Senior Financial Services Specialist

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.  Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Postmarks are not accepted.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

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. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program 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 licensed professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and wellbeing of Alameda County residents.

 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES (BHCS)

Behavioral Health Care Services provides a full range of accessible alcohol and drug and mental health services throughout Alameda County.  Services are provided directly by county staff, private providers, and through contracts with community-based organizations. Our network of services currently consists of over 600 individual practitioners, more than 200 community-based agencies, 20 hospitals and other institutions.  Services are available in all languages and are provided by a multicultural and multidisciplinary panel of service providers, many of whom have developed specialties that meet the often unique needs of our diverse clientele.

 

BHCS MISSION

The mission of Behavioral Health Care Services is to provide strength-based, recovery and resiliency oriented, culturally competent, high quality, geographically accessible, integrated alcohol, drug, and mental health services to Alameda County residents of all ages. Through a network of community- based and county providers, we provide prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services to:

• Promote recovery and resilience;
• Minimize services delivered in restrictive environments and support clients in the least restrictive environment of their choice;
• Stabilize and manage symptoms and behaviors that are problematic for clients whether psychiatric in nature or related to substance use or abuse;
• Reduce the long-term adverse impacts on individuals, families and the community resulting from untreated severe emotional disorders, serious mental illness, and substance abuse;
• Reduce illness, death, disability, and the cost to society resulting from these conditions and;
• Provide crisis and recovery services following major disasters.

EXISTING VACANCIES
Please note that Senior Financial Services Specialist is a county-wide class. The eligible list resulting from this recruitment and selection process may be utilized for vacancies which may arise within the next year for various County Departments/Agencies.

THE POSITION

Under direction, to provide consultative, complex professional financial services to various departments and agencies; to assist with financial strategic planning and analysis and the enhancement of revenues; to supervise the work of a small support staff; to conduct a variety of financial, administrative and operational studies and inquiries; and to do related work as required.

 

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
This a high-level technical specialist class which requires an advanced degree of specialized programmatic knowledge in addition to a sound financial services base of knowledge and experience. Responsibilities may include overseeing the functions of a small support staff. Although the work is diverse, all positions are typically characterized by all of the following elements:

• Serving as the primary technical liaison for a department or agency with the State or other funding sources;
• Providing technical coordination for internal staff;
• Having significant technical input into revenue and financial strategic planning processes; and
• Acting as a departmental technical expert for management in areas related to financial services, contracting and grants management.

This class is distinguished from Supervising Financial Services Specialist, which provides supervision for financial, administrative and/or operational support staff through subordinate supervisory staff.

 

 

IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the Senior Financial Services Specialist will be

 

• Able to identify and understand complex problems and concepts, apply logical thinking and quantitative methods of gathering  and analyzing information, make decisions and exercise good  judgment based on available data, design solutions to problems, formulate end articulate action plans proactively and collaboratively.
• A strong collaborator, adept in identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships to help achieve department goals.
• A leader who aligns the organization's vision and values and manages work groups by inspiring, advising and appropriately delegating work to subordinates, facilitating goals accomplishment and tracking a evaluating performance to ensure success. 
• A great communicator and listener, quick and clear thinker, and calm under pressure.
• An advanced user of computer applications who adapts to the latest trends in order to maximize investment management processes.
• Able to use economic, financial, market and industry to data to understand and improve business results; using one's understanding of major business functions, industry trends, and own organization's position to contribute to effective investment strategies and tactics. 

EITHER I
Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time experience at a level of or higher than the class Financial Specialist II in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts).

OR II
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, economics, financial planning or a field related to the work, AND

(Additional professional or paraprofessional financial planning and support experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.)

Experience:

The equivalent to two years of full-time, professional-level experience in financial planning and analysis, budget development and processing, contract negotiation and administration and/or grants management at a level equivalent to the Alameda County classified service class of Financial Services Specialist II.

License: Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

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

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.

Knowledge of:

• Financial planning, rate setting and revenue enhancement principles and strategies.
• Principles and practices of governmental budget development and administration.
• Principles and practices of contract and grant administration.
• Financial record-keeping and auditing practices.
• Practices and techniques of administrative analysis and report preparation.
• Computer applications related to the work, such as word processing, databases and spreadsheets.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Basic supervisory principles and practices.

Ability to:

• Plan and conduct complex financial, revenue and strategic planning analyses.
• Provide sound technical advice on financial matters to departmental management.
• Conduct and coordinate financial audits.
• Monitor legislative and regulation changes and recommend operational and procedural changes as required.
• Develop, coordinate and administer complex multiple budgets with multiple funding sources.
• Monitor fiscal transactions and audit fiscal records and documentation.
• Plan, direct and review the work of others and train others in work procedures.
• Interpret, explain and apply complex policies, regulations and procedures.
• Prepare clear and accurate reports, correspondence, procedures and other written materials.
• Represent the department and the County in meetings with others.
• Organize and prioritize work and meet critical deadlines.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

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. 3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview 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, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in 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 SELECTION PLAN:

Deadline for Filing	5:00pm, Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Review of Minimum Qualification	November 10, 2015
Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified	November 24, 2015
Oral Interview Exam	December 17 & 18, 2015

 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, www.acgov.org/hrs.

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 (Employer Credit)
• 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 Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Group Legal
• 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.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda 
510-272-6468      Nicole.Lewis-Bolton@acgov.org
www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer