Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Deputy Probation Officer III

Recruitment #18-6115-01

Introduction

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.

Applications 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.

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 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

 

ONLINE APPLICATIONS ONLY

 

DESCRIPTION

THE DEPARTMENT:

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:

This series specification describes the three Deputy Probation Officer classes in the Probation Department, which, under close supervision at the lower level and under direction at the higher levels, investigate and supervise adult or juvenile defendants or court wards; assist the courts in making detention and sentencing decisions; aid in the social rehabilitation of wards and defendants, including compliance with court orders; conduct fact finding investigations of pre-employment and employee misconduct cases; represent the Probation Department in court, institutions, foster homes, and community agencies; act as a substitute for a full-time Court Officer, and in Juvenile and Adult Divisions, covers additional court calendars as directed on a part-time basis; perform intensive casework counseling; and, performs related work as required.

Please CLICK HERE for the full job description.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

AND

Either I

Experience:

The equivalent of four years of full-time experience in a classification equivalent to, or higher than, Deputy Probation Officer II with the Probation Department in the Alameda County classified service.

OR II

Experience:

The equivalent of four years of professional, full-time correctional casework experience at the level of Deputy Probation Officer II in a probation, law enforcement agency, parole agency or correctional institution.

Substitution:

Possession of a Master’s degree in an appropriate field may be substituted for two years of the required experience.

License:

All candidates must possess a valid California Class “C” Motor Vehicle Operator’s license, good driving record according to DMV negligent operator guidelines and qualifications for automotive insurance.

Special Requirements:

All applicants must meet all minimum standards for Peace Officer under Section 1031 of the Government Code which includes: Must be at least 21 years of age at the time of appointment.

Persons appointed to positions in these classifications must be citizens of the United States or have applied for citizenship and must meet all other minimum requirements for Peace Officer (per Section 1031 of the Government Code).

A thorough background investigation will be made of all prospective Deputy Probation Officers. A record of any felony conviction will result in disqualification.

Fingerprinted for purposes of search of local, state and national fingerprint files to disclose any criminal record.

Found free from any physical, emotional or mental condition which might adversely affect the exercise of the powers of an armed Peace Officer, as determined by a licensed examining authority in accordance with the California Government Code.

Within the prescribed time limit after date of appointment, satisfactory completion of training for probation officers as specified by the California Board of Corrections, Peace Officer Standards and Training PC 832 and any other training required under law.

Willingness to perform work requiring irregular hours, holidays and weekends.

Must be willing to work all positions, locations and shifts.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must satisfactorily pass a thorough medical examination for Peace Officers and a psychological evaluation before job placement can take place.

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:

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.

Knowledge of:

• Usual causes of crime and delinquency.
• Elementary psychodynamics of behavior and modes of adjustment.
• Interviewing techniques and effective application of interviewing.
• Intermediate and basic math, plus fractions, decimals, and percentages.
• Principles of supervision.
• Applicable State, Federal and local statutes, ordinances, rules, policies, standard codes, and their interrelationship.
• Training and learning theory techniques, including recreational activity.
• Principles, methods, procedures and facilities used in modern progressive correctional programs, including methods of social casework.
• Cultural relativity and cultural differences.
• Understanding of minority group cultures.
• Concepts and effective techniques in facilitating socio-cultural relationships.
• Social economic and psychological factors, forces and trends relating to crime, delinquency, and social adjustment.
• Social and correctional case and group work.
• Developmental theory and social theory relating to rehabilitation.
• Counseling and guidance principles and principles of normal and abnormal psychology and personality theory.
• Theory, principles and trends of probation work.
• Principles and findings of normal and abnormal psychology.
• Principles, techniques and trends in social and correctional case and group work.
• General provisions of the law relating to the legal rights and obligations of adults and juveniles.
• Causes, extent of crime and delinquency.
• Techniques and methods of investigating and supervising adult and juvenile offenders.
• Service of public and private agencies available to probationers.
• Organization and procedures of the Alameda County Probation Department.
• Operation of Municipal and Superior Courts.
• Automated Systems and its applications.
• Information systems and personal computers.
• Evidence-based probation supervision practices.

Ability to:

• Verbally communicate, sufficient to communicate with a variety of people in various ethnic, educational and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Effectively apply interviewing skills, including listening skills.
• Speak publicly including planning and preparation of material and effective presentation, principles of group work and group dynamics.
• Proofread for grammar, punctuation, spelling and typographical errors.
• Define problems, collect information, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions to formulate recommendations and solve a wide variety of intellectual and practical problems.
• Write clearly, accurately and concisely, using grammatically correct English to convey ideas in written reports, letters, memoranda, etc.
• Read and interpret complex technical and legal documents in English, such as codes, psychological and medical documents, manuals, etc.
• Organize and manage a caseload.
• Be flexible and tolerant in adjusting to changes in workload assignments and work under the stress of meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrate interpersonal techniques relating to establishing rapport, tactfulness, controlling stress, gaining confidence and dealing with emotional stress.
• Follow oral and written instructions.
• Be willing to accept and follow direction.
• Understand one's self and have self-control in relation to self and others (self-awareness).
• Establish and maintain good objective working relationships with clients to determine needs in individual situations and take an effective course of action.
• Analyze complex emotional and behavioral disorders and carry out treatment plans.
• Exercise skilled judgment in the assessment and treatment of probationers, families, and dependent children.
• Establish effective and productive relationships with others.
• Access multiple information systems in order to research pertinent data.
• Function in an automated work environment.
• Effectively utilize self-defense techniques.
• Effectively utilize a firearm.
• Effectively utilize the Department’s automated systems to record entries, update case factors, access client risk and needs information and attend training to maintain proficiency with all departmental automation systems.


Skill in:

• Restraining an individual for the purpose of arrest and/or detention and conduct related searches.
• Applying restraint devices such as handcuffs.
• Administering first aid and CPS.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

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.

4) Candidates passing the oral examination will be placed on a ranking list to participate in the next steps of the Probation Department's selection process.

5) All candidates must successfully complete the following (after passing oral examination):

· BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION includes a thorough check of police records, personal, military, and employment histories, and inquiry of persons who know you and evaluate whether you: respect the law and rights of others; are dependable and responsible; have demonstrated mature judgment in areas such as the use of drugs and intoxicants; are honest; and are a safe driver.

After a conditional offer of employment has been accepted, appointee must successfully complete the following:

· PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION is given by a licensed clinician. You will be evaluated on the psychological factors related to successful performance to determine if you are presently suited for the difficult and stressful job of Deputy Probation Officer.

· MEDICAL EXAMINATION

The appointee must satisfactorily complete a probationary period.

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.

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 - Friday, March 2, 2018**

Monday, February 26, 2018

Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications:

by TBD**

Monday, March 5, 2018

Review of Supplemental Questionnaires for Best Qualified:

by TBD**

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Oral Interviews*:

TBD**

Week of April 2, 2018

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

**Updated Tuesday, February 27, 2018

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 wellbeing. 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
  • 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
  • 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 @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 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 alamedacountyHR@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.

Iona Childers, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
Iona.Childers@acgov.org
(510) 272-6463

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer