Welfare Investigator II

All applicants for this recruitment, Welfare Investigator II, must have P.O.S.T (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certification. Your application packet will require submission of a scanned copy of your POST Certificate and your POST Training record.

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. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

The Agency

The Alameda County Social Services Agency is comprised of 2,400 men and women working collectively and in partnership with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the community. Services are provided through five departments: Agency Administration and Finance, Adult, Aging and Medical Services, Children and Family Services, Workforce and Benefit Administration and Policy Office. The Agency assists approximately 11.3 percent of Alameda County's residents. Benefits programs contribute over $278 million to the local economy through cash assistance and CalFresh (formerly known as Food Stamps). Every month, more than 52,000 people receive CalWORKs (assistance for families with children), CalFresh and General Assistance. Every month health insurance is made available to more than 78,000 people through the Medi-Cal program. More than 11,000 frail, elderly and disabled individuals receive in-home care, adult protection and support managing their affairs monthly and 16,000 seniors will receive services through the Area Agency on Aging throughout the year. 3,700 children are in foster care. More than 1,600 reports of child abuse or neglect are filed with SSA each month. Emergency shelter is made available to 415 people nightly.

Either I

Experience:

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

Or II

Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time experience in investigative work that included: locating, interviewing, and interrogating witnesses; collection and preservation of evidence; writing crime reports for submission to the Federal or County Prosecutor’s Office for criminal complaints. (A Law degree or bachelor's degree in Criminology Administration of Justice or a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience.)

License:

Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's Class C license.

Special Requirements:

• Be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship one year prior to submission of their application for employment.

• POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certified. Persons appointed must meet the minimum requirements for Peace Officers (per Section 1031 of the Government Code) which includes:

• Must be at least 21 years of age at the time of appointment.

• A thorough background investigation and psychological examination will be made of all prospective candidates. A record of any felony conviction will result in disqualification.


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:

• Investigative techniques, and locating various sources of information.
• Principles of identification, preservation, and presentation of evidence.
• Legal procedures, including rules of evidence, search and seizure, and arrest, with particular reference to fraud investigations.
• Interviewing techniques, including the effective methods of obtaining information from hostile or reluctant witnesses.
• Financial and credit transactions, including the general principles of finance and accounting.
• General functions of a public welfare department.
• Automated information data systems.

Abilities to:

• Conduct investigations to obtain valid information and evidence.
• Learn, interpret, and apply provisions of the welfare laws, and other civil and criminal laws applicable to fraud investigations.
• Locate and interview reluctant witnesses under difficult conditions.
• Interview citizens, recipients, and public officials.
• Work independently.
• Collect and analyze complex data and draw valid conclusions.
• Prepare and present accurate evidence, including appearing in court to give testimony.
• Tactful and effective interpersonal relations.
• Clear and effective oral and written communications.
• Prepare written correspondence, reports, referrals, etc.
• Use logic in making decisions and sound judgement.
• Retrieve, analyze, and evaluate automated data.
• Restrain an individual for purposes of arrest and conduct related searches.
• Knowledge of surveillance techniques and techniques involved in locating individuals.

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. Review of candidates' 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 the supplemental questionnaire to further verify knowledge, skill and ability.
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 many 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.

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing: 5:00 PM, January 23, 2018 (applications will be accepted on-line only)

Application Review for screening for minimum qualifications by February 1, 2018.

Panel Interviews: The week of February 20, 2018

The Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate qualified individuals with mental and physical disabilities, and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Alameda County Resolution No. R-83-773.  To request an accommodation due to a disability during this or other phases of the selection process, please contact the Human Resource Services Department at (510) 272-6472 before the final filing deadline. Alameda County Human Resources Services will require documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a permanent disability pursuant to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's statute of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, as amended, and/or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Act.

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)
• 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
• 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.

** 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.