Senior Program Specialist

Job Description:

Senior Program Specialist

Description

Introduction

READ THIS ENTIRE BULLETIN FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REAPPLY FOR THIS RECRUITMENT.

THIS IS A REOPENING OF A CONTINUOUS EXAMINATION. If you have previously applied or started an application for Senior Program Specialist, Examination #24-0307-01, read this entire bulletin. There are specific instructions on how to reapply for this position.

PLEASE CONTACT THE EXAMINATION ANALYST, ANGELICA CUEVAS AT [email protected] TO HAVE YOUR PREVIOUS APPLICATION RELEASED BACK TO YOU.

The scores and dispositions of candidates for this examination will be merged with previous exam participants. If you have previously submitted an application and choose to reapply, you new score/disposition will replace your current disposition.

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 and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online.

DESCRIPTION

THE COUNTY

Alameda County was established in 1853 and operates under a Charter form of government. The five-member Board of Supervisors is elected by district on a nonpartisan basis, with members serving staggered four-year terms. The Board is responsible for setting policy, overseeing all County operations, approving the annual budget, and representing the County in special districts, regional agencies, and other areas. The Board-appointed County Administrator oversees County operations and services.

The City of Oakland serves as the seat of the County, which is comprised of over 20 agencies and departments. More than 9,700 professional and highly-trained County employees deliver a full spectrum of services ranging from general government and internal services to health care, social services, public works, and public safety. The County has a balanced $3.2 billion budget for FY 2018-19, including funding for initiatives that address some of the County’s most difficult challenges: affordable housing, chronic homelessness, and maintenance and improvement of aging infrastructure.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors recently approved a new strategic plan, “Vision 2026,” that outlines County priorities for advancing local communities toward a healthy, prosperous future by the year 2026. The four visions of the new strategic plan are healthy environment, thriving and resilient population, safe and livable communities, and prosperous and vibrant economy. The County has also set “10X Goals,” with the aim of improving each of the following by 10 times:

• Eliminate Homelessness
• Healthcare for All
• Employment for All
• Eliminate Poverty and Hunger
• Crime-free County
• Accessible Infrastructure

Alameda County is committed to open government and citizen engagement and encourages employees and contributors to not only “think outside the box” but to “rethink the box.”

THE POSITION

Under direction, to plan, supervise, review and evaluate the work of program operational support or service delivery staff; to provide program planning, technical assistance, review and evaluation functions to direct client service delivery programs; to act as County liaison with service providers and funding sources and ensure that program regulations and procedures are followed; and to do related work as required.

For a full description of the duties, please see the job description HERE.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications the ideal candidate will possess the following critical attributes:

• Ability to be a strong Program Manager and supervisor who has ability to develop effective systems, plan-implement -evaluate, and adhere to principles of effective personnel management for program component/s they are assigned to.
• Have outstanding leadership skills for leading program staff; inspiring quality work, ensuring accountability and success of program.
• Maintain the highest ethical and professional standards as a manager.
• Have excellent organizational skills to ensure the completion of multiple tasks under short deadlines; establishing priorities when presented with conflicting demands.
• An excellent facilitator who can organize and facilitate meetings in any settings that the program requires.
• An effective communicator with excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills, and is focused on developing an environment where diverse multidisciplinary team can work together and offer maximum services to our residents.
• Be politically savvy; should have ability to exhibit confidence and professional diplomacy, while effectively relating to people of all levels internally and externally.
• Be approachable, collaborative, will instill trust, and can develop and maintain effective professional relationships.
• A trainer and mentor who understands and creates opportunities for staff they supervise or provide oversight to.
• Be flexible, adaptable, responsive to feedback though able to take a stand, and able to function effectively in an open and transparent public sector environment.

THE VACANCIES

This general recruitment will establish a general eligible list which will be used to fill general vacant positions throughout Alameda County. The current vacant positions are located in Alameda County Health, Social Services Agency, and the Community Development Agency. However, the eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies in other county departments/agencies.

Applicants who only meet the general minimum qualifications will not be impacted by the additional experience/licensure required for the designated positions. Some of the current vacant positions have specialty designation criteria which must be met, in addition to the minimum qualifications below. To qualify for appointment into a designated position, candidates eligible for referral must also possess experience/licensure as defined by the specialty designation criteria.

The specific specialty designations and qualifying criteria are in the supplemental questionnaire.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

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, public administration, social science or a field related to the program area to which assigned.

(Additional experience in providing direct services to clients or in program planning and evaluation may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.)

AND

Experience:

The equivalent to two years of full-time professional level work with independently planning and evaluating client service delivery programs at a level equivalent to or higher than Program Specialist or Program/Financial Specialist in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Licenses:

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.

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

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

T he 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.
• Basic supervisory principles and practices.

Ability to:

• Plan, supervise, review and evaluate the work of others.
• Train others in work procedures.
• 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.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
A review of applicants' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those applicants who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to determine the best qualified. Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the final step in the examination process. 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.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

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 RECRUITMENT PLAN:

Deadline for Filing:

5:00:00 PM, Friday, April 10, 2026

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

April 22, 2026

Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:

May 22, 2026

Virtual Pre-Recorded Civil Service Oral Examination:

Rating of Oral Examinations:

May 22 - June 1, 2026

June 2 - June 12, 2026

Notification of Results:

Week of June 15, 2026

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Department Hiring Interviews:

July 2026

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 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, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov .

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)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• 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

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• 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.

**Employees in management-designated classifications may be entitled to management paid leave. Refer to the applicable MOU or Salary Ordinance for more information.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, [email protected] , and [email protected] 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 ensure 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 boxes [email protected] and [email protected] are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions, please go to our website at hrs.alamedacountyca.gov . You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Angelica Cuevas, Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 271-5154 | [email protected]

hrs.alamedacountyca.gov

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.

Closing Date/Time: 4/10/2026 5:00:00 PM

Salary:

$49.77 - $66.70/hour; $103,521.60 - $138,736.00/year