Staff Specialist

COUNTY OF ORANGE
The County of Orange is California's third most-populous county, with more than 3 million residents and 34 cities. It is one of the region's largest employers, with a workforce of about 16,000. Working for the County offers a variety of opportunities for career development and growth and the job satisfaction of serving the public and contributing to efforts that make a difference in people's lives  

Click here to learn more about the County of Orange.

SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY
Administering a number of human services programs, the County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) is composed of four business divisions and over 4,000 dedicated employees, providing human services to an average of one-fourth of all Orange County residents. SSA operates under the policy direction of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the California Health and Human Services Agency. SSA is responsible for planning, implementing and operating many of the social services programs provided by the County of Orange.
 
Funding for programs comes primarily from Federal, State and County sources. SSA's budget is approximately $1 billion, with fiduciary responsibility for an additional $4 billion in services provided as a result of programs it administers.
   
SSA is composed of the following four divisions: Assistance Programs; Children and Family Services; Family Self-Sufficiency & Adult Services; and Administrative Services. Our mission is to deliver quality services that are accessible and responsive to the community, encourage personal responsibility, strengthen individuals, preserve families, and protect vulnerable adults and children.

 Click here to learn more about the Social Services Agency.

CAREER DESCRIPTION
 
Staff Specialist – Centralized Operations and Administrative Services
 
This recruitment is open to the public and being held to establish an eligible list to fill vacancies in this class and specialty assignment.  The established eligible list from this recruitment may also be used to fill County of Orange vacancies in a lower-level class with the same specialty.  The recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will remain open on a continuous basis until the needs of the County are met.  *The immediate vacancies are in the County of Orange Social Services Agency, Centralized Operations – Operation Santa Claus (OSC) and Senior Santa & Friends (SSF) and Reports, Statistics and Agency Support

THE OPPORTUNITY

The current vacancy is within Centralized Operations and Administrative Services program seeking a Staff Specialist to meet the needs of department to perform duties related to supporting external and internal partners and vendors.  The assignments entail providing supervision, exceptional customer service, effective communication, problem identification, information gathering and analysis, development of alternative resolutions and final recommendations.  The position will also perform below responsibilities, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Analyze project requests by assessing the needs and ensuring the needs are appropriate, identify risks and resources, document possible solutions, ensure requests are viable, outline the potential of the project, problem/opportunity, defines business objectives, identify justification, define project scope, and provide cost summary estimates.
• Supervise support personnel and volunteers in order to effectively guide a team in the successful execution of business solutions; assess organization practices for the benefit of providing solutions to improve business efficiencies, and monitor project timeliness, deliverables, and project risks.
• Demonstrate initiative and the ability to take on an assignment and work independently while understanding appropriate situations to consult with his/her manager. 
• Oversee service contracts that provide key support services.  Conduct periodic inspection of services; provide written findings to management on vendor performance; recommend solutions to vendor performance problems; work with vendor to correct problems; recommend sanctions for vendor non-performance; reevaluate and with management concurrence provide justification to renew routine service contracts; establish cost estimates with vendors for service/product; prepare justification letters to purchase service/product when recommending other than lowest estimate.
• Provide oversight of budget for each program by preparing projections for budget allocations, compare budget availability by organization to provide recommendations/initiatives to management
• Prepare presentations, public communications, talking points, speeches, and other communication channels
• Maintain and review a wide variety of documents for accuracy, clarity, conciseness, and grammatical correctness
• Prepare, research, compile, and analyze data for various reports and special projects
• Perform other duties as assigned

NOTE:  Centralized Operations OSC & SSF position is 100% onsite.  A telecommute or telework schedule is not available.
 
IDEAL CANDIDATES:
 
The ideal candidate will have experience, demonstrating the knowledge and abilities with intermediate to advanced experience working with Microsoft Windows and using Microsoft 365 applications, including MS Visio, MS Project, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, and Adobe Photoshop
 
Successful candidates will also have considerable experience in the following competencies:

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES
The preferred candidate will have three (3) or more years of experience in gathering, compiling, and/or analyzing information/data. A Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a related field such as, Public Administration, Business Administration, etc. is highly desirable. In addition, the successful candidate will also demonstrate the following competencies:
 
