate to mental health clients; understanding of current evidenced based, innovations related to good rehab practices;
  
  
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  Know the business community, personnel management, and employer needs assessments to assist staff in accessing jobs on behalf of assigned clients.
  
  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process include:

EITHER I

Experience :

The equivalent of five (5) years of full-time experience as an Employment Specialist II in the Alameda County classified service.

OR II

Education :

Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized college or university.

AND

Experience :

The equivalent of three (3) years direct supervisory experience in either human services professions such as, rehabilitation, psychology, counseling, job solicitation, marketing or business, AND direct service experience working with disabled or disadvantaged populations, (such as, mentally ill, substance abuse, homeless, or co-occurring).

License : Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle operator’s license is required for both levels.

NOTE : The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:


Knowledge of :

• Psychosocial factors relevant to mental health such as personality, human growth and development, interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, community integration and socioeconomic resource provisions, substance abuse, including the relevance of these as related to plan development and establishing wellness and recovery goals.
• Dynamics of personal and social adjustment, normal and abnormal behavior, and current psychiatric diagnostic techniques appropriate to rehabilitative work.
• Vocational Rehabilitation principles and methods particularly as they relate to mental health clients; understanding of current, evidenced based, innovations related to good rehab practices.
• Principles and practices of effective supervision, training, program planning and community mental health consultation.
• Creative engagement strategies to address ambivalent clients, resistant employers, and guarded family members.
• Various mental health facilities and levels of treatment, vocational rehabilitation programs, and public and private community agencies concerned with mental health.
• The business community, personnel management, employer needs assessments as required to assist staff to access jobs on behalf of assigned clients.
• Statistical research and evaluative methods pertinent to mental health programs and Evidenced Based Practices in the field.
• Psychopharmacology’s impact on a client’s ability to work or how adjustment to medication can impact work outcomes.
• Multi-social, ethnic, and cultural groups.

Ability to :

• Interview, counsel, and maintain effective working relations with clients, family members, employers, schools, county staff and other agencies.
• Develop individualized, practical, and effective employment training plans.
• Understand terms and best practices in both mental health and drug and alcohol treatment.
• Effectively market and represent a program, its clients, and services to employers.
• Work with a diverse client population.
• Know a variety of different engagement tools to progress clients with ambivalence.
• Utilize retention strategies to help consumers keep working.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Administer examinations/ vocational testing and draw valid conclusions from their results.
• Work cooperatively and effectively with community agencies, service providers, school officials, and the public.
• Write clear and concise reports.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the classification will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants. Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process.

3) An oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable noticein advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN:

Deadline For Filing:

5:00:00 p.m., Monday, May 5, 2025

Review of Minimum Qualifications

Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified

May 9, 2025

May 27-30, 2025

Virtual Pre-recorded Civil Service Oral Examination:

Virtual Oral Examination Ratings:

Results Notification:

Promulgation of Eligible List:

June 4-13, 2025

June 17-24 , 2025

Week of June 30, 2025

July 23, 2025

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Departmental Hiring Interviews:

July 2025

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website , https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/reasonable-accommodation/

BENEFITS

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical - HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental - HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1 st United Services Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three (3) days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to eight (8) days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com , @acgov.org , nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org , and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email boxes Noreply@jobaps.com and nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org , are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions, please go to our website at hrs.alamedacountyca.gov . You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton,Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

hrs.alamedacountyca.gov

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.

Closing Date/Time: 5/5/2025 5:00:00 PM

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• County of Alameda

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