Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Director of Professional Standards, Probation

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Recruitment #23-8587-01

Introduction

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 the last day of filing.  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 Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted on-line.

*Effective January 1, 2023, all candidates for peace officer are not required to be a US citizen but must be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law. (SB 960).

DESCRIPTION

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Alameda County Probation Department is to protect the public safety by providing supervision, services, support and opportunities to our clients on behalf of the people of Alameda County through quality supervision, leadership, services and effective partnerships.

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Probation Department is an essential element of the County’s system of public protection and human services. The Department’s role is to reduce the impact of crime in the community by providing accurate, comprehensive and timely information and recommendations to the Courts, providing community-based sanctions and treatment for offenders, and working cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and community organizations with similar objectives. The Department provides a wide range of mandated and discretionary investigative, advisory, and supervisory services to adult and juvenile probationers pursuant to State law and the County Charter.

THE POSITION

Under the administrative direction of the Chief Probation Officer, the Director of Professional Standards, Probation, manages the Alameda County Probation Department’s Professional Standards Unit. The position is responsible for providing direction and oversight to the Department’s Background Investigation Section and Office of Internal Affairs Section; undertaking complex investigative tasks for the Department; and, completing related and assigned work as required.

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit: Director of Professional Standards, Probation (#8587).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (180 quarter or 120 semester units) in Sociology, Criminology, Psychology, Penology, or a closely related field.

And

Either I

Experience:

The equivalent of five years of full-time experience in the Alameda County Probation Department with a minimum of two years of full-time experience in the classification of Unit Supervisor or higher in the Alameda County classified service, and a minimum of one year of full-time experience supervising or conducting background/internal affairs investigations.

Or II

Experience:

The equivalent of five years of professional, full-time background/internal affairs investigative experience with a federal, state, county or local law enforcement or corrections agency, or a community corrections agency, one year of which must have been in a supervisory capacity.

Special Requirements:

Meet the minimum requirements for Peace Officer (Section 1031 of the Government Code), which includes being a U.S. citizen or having applied for citizenship one year prior to the submission of application for employment.
*Effective January 1, 2023, all candidates for peace officer are not required to be a US citizen but must be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law. (SB 960).

Successfully pass a Peace Officer background investigation, psychological, and medical examination.

Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license and a good driving record according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles negligent operator guidelines and qualification for automotive insurance.

Any felony conviction is disqualifying.

As a condition of employment, use, maintain, carry and qualify with approved department firearms.

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 competencies:

Knowledge of:

  • Principles, practices, and trends in public administration, organization, and management; techniques of organizing, program development, and evaluation; methods of administrative problem solving; and, principles and practices of policy formulation and development.
  • Principles and practices of governmental budgeting.
  • Interview, interrogation and investigative techniques and procedures.
  • Employee supervision, appraisal, corrective action, and training practices and procedures.
  • Probation Department policies and philosophy.
  • Principles of training, motivating, and evaluating staff.
  • Selection standards as set forth by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
  • Current practices and methods employed in background and internal affairs investigations.
  • State, federal and local statutes, ordinances, regulations, rules, policies and procedures related to background investigations and internal affairs investigations.
  • Probation bargaining unit memoranda of understanding, California Penal Code, Government Code, Evidence Code, Code of Civil Procedures, Peace Office Bill of Rights, County Civil Service rules, policies and procedures, personnel rules, and disciplinary guidelines.
Ability to:

  • Develop and lead initiatives that advance the organization towards its mission; successfully manage associated transitions in the workplace with minimal disruptions; manage operations within budget; and, employ methods to appropriately adjust, understand, manage, and communicate financial information.
  • Perform high administrative and major policy-influencing functions effectively, including knowledge of the regulation and statute application process; and, develop positive cooperative relationships with a wide variety of customers and stakeholders.
  • Analyze complex and emergent issues and recommend and take effective courses of action; make independent, sound, and ethical decisions regarding highly sensitive matters; and, maintain confidentiality using collaborative and evidence-based processes.
  • Collaborate internally and externally with divisions and organizations in implementing public safety policy and employee conduct policies and procedures.
  • Set goals and objectives, establish priorities, meet deadlines, and coordinate work with others.
  • Read, interpret and apply legal methodologies relating to background and internal affairs investigations.
  • Effectively utilize interviewing, interrogation, and investigative techniques and procedures.
  • Utilize practices and methods employed in administrative and criminal investigations.
  • Write clearly, accurately and concisely, and use grammatically correct English when conveying ideas in written reports, letters, memoranda, and other documents.
  • Effectively apply laws of arrest, search and seizure case law, and rules of evidence.
  • Demonstrate effective public speaking skills, plan and deliver effective presentations, and prepare related materials.
  • Use laptops, personal computers and word processing software.
  • Gather, record, interpret, and report statistical data.
  • Effectively utilize self-defense techniques.
  • Use, maintain, carry, and qualify with approved department firearms.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

  1. A review of applicants' application 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 determine the best qualified. Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the final step in the examination process.
  3. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates' final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of this recruitment.

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

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. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.


TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing

5:00 PM, Monday, April 17, 2023

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

Friday, April 28, 2023

Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:

Week of May 15, 2022

Oral Examination:

Week of June 5, 2023

**updated 12/7/2022, TG

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.

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

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

** 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.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email.  Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com 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 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 box Noreply@jobaps.com and Noreplyalamedacountyhr@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.

Tracy Gonzalez, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-5085; Email: Tracy.Gonzalez@acgov.org
www.acgov.org/hrs


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.