Program Specialist (Nutrition Specialty) (Promotional)

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION  

YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended. Qualified applicants must be current county employees and have completed the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes the District Attorney’s Office, the Medical Center, and the Superior Court) by Friday, May 2, 2014.  A regular appointment does not include provisional, TAP (Temporary Assignment Pool), or STEP-UP appointments.

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 Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.  Applications will only be accepted on-line. 

HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

The Health Care Services Agency (HCSA) administers health programs in the following areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well being of Alameda County residents. 

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Public Health Department has an array of programs and services designed to protect the health and safety of County residents. The backbone of Public Health includes assessments of the health status of residents, disease prevention and control, community mobilization and outreach, policy development, education, and assurance of access to quality medical and health care services. 

FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES (FHS) DIVISION

FHS is a leader in advocating for families to assure and protect their health and well-being. Together with our community partners, we strive to assure access to services essential to having healthy babies, growing healthy kids, and building healthy families.

CALIFORNIA CHILDREN SERVICES PROGRAM (CCS)

CCS provides medical case management to low-income children under 21 years of age with chronic and disabling medical conditions. CCS can help arrange and pay for hospital stays and doctor visits, medical equipment, medication, and other services. CCS strives to ensure that children receive appropriate and comprehensive care.

CHILD HEALTH AND DISABILITY PREVENTION PROGRAM (CHDP)

CHDP provides health check-ups for infants, children, and teens. These health check-ups include a growth and development check; all needed shots and lab tests; a dental, vision, and hearing screening; and appropriate health education information. If medical problems are found during the visit, children will be referred for additional medical services.

THE POSITION

Under direction, the Program Specialist (Nutrition Specialty) will be responsible for implementing a pediatric obesity group medical appointment program (Active and Healthy Families) in Alameda County including responsibility for program planning, technical assistance, review and evaluation functions; will administer the nutrition component of both the CHDP and CCS Program as well as additional training/health education responsibilities for CHDP; will direct nutrition based client service delivery programs where such services are provided by community-based organizations (CBO's), contract service providers and/or County staff in a wide variety of service areas; will act as County liaison with service providers and funding sources and ensure that program regulations and procedures are followed; and will perform related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This professional-level class provides technical programmatic services in a wide variety of client service areas; however, all positions are typically characterized by the following elements:

• The need for technical knowledge in the service delivery area to which assigned;
• The fact that client services are provided by CBO's, other contract providers and/or County staff; and
• The focus of responsibilities being related to program development and implementation, rather than to the provision of administrative or support to County departments.

This class is distinguished from Senior Program Specialist, which provides work direction or supervision to a support staff in addition to providing direct program review and evaluation. It is further distinguished from Program/Financial Specialist in that the latter has financial service responsibilities in addition to technical program responsibilities. 

IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to the minimum qualifications and knowledge and skills listed below, the ideal candidate for this position will be well prepared for advancement to serve in a programmatic role as a licensed Registered Dietician and nutrition expert, possessing experience effectively planning, organizing, and leading nutrition program development, administration and evaluation activities.  This position is most suitable for an experienced, Registered Dietician highly motivated to enhance and develop nutrition programs that assist children and families receive high quality medical, dental, and support services across all provider settings.

The ideal candidate for this position will also have a track record of success and will be highly respected as: 

• A technically adept nutrition expert with a considerable amount of professional knowledge and experience working directly with children, youth and families; and who strives to keep up with developments and trends in the field. 
• A seasoned program manager experienced in the design, implementation, management and evaluation of pediatric obesity prevention programs and programs with direct nutrition-related services for children with special needs; and who can manage the related resources, personnel and activities in order to optimize organizational and program performance.
• Someone who will take personal satisfaction and pride contributing as program manager and technical expert focused on program development, implementation, and evaluation of multiple nutrition programs serving children, youth and families.   
• A collaborative strategic partner who is able to build strong ties to community resources and who is capable of identifying opportunities and taking action to build strong relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations.
• Someone who is flexible and adept at managing effectiveness of self and others when experiencing and leading change within new structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
• A self-directed problem-solver with high standards for quality and a strong commitment to public service capable of thinking logically, taking initiative and reacting calmly under pressure in order to arrive at sound conclusions, make well supported decisions and take appropriate action.
• A strong coordinator with exceptional organizational skills and a demonstrated ability to plan and organize work for self and others in order to ensure that work is completed efficiently and in a timely manner.
• Someone capable of making a positive impact on others by exuding an air of confidence, creating good first impressions, professionally commanding attention, and earning professional trust and respect of others.  
• An effective communicator with excellent interpersonal skills focused on building an environment where diverse, multidisciplinary service delivery teams can work together to enhance the delivery of services for Alameda County communities.   

For a detailed listing of the duties and essential competency requirements for this position, please see the complete Program Specialist job description.     

The minimum professional requirements for admission to this promotional assessment process include all of the following:

Promotional Requirement:  Current employment and completion by Friday, May 2, 2014, of the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes the District Attorney’s Office, the Medical Center, and the Superior Court).  A regular appointment does not include provisional, TAP (Temporary Assignment Pool), or STEP-UP appointments.

Education:  The equivalent to graduation from an accredited four year college or university (180 quarter units or 120 semester units) with major coursework in business or public administration, a social science or a field related to the program area to which assigned.

*Substitution: Additional experience as outlined below may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

Experience:  The equivalent to three years of full-time professional-level or supervisory work in the direct delivery of services to clients or the oversight of such services in the program area to which assigned, one year of which must have included program planning and evaluation, or in program administration, contract negotiations, grants management and similar financial services.

*Substitution:  Possession of a Master’s degree in business, public administration, social science or a related field to the program area to which assigned from an accredited college or university, may be substituted for two years of the required experience.

Nutrition Specialty Designation:  Positions designated with a Nutrition Specialty require current registration in good standing with the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietician.

License:  Specified positions may require possession of a valid California driver's license. Specified positions may also require licensure or certification in the programmatic area to which assigned.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of: 

• Principles, practices, funding sources and administrative requirements in the program area to which assigned.
• Principles and practices of program planning and evaluation.
• Principles and practices of direct client service delivery.
• Practices and techniques of programmatic analysis and report preparation.
• Applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Basic budgetary and financial record-keeping techniques.

Ability to:

• Plan, monitor and evaluate program and service delivery effectiveness in the programmatic area to which assigned.
• Identify programmatic and operational problems, investigate and evaluate alternatives and implement effective solutions.
• Interpret, explain and apply complex regulations, policies and procedures.
• Prepare clear, accurate and effective reports, correspondence, policies, informational brochures and other written materials.
• Represent the department and the County in meetings with others and make effective presentations to diverse groups.
• Organize and prioritize work and meet critical deadlines.
• Maintain accurate records and files.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

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 class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process.  Meeting the minimum qualifications for the position does not guarantee advancement to the interview process; only the most suitably and best qualified candidates will be invited to participate. 3) A panel interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score and may contain situational exercises.  Alameda County utilizes a panel of subject matter experts to evaluate candidates’ job related competencies and suitability for the position.  Most interview panels will be comprised of subject matter experts within the organization, which may include supervisors and managers from the hiring department; other interview panels may be comprised of experts from outside of the organization.  In cases where the hiring manager participates in the interview process, the department may choose to hire directly from the established eligible list and may choose not to have additional departmental interviews.

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

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: www.acgov.org/hrs.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS

Alameda 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 different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• 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 brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org 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 insure 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 box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs.

You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Robin Young, Human Resources Analyst III

Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda

510-272-6393; Robin.Young@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer