Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Welfare Investigator II

Recruitment #19-6776-01

Introduction

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. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification. 

Applications will only be accepted on-line.

DESCRIPTION

The Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) is comprised of 2,200 men and women working collectively and in partnership with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the community. Services are provided through four departments: Administration and Finance, Adult and Aging Services, Children and Family Services, and Workforce and Benefits Administration. To learn more about the Alameda County Social Services Agency, please visit the website at https://www.alamedasocialservices.org/.

THE POSITION

The position of Welfare Investigator II is located in the Program Integrity Division of the Social Services Agency.

The Welfare Investigator II position reports to a Supervising Welfare Investigator, and is responsible for investigating cases of suspected fraudulent receipt of public assistance. Cases are referred from Social Workers, Eligibility Technicians, the District Attorney's Office, or complaints originating from any other source.

This position is classified as a sworn peace officer, but has no authorization to carry firearms. Incumbents within the classification of Welfare Investigator II conduct surveillance, investigations and a variety of interviews with suspects, witnesses, Alameda County staff and other persons as deemed necessary. Incumbents gather, prepare and present evidence for use in legal action, as well as prepare written communications and reports for the Alameda County Central Collections Department, the District Attorney’s Office and the Social Services Agency’s operating departments.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

  • Effective communication skills, in oral and written form – clearly conveying information and ideas, producing well-structured, professional reports with logical flow; effectively communicating with a variety of stakeholders and individuals from diverse and varied socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Broad knowledge of the techniques of interviewing and interrogating witnesses and broad knowledge of the principles of identification, preservation and presentation of evidence.
  • Demonstrated ability to think logically and objectively.
  • The ability to successfully work independently.
  • Outstanding analytical skills – collects and analyzes complex data and produces thorough and accurate and reports and arrives at sound conclusions.
  • Strong organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks and accomplish multiple projects simultaneously, take prompt action to achieve objectives, as well as, identify issues as they arise and address them proactively.
  • Tact, discretion and capacity for obtaining the cooperation and confidence of others.
  • Ability to maintain focus under pressure - exhibits stable performance in stressful situations or environments.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

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.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

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.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

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.

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:                                                                                 5:00PM, Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Review of Minimum Qualifications:                                                                           Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Panel Interviews:                                                                                                         Week of October 28, 2019

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 @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. 

Ione Bell

Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services Division-County of Alameda

510-272-6456

ione.bell@acgov.org
www.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.