Position Information
Bring your ability to give high-quality, compassionate care to the Department of Health Services! Multiple monolingual and fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) positions are available! Starting salary up to $30.30/hour*! PLUS, an additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions!Please note that California Health and Safety Code Section 11833(b)(1) requires Alcohol and Other Drug Services Assistants to be licensed, registered, or certified. Applicants who do not meet this qualification will not be considered qualified for this position. A list of approved certification agencies recognized by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) may be found on the DHCS website . The County of Sonoma Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking qualified candidates to fill monolingual (English) and fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) Alcohol and Other Drug Services Assistant I positions for their Drug Testing Program in Santa Rosa.
DHS is currently recruiting to fill multiple positions at either the I or II levels. If you are interested in being considered at the different levels of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for each level. As an extra-help Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) Assistant I, you will perform alcohol/drug screening through urinalysis, retinal scan, and breathalyzer testing and provide paraprofessional services and clerical support for the Behavioral Health Division's Drug Testing Unit. Additional responsibilities will include:
- Ensuring consistent adherence to Chain of Custody handling procedures during the transfer of client urinalysis specimens from clients to testing staff
- Packaging client urinalysis samples for daily pickup by testing laboratory couriers
- Learning to and operating a Passpoint retinal scan machine and breathalyzer for client drug and alcohol screening
- Running comprehensive reports at the end of the shift to capture data of clients screened via the Passpoint machine
- Accurately entering the client encounter screening data into the Smart Care database
- Collecting and recording client fee payments and reconciling daily payments collected
- Learning to perform daily updates and corrections to testing records in the Smart Care database using the verification procedure
- Completing and verifying the daily Urinalysis (UA) count sheet
- Providing email reports to case managers regarding client absences, refusals/inability to provide specimens, and instances of client non-cooperation with testing procedures
- Consistently executing all activities in strict adherence to confidentiality rules, current testing program policies and procedures, and other applicable regulations
- Conducting client transports for programs as needed with professionalism and efficiency
As the ideal candidate to join our team, you are determined to provide high-quality, compassionate care and possess:
- Experience working with AODS clients in an AODS program and the ability to maintain confidentiality
- Knowledge and experience in data entry and database management
- The ability to communicate effectively and work with individuals from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to ensure accurate data entry, recordkeeping, and documentation
- An aptitude for developing rapport and maintaining cooperative relationships with clients, service providers, and partner agencies
- Intermediate Microsoft Office skills and knowledge of virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom and WebEx
- The ability to work a flexible schedule, as needed, including some evening and weekend shifts
EXTRA-HELP EMPLOYMENT Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff. Intermittent, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most regular employee benefits such as long-term disability insurance coverage; accrual of vacation; participation in the County retirement program; or eligibility to take promotional examinations.
Intermittent, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of 1,380 hours within any twelve-month consecutive period. Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.
This recruitment is being conducted to fill intermittent, extra-help Alcohol and Other Drug Services Assistant I positions in DHS. This employment list may also be used to fill future extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of this list. Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at the fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay is $1.50/hour for fluent skill sets.
* Salary is negotiable within the established range.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be either: six months of experience either paid or volunteer working with alcoholics and/or drug addicts in a treatment and/or recovery program that would provide basic understanding of the needs of alcohol and other drug abusing persons.
OR
Related coursework, training, conferences and workshops that would provide basic understanding of the needs of the alcohol and other drug abusing person.
License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including necessary special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Special Qualification: All employees of this class must register, obtain, and maintain a Counselor Certification as defined by the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 8: Certification of Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors. Upon appointment to this class, employees will have six months to register and five years to obtain Certification from an ADP approved certifying organization whose curriculum includes a minimum of 240 hours of formal classroom training. Human Resources will waive the Counselor Certification requirement for licensed professionals (or registered interns) who successfully pass a written examination similar to that administered for Certification. This examination will be administered by the Sonoma County Human Resources Department, and will be designed to measure those areas included in the curriculum required for certification.
Additional Special Qualification: Some positions may require the ability to fluently speak and write a language other than English.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Working Knowledge of: the needs, problems, attitudes and behavior problems of the alcohol and drug abusing person.
Knowledge of: Basic principles of individual and group behavior; Socio-economic, environmental, and cultural factors affecting the behavior of alcohol and drug abusing persons; Services and resources provided through other governmental agencies and community-based organizations.
Ability to: learn how to interpret and apply County Alcohol and Other Drug Services Program policies and procedures; learn informal/peer counseling techniques; work irregular hours, different shifts, weekends and holidays; understand and follow oral and written instructions; stand for long periods of time, stoop, lift clients, and lift heavy articles in accordance with accepted safety standards and perform physical tasks as required; learn how to evaluate the behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; learn how to coordinate the delivery of alcohol and other drug abuse services; analyze situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action; recognize problems which call for the use of public and private community resources; effectively listen, mediate and resolve complaints; read, interpret, apply, and explain complex regulations and reports; communicate effectively with persons from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; establish and maintain effective work relationships with all types of persons encountered in the course of work; develop rapport and maintain cooperative relationships with clients and service providers; read, understand, apply and explain regulations and procedures governing job training programs; work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team; use computers and related equipment as necessary for job assignments.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying
- Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
- You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
- You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
- Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.Responses to supplemental questions are used to evaluate your qualifications. Please provide sufficient information to allow for a thorough evaluation of your qualifications.The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An
Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position. Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications for the position will be placed on an extra-help employment list and referred to the department. The department may contact candidates from the employment list who possess the most appropriate job-related qualifications for further consideration.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
HOW TO APPLY Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: SZ
HR Technician: RR
IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.
COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: GENERAL*These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:
Paid Time Off :Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.
Health Plan : Choice of five health plans (a PPO, EPO, HMO, and two deductible HMOs) with a County contribution toward the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit. For specific details, please refer to the applicable MOU). A County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement is available for some bargaining units.
Retirement :Fully integrated with Social Security.For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .
IRS 457 Plan : Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.
Retiree Medical :County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.
Student Loan Debt Relief :County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.
Plus excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.
For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331.Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources/divisions-and-units/employee-relations/labor-agreements-and-salary-resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts go to https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources or, contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-2900.
*IMPORTANT NOTES: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.
Closing Date/Time: Continuous
