Staff Specialist - Citywide

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The City of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the nation's best managed cities and one of the top ten cities in which to live work and do business. Moreover, San José is the center of cultural government and economic activity for the region. The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect, and Celebration.

Position Duties

The salary range for Staff Specialist is approximately $82,970.16 - $100,900.80 annually. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

This is a class-based recruitment. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications for Staff Specialist will be added to the active Qualified Candidate Group and contacted when a department-specific vacancy becomes available. If you are in the current Qualified Candidate Group, you will need to re-apply in order to be considered for future vacancies. Staff Specialists perform paraprofessional administrative work of considerable complexity in various areas of public administration.

An employee in this class performs a variety of administrative assignments related to the execution of administrative detail and assisting in departmental administrative service areas. A Staff Specialist may act as a lead to lower-level clerical classifications but is primarily an individual contributor with a high level of expertise in generalized office administration.

Typical Duties Include:

• Create surveys and compile data for general or departmental use; perform statistical and clerical work by creating, analyzing and preparing reports, and abstract written materials.
• Participate in budget preparation and review by assembling and analyzing data of operating departments, such as staffing and equipment requests.
• Provide assistance with personnel functions such as position control, interviewing, benefits, handling routine grievances, disciplinary actions, classification matters, claims, employee relations, and interpretation of personnel rules and procedures.
• Supervise the maintenance of files and records, including automated recordkeeping systems; developing filing systems and procedures for file use; and ensure irretrievability of filed information.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience
Two (2) years of undergraduate course work from an accredited college or university (equivalent to at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units) AND three (3) years of experience in varied office clerical work. The three (3) years of experience must include one (1) year of experience assembling and verifying data for complex reports, records, or databases OR acting as a lead to clerical staff.

Acceptable Substitution
Additional experience assembling and verifying data for complex reports, records, or databases OR acting as a lead to clerical staff may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university may be substituted for the required experience.

Other Qualifications

COMPETENCIES:

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:
Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.

Flexibility- Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Reliability - Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
SELECTION PROCESS:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of this classification, or the selection and hiring process, please contact Vaishali Vashistha at vaishali.vashistha@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 6/2/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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