Senior Financial Services Specialist

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.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

 

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.

 

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 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 HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate 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. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well-being of Alameda County residents.

 

For information about the Health Care Services Agency please click here www.acgov.org/health/.

 

 

THE POSITION

Under direction, to provide consultative, complex professional financial services to various departments and agencies; to assist with financial strategic planning and analysis and the enhancement of revenues; to supervise the work of a small support staff; to conduct a variety of financial, administrative and operational studies and inquiries; and to do related work as required.

 

This a high-level technical specialist class which requires an advanced degree of specialized programmatic knowledge in addition to a sound financial services base of knowledge and experience. Responsibilities may include overseeing the functions of a small support staff. Although the work is diverse, all positions are typically characterized by all of the following elements:

 

• Serving as the primary technical liaison for a department or agency with the State or other funding sources;

• Providing technical coordination for internal staff;

• Having significant technical input into revenue and financial strategic planning processes; and

• Acting as a departmental technical expert for management in areas related to financial services, contracting and grants management.

 

This class is distinguished from Supervising Financial Services Specialist, which provides supervision for financial, administrative and/or operational support staff through subordinate supervisory staff.

 

 

EXISTING VACANCIES

The immediate vacancies are located in the Healthcare Services Agency; however, Senior Financial Services Specialist is a countywide classification, therefore the eligible list resulting from this recruitment and selection process may be utilized for other future vacancies which may arise in the county within the next year.

 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications and knowledge and skills below, the ideal candidate will be:  

·         A highly knowledgeable Financial Services professional who keeps up with terminology and current developments and trends and who is prepared for advancement having achieved sufficient technical knowledge and skill to provide consultation, perform complex financial analysis, and assist with financial strategic planning for a County department or agency.

·         Someone capable of aligning clerical and administrative support staff performance for success, and who is able to oversee financial services staff, resources, and activities.

·         A strategic decision maker capable of solving problems and committing to a course of action which is consistent with all available facts, constraints, and probable consequences by identifying and understanding issues, relationships, challenges, and opportunities relevant to achieving a long-range goal or vision.

·         Someone with strong business acumen adept at using economic, financial, market, and industry data to understand and improve business results and contribute to effective business strategies and tactics.

·         A collaborative spirit eager to actively participate as a member of a team, and who is committed to  building strategic relationships between one’s team and  other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations.

·         An effective communicator who conveys information and in a manner that meets audience needs; someone able to develop and maintain effective relationships with others and who relates well to people from varied backgrounds and in different situations.

·         Someone who possesses an air of confidence and creates a good first impression by professionally commanding attention and earning the trust and respect of others. 

 

For a detailed listing of the essential responsibilities and core competency requirements for this position, please click here for the job description..

EITHER I
Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time experience at a level of or higher than the class Financial Specialist II in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts).

Completion of the Alameda County Management Academy “Management & Supervision Certificate Program” may substitute for six (6) months of the required qualifying experience.


OR II
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 or public administration, economics, financial planning or a field related to the work, AND

(Additional professional or paraprofessional financial planning and support experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.)

Experience:

The equivalent to two years of full-time, professional-level experience in financial planning and analysis, budget development and processing, contract negotiation and administration and/or grants management at a level equivalent to the Alameda County classified service class of Financial Services Specialist II.

License: Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

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:

• Financial planning, rate setting and revenue enhancement principles and strategies.
• Principles and practices of governmental budget development and administration.
• Principles and practices of contract and grant administration.
• Financial record-keeping and auditing practices.
• Practices and techniques of administrative analysis and report preparation.
• Computer applications related to the work, such as word processing, databases and spreadsheets.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Basic supervisory principles and practices.

Ability to:

• Plan and conduct complex financial, revenue and strategic planning analyses.
• Provide sound technical advice on financial matters to departmental management.
• Conduct and coordinate financial audits.
• Monitor legislative and regulation changes and recommend operational and procedural changes as required.
• Develop, coordinate and administer complex multiple budgets with multiple funding sources.
• Monitor fiscal transactions and audit fiscal records and documentation.
• Plan, direct and review the work of others and train others in work procedures.
• Interpret, explain and apply complex policies, regulations and procedures.
• Prepare clear and accurate reports, correspondence, procedures and other written materials.
• Represent the department and the County in meetings with others.
• Organize and prioritize work and meet critical deadlines.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. 2) Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the classification will move on to the next step in the examination process which is a review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process, an oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination 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.

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	5:00pm, Monday, December 9, 2019
Review of Minimum Qualification	December 17, 2019
Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified	January 6-9, 2020
Oral Interview Exam**	January 28-29, 2020

**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.

 

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs/divisions/ps/application.htm

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) 

·         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

·         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.

 

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 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.