Supervising Hazardous Materials Specialist (CUPA Specialty)

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.

Application and 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 Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

THE COUNTY

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 AGENCY

The 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. The Agency’s major services include Behavioral Health Care, Environmental Health, and Public Health programs; primary care services via community-based organization (CBO) contracts, and health care services for all County residents qualifying as medically indigent, as well as Health Care Administration. To read more about the department, please visit their website at: http://www.acgov.org/health.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Alameda County Department of Environmental Health operates various programs to protect the public.  For more information about the department of Environmental Health Care Services, please visit www.acgov.org/aceh/.

PROGRAMS

Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA):  Incumbents assigned to CUPA are responsible for conducting routine environmental surveys; investigating potential community health hazards; evaluating work sites; ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations and local ordinances; responding to emergency hazardous materials incidents within the County’s jurisdiction; documenting, identifying, assessing risk and advising on clean up.

Local Oversight Program (LOP): Incumbents assigned to LOP are responsible for providing regulatory and technical oversight for the routine or frequently seen leaking Underground Storage Tanks and other contamination sites; Providing review and analysis of technical data and evaluates the effectiveness of corrective actions at contaminated sites; Conducting environmental oversight surveys; investigating potential community health hazards; evaluating sites based on current and future use; ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations and local ordinances.

Household Hazardous Waste Program (HHW): Incumbents assigned to Household Hazardous Waste will handle and manage hazardous materials, including proper categorization and packing in a HHWF; drive and perform duties on the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Vehicle or Emergency Response Van; respond to security breach alerts at the fixed facilities as part of the on-call team; perform duties while assisting the Hazardous Materials Technicians to properly categorize, pack and ship hazardous wastes, assist in tasks that ensure compliance of the program and assist in the handling of emergency situations.

THE VACANCY

The current vacancy is within the CUPA Program of the Hazardous Materials Division in the Department of Environmental Health.

THE POSITION

Under direction, the Supervising Hazardous Materials Specialist will supervise and review the work of professional and clerical staff in the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) program in the Division of Environmental Health; the incumbent will assist the Chief of Environmental Protection and will act in his/her absence; and perform related work assignments as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This position is the first level supervisor in the Hazardous Materials Specialist series. This classification is distinguished from the next higher level class of Chief, Environmental Protection by having responsibility for the day-to-day activities of a work unit that may include Senor Hazardous Materials Specialist, Hazardous Materials Specialists, and/or Hazardous Materials Technicians who are engaged in the collection and disposal of hazardous household material and/or enforcing hazardous waste control laws and/or overseeing environmental cleanup projects.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications and knowledge, skills and abilities listed below, the ideal candidate for this position will be well prepared to assume a supervisory role that includes managing others, representing the programs and the Department in interactions with the public and other agencies. 

• Take personal satisfaction and pride contributing as a valued first-line supervisor assigning, planning, organizing, and reviewing the work of professional and clerical staff.  Possess the initiative to grow as a professional and to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to function as a manager in any of the following programs; Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), Clean water /Storm water Program, and Waste Tire Program in the Divisions of Hazardous Materials.
• Be well prepared as a supportive supervisor capable of training, coaching, counseling and managing staff in order to optimize individual performance.
• Be respected as an environmental health professional trusted to develop, standardize and implement environmental management protocols.
• Be a strong collaborator and consensus builder with exceptional organizational skills and a demonstrated ability to plan and organize work for self and others in order to ensure that work is completed efficiently and in a timely manner.
• Be an effective communicator who conveys information and ideas to individuals or groups in a manner that meets audience needs; who is able to develop and maintain effective relationships with others; and who relates well to people of diverse cultures, interpersonal styles, abilities, motivations, or backgrounds
• Be a practiced problem solver with good judgment capable of thinking logically, taking initiative and reacting calmly under pressure in order to arrive at sound conclusions.
• Be flexible and adaptable with ability to maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment.

For more information about the Health Care Services Agency and/or to view the Annual Budget document, please visit the Agency's website on www.acgov.org/health

The minimum professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process include:

Education:
Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in environmental health science, industrial hygiene, physical science, engineering science or related field. (Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, Registered Engineer or Registered Geologist is desired for vacancies in the LOP or CUPA programs.)

AND
Experience:

Either I
The equivalent of one year full-time experience in the class of Supervising Environmental Health Specialist in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II
The equivalent of two years of experience in the class of Senior Hazardous Materials Specialist in the Alameda County classified service.

Or III
The equivalent of three years full-time experience in the class of Hazardous Materials Specialist in the Alameda County classified service or the equivalent of four years in a position equivalent to the class of Hazardous Materials Technician including one year of lead or supervisory experience in the Alameda County classified service. Experience in private sector industries or consultant firms in one or more of the disciplines associated with hazardous materials and waste management is acceptable experience. (A post graduate degree may substitute for one year of the required experience).

License: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License

Special Requirement:

CUPA Specialty - The Certified Unified Program Agency requires possession of the minimum experience requirement specifically to include: CUPA programs such as hazardous waste generator, hazardous materials business plan, underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks,  Cal ARP, storm water and waste tire programs; investigating community health hazardous; evaluating occupational work sites and ensuring compliance with the applicable laws and regulations, responding to emergency hazardous materials incidents (including the documentation, identification, risk assessment, and advisement of clean up).

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.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Provisions of Federal, State and local ordinances and
regulations relating to environmental protection.
• Relevant technologies and analysis tools.
• Principles and practices of environmental health, occupational
health, industrial health.
• Functions and operations of associated agencies.
• Budgetary procedures.
• Computer software applications such as spreadsheet, word
processing and database programs.

Abilities:

• Written communication.
• Oral communication.
• Decision making.
• Leadership.
• Planning and organization.
• Management techniques.
• Budget analysis.
• Interpersonal sensitivity.

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

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 many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

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:

**The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

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.

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
• 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. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. 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 job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer