Recreation Assistant

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.  Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

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. Applications and supplemental questionnaires will only be accepted on-line.

ABOUT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a full service law enforcement agency accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for its law enforcement services, its Regional Training Center,  and its Dispatch Unit; the American Correctional Association (ACA) for its Detentions and Corrections Division; the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board for its Crime Lab; the Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board for its Explosive Ordinance Unit.  Additionally, the agency's health care provider, Well Path, has experience working with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). 

 

The Sheriff's Office has a current budget of approximately $444 million and has over 1600 authorized positions, including in excess of 1000 sworn personnel. The agency's Chief Executive Officer is Sheriff / Coroner Gregory J. Ahern, who is assisted in the operation of the agency by Undersheriff Richard T. Lucia, Assistant Sheriff's Casey Nice and Dennis Houghtelling.

 

The Sheriff of Alameda County is responsible for a vast array of tasks and duties, including the following: 

• Providing security to the Consolidated Superior Courts
• Operating the Coroner's Bureau
• Operating a full-service Criminalistics Laboratory
• Performing Civil Process
• Operating County Jails (Santa Rita Jail)
• Operating the County Office of Emergency Services
• Providing patrol and investigative services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County
• Provide law enforcements under several contractual agreements to include patrol and investigative services to  the City of Dublin, the Peralta Community College District, the Oakland International Airport, Highland Hospital, Children's Hospital, Social Services, and to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
• Conducting a basic academy pursuant to Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) requirements. [Sheriff's Academy Web Site]  
• Providing Fish and Game enforcement
• Project Director of the Narcotics Task Force
• Serving as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force
• Operating a Marine Patrol Unit in the San Francisco Bay waters.

 

For more detailed information about the agency, visit:  Alameda County Sheriff's Office

 

 

 

THE POSITION

Under direction, to organize, direct, promote, and provide physical education and recreational activities for all inmates in a correctional institution; to work in conjunction with volunteers and other Sheriff’s Office personnel, and to perform related work as required.

Recreation Assistants are assigned to the Santa Rita Jail. This is an entry-level class, located in the Sheriff's Office. It differs from that of Inmate Services Program Supervisor in that the latter has responsibility for the supervision and management of recreational staff and for overall program planning. Recreation Assistants will work rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays.

 

For more detailed information about the job classification including summary of duties, visit:  Recreation Assistant (#6831).

 

 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, the ideal candidate will have also demonstrated a successful track record in:

 

• Organizing recreational programs within the constraints of a correctional setting.
• Implementing effective strategies and methods to enhance maximum participation of inmates in recreational programs and activities.
• Strong communication skills, both verbally and in writing.
• Effective interpersonal skills to work with a variety of populations, both inmates and staff.

 

 

Either I

Education:

An Associate’s Degree in recreation, physical education, social science, public administration, criminal justice or other related field.

And

Experience:

The equivalent of one year of responsible full-time experience providing recreational activities inside a correctional or other institutional setting.

Or II

Experience:

The equivalent of two years of responsible full-time experience providing educational, vocational, or recreational programs inside a correctional facility.

Special Requirements:

A thorough background investigation will be conducted of all prospective Recreation Assistants to ensure they are suitable for employment in a law enforcement and/or correctional setting.

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

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Official sports, games and their rules and regulations, care and control of recreational equipment and supplies and methods for eliciting maximum participation in programs.
• Computer skills such as Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Modern office practices and procedures.

Ability to:

• Provide organized recreational programs within the constraints of a correctional setting.
• Demonstrate and lead recreational activities.
• Communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing.
• Work effectively with inmates, members of the public, and staff.
• Work in contact with inmates in a custodial setting.
• Work independently with only general supervision.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with others.
• Perform clerical and record keeping duties, including keeping accurate records, collecting statistical activity data, and conducting inventories.
• Communicates with diverse groups of people by demonstrating effective interpersonal skill and sensitivity. • Adjust effectively to changing work assignments.
• Interact with others in a way that gives them the confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization.

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.

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

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.

For more information on the Civil Service 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:	Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications:	Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified	Friday, September 27, 2019
Oral Interviews	Week of October 14, 2019

 

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 statutes. 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 & 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
• 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.