Economic Assistance Division Chief
SALARY: $104,714.98 - $128,879.66 Annually
This salary range reflects the negotiable range for hire; however, the top of the range for future career and salary advancement tops at $153,044.34.
The Social Services Department is accepting applications to fill one full-time Division Chief (Program/Business Leader – General job classification) in Santa Maria in the Economic Assistance & Employment Services branch. The resulting vacancy could be located at the Benefit Service Center (BSC) or another district office in Santa Maria, such as the Betteravia or Broadway offices.
The employment list that is established from this recruitment may be utilized for future Division Chief vacancies in the Department of Social Services (DSS) at the BSC or district offices in Santa Maria, Lompoc, and/or Santa Barbara for intake and/or ongoing operations in any of the following program/functional areas: CalFresh, CalWORKs (including Child Care and Welfare-to-Work), General Relief, Medi-Cal, Central Operations & Clerical Support (CORE) and/or Program/Administrative/Automation Support.
THE DIVISION:
The Betteravia and Broadway district offices in Santa Maria are busy environments welcoming approximately 40,000 - 50,000 visitors per site per year. While both offices process all program applications, only the Broadway office has the full array of the CalWORKs/Employment Services programs and only the Betteravia office has the Exchange Intake Unit that handles call transfers from Covered California.
The BSC is a unique environment in which two managers co-lead staff in a call center/task-based setting delivering ongoing case management for both the Medi-Cal and CalFresh programs. The BSC is a fast-paced environment receiving approximately 10,000 calls per month pertaining to the nearly 71,000 individuals/families in the Medi-Cal program and approximately 20,000 individuals/families in the CalFresh program served by that location.
THE POSITION:
This Division Chief will oversee and manage a large division of six to eight eligibility and/or clerical units, and work in close coordination with other managers who have a similar scope of responsibility. It is essential that this manager interact and collaborate with other divisions throughout the county to ensure cooperation, smooth transition of cases between offices, as well as supporting and optimizing the work of an entire array of line staff services ranging from training to service delivery to quality control.
This position has extensive contact with the public (applicants and recipients of public assistance as well as community-based organizations), other County agencies, and other DSS divisions. The current vacancy reports to the Deputy Director of the Economic Assistance & Employment Services Branch and requires extensive collaboration and teamwork among the group of eight managers responsible for carrying out the operations of the branch in a consistent manner.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:
- Plans, organizes, and directs, through staff, the activities of a district office; confers with staff on policy, procedures, budget, and personnel matters; interviews and selects staff for the division; evaluates staff performance and reviews performance reports prepared by supervisors.
- Supervises, motivates, coaches, trains and mentors staff.
- Evaluates the impact of new or amended laws and regulations on the costs or operation of the division; assists in the preparation of the annual budget; monitors revenues and expenditures of the division and uses the data to compile reports and to make fiscal and staffing recommendations.
- Reviews existing policies and operating procedures and recommends improvements; directs the development of the department's corrective action plans for public assistance programs to ensure that state standards for error control are met; prepares reports, correspondence, and annual departmental plans.
- Represents the executive staff in contacts with governmental and community agencies or business community.
- Actively participates in the Leadership Team of the Department. Participates in the development and champions new Departmental initiatives.
- Actively collaborates with other Divisions and Branches of the Department.
- Plans, organizes, implements and ensures compliance, through staff, the policies of the Department and County.
- Completes other projects as assigned.
- Promotes the vision and values of the Department of Social Service and the County.
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:
Possession of the core competencies listed here and the ability to immediately demonstrate these competencies consistent with the position’s level in the leadership series and the specific work assignment; AND
- Possession of a bachelor's degree in social or behavioral sciences or management such as business administration, organizational management, public administration, or a directly related degree from an accredited college or university and five years of experience in a California public social services agency at the local or state level, with three of the five years supervising a social services, income maintenance, employment services or administrative unit; OR,
- Possession of an associate’s degree in social or behavioral sciences or management such as business administration, organizational management, public administration, or directly related degree from an accredited college or university and seven years of experience in a California public social services agency at the local or state level, with five of the seven years supervising a social services, income maintenance, employment services or administrative unit, OR,
- Currently enrolled in an accredited college degree program as described in 1. or 2. above, and has completed at least 30 semester / 45 quarter units, and ten years of experience in a California public social services agency at the local or state level, with seven of the ten years supervising a social services, income maintenance, employment services or administrative unit.
NOTE: Applicants can substitute one year of formal supervisory experience with one year of lead experience directing the work of others, such as training, mentoring, project management and/or program support.
Additional Requirements:
- A valid California Class C Driver's License may be required by time of appointment. Incumbents will be required to travel throughout County and State.
- As a condition of employment, selectees must sign statements agreeing to comply with Section 11166 of the California Penal Code relating to child abuse reporting and Section 15630 of the California Penal Code relating to elder abuse reporting.
APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: 12/12/22, 4:59 p.m.;. Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com