Policy Manager, DCSS

THE AGENCY

Alameda County Department of Child Support Services (ACCSS) believes that all parents should be fully engaged in supporting the wellbeing of their children. To meet our Vision, ACCSS is committed to serving the children and families of Alameda County in ways that are innovative, responsive, efficient, compassionate and in tune with the rich diversity of our community.

Our customers are mothers, fathers, caregivers, children, community partners and the residents of Alameda County. ACCSS’s core business is to provide assistance to families through establishment of parentage, the establishment of child support orders for monetary and medical support, and through the enforcement of child support orders. To carry out this Mission, our employees are dedicated and talented people who leverage their skills and passion for public service to meet customer needs. Through coordinated efforts and collaboration with community partners, ACCSS collects and distributes important child support, enhancing self-efficiency and the well-being of families throughout Alameda County.

Alameda Child Support Services’ culture and business operations are shaped by the following key principles:

• Family Focused: Partner with families to eliminate barriers to providing reliable child support to their children.
• Dynamic Workforce: Attract, retain, and develop a highly skilled and engaged workforce.
• Operational Excellence: Focus on the highest level of performance and efficiency in our service delivery.
• Innovation: Meet the needs of families through creative solutions.
• Collaboration: Partner with the community to create an ecosystem of support services.

THE POSITION

Under general direction, the position is responsible for development, implementation, and coordination of department-wide policy, legislative, and data analysis activities; supporting the department’s strategic planning efforts; leading the development and implementation of departmental initiatives and programs; performing complex data analysis, interpreting results, and reviewing recommendations from operational, policy, and programmatic studies; representing the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) at meetings and events; acting as the Public Information Officer; overseeing strategic communications operations; directing and coordinating the activities of a unit; and performing related duties as required.  

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit: Policy Manager, DCSS (#3162)

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal Policy Manager at Alameda County Child Support Services is a leader, who:

• Has a strong understanding of the child support program, prevailing trends, related laws, codes, and legislation.
• Has a growth mindset and seeks opportunities to develop self and other individuals. 
• Has expertise in analyzing a large quantity and a variety of information to formulate recommendations and make decisions.
• Understands key performance indicators and how program performance is measured and impacted by program modifications.
• Embraces change, new challenges, and process enhancement.
• Has a high degree of political astuteness and strives to create and maintain effective working relationships with others. 
• Communicates effectively across multiple platforms and audiences.
• Reflects the values and places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Engages in collaboration with others, encouraging innovation and creativity.
• Holds responsibility for themselves and others and utilizes delegation and team strengths to achieve goals and organizational objectives.
• Promotes a team environment that supports employee engagement and encourages staff to do their best work. 

EITHER I  

Education:  

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any area. A Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare, Planning, Public Administration, Public Policy, Organizational Management, Business Administration, Communications, or a closely related field is desirable.  

AND

Experience:  

The equivalent of six (6) years increasingly responsible, full-time, senior management or senior administrative level experience that includes a combination of at least two (2) of the following: management-analysis, organizational communications, community outreach, and program planning and delivery. At least two (2) years of this experience must include the supervision of subordinate staff with responsibilities in the areas of organizational communications and community outreach activities.  

Experience in the areas of child support, social services, health care, social planning, community programs or a closely related program area is preferred.  

Substitution:  

Possession of a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Relations, Communications, Social Welfare, Planning, or a closely related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.  

License:  All candidates must possess a valid California State Motor Vehicle driver’s license.  

Special Requirements:  

A thorough background investigation, including fingerprinting will be conducted of all candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of employment to ensure they are suitable for Child Support related work.  A felony conviction may be disqualifying.  

Occasional local travel. Approximately 10% may be overnight in-state/out-of-state travel. (County vehicles are available for use by eligible employees.)  

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:  

• Research, analytical and data collection techniques.
• Principles and practices of business and public administration.
• Principles and practices of marketing and communications.
• Principles of grant writing.
• Principles of project management.
• Practices of strategic planning; action planning.
• Familiarity with Federal, State, and local laws, codes, regulations, and mandates pertinent to child support services or closely related program.
• Familiarity with child support or social services programs.
• Budget administration; program performance monitoring, benchmarking.
• Principles of management and supervision.
• Methods, techniques, and styles of business and article writing.
• Communication and public relations concepts, practices, principles, and strategies.
• Community resource development and collaboration.
• Information dissemination techniques and methods.
• Relevant word processing and desktop publishing software programs and equipment.  

Ability to:

• Work under pressure; effectively delegate work and coordinate multiple activities with conflicting deadlines.
• Establish, balance, and adjust priorities; adapt to change quickly.
• Exercise appropriate judgement and make effective decisions in a variety of circumstances.
• Stay abreast of trends and changes in communications and business management fields including methodology and technology changes, policy and program areas, legislative activities, and the political atmosphere.
• Review and analyze information and recommend appropriate action.
• Research, interpret, summarize, and effectively explain complex information geared to a variety of different audiences or populations.
• Promote a customer-oriented approach toward meeting Department and County needs.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Prepare and present clear and concise oral and written communications.
• Prepare a variety of documents, including policy statements, reports, proposals, articles, and other materials for diverse audiences incorporating appropriate tone, design appeal, color, and graphic schemes.
• Speak effectively before and facilitate small and large groups.
• Resolve operational and procedural problems and conflicts; identify opportunities for program performance improvement and make recommendations.  
• Provide management control; plan, assign, train, guide, establish work standards and evaluate performance of subordinates.
• Operate a variety of word processing and desktop publishing programs; produce in-house publications, guides, presentations, and other materials.

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

For more information on the Civil Service Selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/. 

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.

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 employees 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

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• 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.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com 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.

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect.  Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity 

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.