Technical Expertise

• Knowledge of specialized program functions and practices may be required, depending on area of assignment
• Knowledge of general organization, purpose, and functions of County government agencies/departments
• Knowledge of basic principles of mathematics, including percentages, means, medians and other elementary statistical measures may be required of some positions
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications, such as, Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and other applications
• Conducting research, compiling data and preparing complex financial analysis
• Understanding of financial forecasting and projection techniques based on financial planning perspectives
• Ability to comprehend, explain, and act upon state regulations and statues
• Knowledge and ability to do video production such as editing and/or creating

Strategic Planning/Analytical Skills

• Planning and leading the execution of operational procedures to ensure that projects and deadlines are met within a timely manner
• Effectively analyzing problems and situations before taking corrective actions. 
• Working independently to manage time wisely and to effectively prioritize multiple, competing tasks
• Achieving expected quality and quantity of results, and appropriate focus on outcomes
• Developing creative and innovative alternate solutions for management's consideration

Relationship Building/Customer Service 

• Establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships with peers, supervisors, managers, government officials, vendors and the public
• Ability to act in an advisory role to person accountable for implementation
• Recommending solutions to vendor performance problems; work with vendor to correct problems; recommend sanctions for vendor non-performance; reevaluate with management concurrence; and renew routine service contracts
• Generating enthusiasm and motivate others to act in support of a program's objectives
• Ability to developing public relations proposals to gain public understanding, support, and confidence in agency programs.

Oral and Written Communication

• Ability to communicate effectively in English, orally and in writing
• Ability to respond to public inquiries and complaints concerning technical issues, orally and in writing
• Preparing and orally present program support information to various groups
• Thorough knowledge of correct English usage for administrative writing requirements and oral presentations
• Ability to write full reports regarding approach, data gathering, analysis, problem identification, alternatives, and recommend solutions

Planning and Organization 

• Working independently of specific daily direction
• Gathering/compiling data and summarize the data orally or in writing
• Reviewing, evaluating, and summarizing, in writing, the evaluation of such data in terms of trends or general indications of possible problem areas
• Identifying specific issues/problems needing attention
• Recommending solutions, and implement solution as primary person accountable (having authority) for carrying out implementation

Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Thorough knowledge of techniques for gathering, compiling, analyzing and presenting information orally and in writing
• Analyzing problems in context of available information and program constraints
• Thinking logically and organize thoughts and work priorities to accomplish work efficiently

Supervision

• Leading, supervising, training, and evaluating staff
• Ability to instruct subordinates on work methods, departmental policies and procedures, and safe work practices
• Maintaining a work environment that encourages cooperation and teamwork
• Promoting and encouraging staff development and skills enhancement
• Ability to administer discipline in a fair and consistent manner
• Developing and presenting performance evaluations to staff
• Conducting staff/team meetings

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Click here to view the minimum qualifications for Staff Specialist

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates will be required to undergo a background clearance check from California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and Community Care Licensing (CCL) and must successfully clear prior to the start of their employment. All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Areas considered in the background check include conviction history, employment history, professional references and education verification (i.e. degree, license, or official transcripts) if applicable. Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (N.A.C.E.S.) In addition, a Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) background clearance check may be required. CACI is a repository of child abuse investigation reports managed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that contains information related to substantiated cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental/emotional abuse, and/or severe neglect of a child.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services screens all application materials for minimum and desirable qualifications. After screening, candidates who meet the minimum and desirable qualifications will be referred to the next step in the recruitment process. All candidates will be notified via email of their status in the process. Completion of a background investigation to the satisfaction of the County may be required for some assignments.
 
Online Assessment (Weighted 100%): Candidates whose experience and education appear to best meet the needs of the department will be invited to participate in online examination(s) covering job-related competencies. Some components of this online assessment may be timed.
 
To access online practice tests, you may consider checking web sites such as the following:
https://www.jobtestprep.com/wonderlic-sample-test
https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practice-tests
 
Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure. 

Eligible List | Score Groups
Once all assessments have been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.
 
Veterans Employment Preference Policy 
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
Please see below for important information regarding COVID-19 related recommendations.
 
Effective April 3, 2023, it is strongly recommended that County employees working in health care settings and correctional facilities follow vaccination and booster guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please click here to see the latest guidance for more details. The position for which you are applying may be required to adhere to any applicable State or County Public Health Orders.  You will receive notification of any requirement as it applies to a position.  The position for which you are applying may be required to adhere to any applicable State or County Public Health Orders.  You will receive notification of any requirement as it applies to a position.

EMAIL NOTIFICATION:
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com. 
 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Cindy Mora at Cindy.Mora@ssa.ocgov.com or (714) 245-6265

Salary : $61,090 - $81,682