Fire Department Administrative Services Director

THE DEPARTMENT

THE ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (ACFD) provides all-risk emergency services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County (excluding Fairview), the cities of San Leandro, Dublin, Newark, Union City and Emeryville, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. With 28 fire stations and 34 companies serving a population of 394,000, the ACFD serves densely populated urban areas, waterways, industrialized centers, extensive urban interface, agricultural and wildland regions. Over 400 personnel and 100 Reserve Firefighters provide a wide variety of services to an ever expanding, dynamic and diverse community of roughly 508 square miles. These services include:

• Advanced Life Support
• Fire Suppression
• Hazardous Materials Response
• Urban Search & Rescue
• Water Rescue
• Community Outreach & Education
• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Prevention and Code Compliance
• Regional Dispatch

The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) was formed on July 1, 1993 as a dependent special district with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors as its governing body. This consolidation brought together into a single jurisdiction the Castro Valley Fire Department, Eden Consolidated Fire Protection District and County Fire Patrol. Subsequently, the following communities have contracted with the ACFD:

• July 1, 1995 City of San Leandro
• July 1, 1997 City of Dublin
• August 1, 2002 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• October 1, 2007 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• May 1, 2010 City of Newark
• July 1, 2010 City of Union City
• July 1, 2012 City of Emeryville

Under administrative direction, to plan, organize, and direct the general administrative services for the Fire Department (aka Fire District), to assist in the determination of overall policy for the functions to which assigned and participate in development and implementation of policy for the District as a whole; and to do related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

The Fire Department Administrative Services Director is a one-position class reporting to the Fire Chief.  The Fire Department Administrative Services Director will act as the principal assistant to the Fire Chief in government, business and administrative matters.  The Fire Department Administrative Services Director is responsible for administrative and support aspects of the Fire District.

CLICK HERE for the full job description.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, successful candidates will have a proven background in administrative and fiscal analysis and demonstrated experience in government budgeting, grants management and contracts negotiation as well as strong analytical, written, and oral communication skills.

The ideal candidate will possess the following critical attributes:

• Experienced in managing the linkages between finance and administrative program areas.
• An individual with a track record of providing high quality financial management with a focus on leveraging state, federal and other resources.
• A strategic and creative administrator who forecasts financial needs and collaborates with organization leaders to develop and manage budgets.
• A leader who manages work groups by inspiring and advising subordinates, facilitating goal accomplishment and tracking and evaluating performance to ensure success.
• A great communicator and listener, quick and clear thinking, calm under pressure.
• An advanced user of computer applications who champions and implements technology to maximize fiscal and administrative management processes.
• Politically astute, possessing the skills necessary to identify, navigate the organization while being sensitive to the competing needs of internal and external stakeholders.
•A strong collaborator, adept in identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships to help achieve the organizations goals.
• Able to identify and understand complex problems, make decisions, exercise good judgment, formulate action plans in a proactive and collaborative manner.

NOTE: The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification.  However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

1. Confers with executive staff and other managers concerning the administrative needs and requirements of programs, policies, rules and regulations; makes recommendations on administrative policies and procedures; implements policy changes; devises procedures for agency wide administrative activities.

2. Directs the District human resources, fiscal, and policy and program development programs; coordinates and monitors activities of these programs to maximize services to the Fire District.

3. Designs and implements budget procedures and develops and administers the annual budget in cooperation with the other department heads; advises the Fire Chief and Executive Staff regarding trends, audits or problems related to any budgets; prepares budget justifications and reviews.

4. Analyzes operations to determine cost effectiveness, maintains standards and makes improvements; may work on special projects for the Fire Chief.

5. Oversees the Administrative Services Section in charge of procurement of supplies and equipment, inventorying, mail services, printing, office clerical pool and temporary services.

6. Directs contract compliance oversight, department-wide, including bid analysis, as well as work in progress to completion; assures agency compliance with State and Federal administrative regulations and guidelines.

7. Directs media and public relations, community outreach and legislative programs for the Fire Chief.

Education

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to the work performed in this position. 

AND

Experience

The equivalent of three years of full-time increasingly responsible administrative managerial experience which included analyzing, making recommendations, and facilitating the implementation of change for organizational, procedural, program, budget or personnel management.  Two years must include supervisory experience.  (Experience in more than one of the program areas is highly desirable.)

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.

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:

• Legislative processes at the local, state and federal levels.
• Governmental budgeting and accounting systems and cost allocation.
• Policies and procedures related to public financing.
• Contract negotiation, administration and compliance.
• Policy formulation and implementation.
• Program definition and development.
• Labor relations policies, practices and management.
• Public Administration.
• Personnel management including work planning and employee supervision.
• Organizational and employee development.
• Media and public relations including organizing and conducting community outreach.
• Modern office management practices and techniques.
• Basic understanding of computer applications.

Ability to:

• Demonstrate excellent written communication skills.
• Use clear and concise oral communication.
• Make sound decisions.
• Analyze and solve problems.
• Plan and organize.
• Develop, analyze and monitor budgets.
• Manage control.
• Lead.
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication.
• Produce accurate information in short timeframes.
• Manage multiple and changing priorities.
• Meet deadlines

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.  

** 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 e-mail 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*:

**If designated a 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 statues.

Management/Executive Benefits Package.

Vacation and sick time

• Accrue up to 120 hours of vacation time per year until the completion of 4 years of continuous employment.
• 13 Paid Holidays per calendar year.
• Up to 4 float days per calendar year.
• Accrue 10.7 hours of sick time per month

Benefits

• Employer pays up to 85% of the total premium for the eligible Kaiser Medical Plan.
• $1750 per family member per plan year for Delta dental.  Monthly premium is employer paid.
• $150 vision reimbursement for employee, every 24 months for frames, lenses or contacts
• Cafeteria Plan Benefit of $3,500 per calendar year.
• Semi Monthly stipend for employee to use to purchase Long Term Disability Plan (LTD)

Life Insurance

• Employer paid Basic Life Insurance for employee of $20,000
• Employer paid Basic AD&D insurance for employee of $20,000
• Employer paid supplemental Basic Life insurance for employee of $25,000
• Option to purchase Employee Supplemental life insurance buy-up.
• Option to purchase Spouse Supplemental life insurance buy-up.
• Option to purchase Child Supplemental Life Insurance Buy Up.

Retirement

• CalPERS Pension
• 457 Plan and Roth Plan

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Notices will be sent from Noreply@jobaps.com.  Please add @jobaps.com 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 and clicking on the link 'last notice sent' for the respective recruitment.

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 NoReply@jobaps.com 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 job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Sam Gee, HR Division Manager

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

Samson.Gee@acgov.org

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.