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 will only be accepted on-line.
DESCRIPTION
Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California’s seventh-largest county. The County employs 9,080 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $2.39 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.
THE PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY
The mission of Public Works is to enhance the quality of life for the people of Alameda County by providing a safe, well-maintained, and lasting public works infrastructure through accessible, responsive and effective services. Public services provided by the Alameda County Public Works Agency include flood and storm water pollution control, transportation planning and design, roadway and flood control maintenance and inspection, and construction and building inspections.
The goals of the Agency are to keep roads safe and well maintained, provide the highest level of flood protection, provide service levels that optimize infrastructure life cycles, minimize deferred maintenance, ensure that development and construction adhere to applicable State and County rules, optimize disaster preparedness, response and recover, ensure that the Agency’s operations and services minimize negative impacts on the environment, and sustain and advance County and Agency programs through a vital business and administrative support system.
For more information about the Alameda County Public Works Agency, please visit their website at www.acgov.org/pwa.
THE POSITION
The Alameda County Public Works Agency is currently seeking highly motivated individuals to join our team. Under general direction, the Public Works Inspector III, Construction, performs advanced journey-level field work and provides lead direction to others engaged in inspecting the construction of capital projects, improvements and repairs to flood control facilities, roads, highways, sidewalks and water supply systems. This position is responsible for overseeing the work of outside contractors enforcing compliance with plans and specifications for the construction projects, supervising the removal of hazardous materials, and signing off on completed hazardous material clean-up work.
Public Works Inspector III’s, Construction, have full responsibility for their assigned construction projects; and may train and provide field supervision to less experienced inspectors and assigned staff to effectively deal with unusual projects and projects that require special attention to detail. The Public Works Inspector III, Construction is distinguished from that of Public Works Inspector, Facilities by its specialization inspecting new construction of capital projects, repairs and improvements to flood control facilities, roads, highways and water supply systems, and oversees the work of outside contractors.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated a track record of success as:
- Someone prepared for advancement having achieved sufficient technical knowledge and skill to serve as a lead field inspector highly experienced with inspecting new construction of capital projects, flood control facilities, roads, highways and water supply systems and who keeps up with terminology and current developments and trends in the construction inspection field.
- A spirited individual capable of motivating others while providing lead direction and oversight to less experienced construction inspectors and outside contractors.
- Someone adept at effectively planning, organizing and managing the time and resources of construction field inspection projects to ensure that field work is completed efficiently and effectively.
- A confident and competent decision maker capable of troubleshooting and finding solutions to field and construction related problems using sound judgement to recommend proper courses of action in the field.
- Someone capable of developing, using, and maintaining collaborative relationships and working cooperatively with others, inside and outside the organization, to accomplish objectives and build and maintain mutually-beneficial partnerships, leverage information, and achieve results.
- An effective communicator who conveys information and in a manner that meets audience needs; someone able to develop and maintain effective relationships with others and who relates well to people from varied backgrounds and in different situations.
- Someone who possesses an air of confidence and creates a good first impression by professionally commanding attention and earning the trust and respect of others.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for this exam, you must meet one of the following educational/experience patterns:
Pattern I - The equivalent of two years’ full-time experience as a Public Works Inspector II, Construction or an equivalent or higher level class in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts) that provided the required knowledge and abilities.
OR
Pattern II - The equivalent of five years of full-time journey-level construction inspection experience.
OR
Pattern III - The equivalent of four years of full-time journey-level construction inspection experience and one year of surveying and/or materials testing and completion of a plane surveying course or equivalent experience.
* Please note that a certificate of Achievement of Public Works Inspection from an accredited college may be substituted for the equivalent of one year of experience for all patterns.
Each Pattern also requires:
Special Certificate: Within six months of employment, Public Works Inspectors must meet Operations Level or higher training requirements and/or competencies sufficient to respond, recognize and manage hazardous materials cleanup. These requirements are typically met by possession Hazardous Water Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) First Responder Operations (FRO) level certification. HAZWOPER FRO training requirements and competencies are defined in the California Codes of Regulations Title 8, Section 5192 (q) (6) (B) or 29CCR 1910.120 (q) (6) (i).
License (required for all levels): 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.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following core competencies:
Knowledge of:
- Construction practices including carpentry, cement masonry, ironwork, plumbing, pipe laying, pile driving, earthwork, paving equipment, landscaping and safety.
- Engineering practices OSHA Regulations.
- Materials testing procedures that include hazardous response and erosion control specifications.
- Basic design criteria.
- Public Works construction contracts, labor compliance, and related documents and specifications.
- Surveying.
- Basic computer and software applications related to the work.
Ability to:
- Keep accurate records, measure and calculate quantities for preparation of progress payments.
- Interpret plans and specifications.
- Work independently.
- Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Be flexible.
- Make accurate cost estimates for negotiation of change orders.
- Identify problem areas.
- Interpret and enforce a variety of codes, ordinances and special requirements.
- Apply basic drafting techniques.
- Train and provide field supervision to personnel on special projects.
EXAMINATION COMPONENTS
THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications and supplemental questionnaire 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 structured panel 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.
Selection Plan
Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.
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 statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact Debra Robinson at Debra.Robinson@acgov.org before August 20, 2018. 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.
BENEFITS
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 & 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)
- 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, 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
- 11 paid holidays
- Floating Holidays
- Vacation and sick leave accrual
- Vacation purchase program
- Catastrophic Sick Leave
- Employee Mortgage Loan Program
- Group Auto/Home Insurance
- 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
- 1st 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.
Conclusion
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.
Debra Robinson, Human Resources Analyst III
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
Debra.Robinson@acgov.org
