DIVISION CHIEF, PSS

Position/Program Information

DEPARTMENT:

WHEN TO APPLY:
We will be accepting online applications from Thursday, February 27, 2025, 8:00 a.m. (PT), until Wednesday, March 12, 2025,5:00p.m., (PT). All applications must be received before 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, to be accepted.

EXAM NUMBER:
48014H

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
We welcome applications from anyone.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE SELECTION REQUIREMENT BY THE LAST DATE OF FILING

SPECIAL SALARY INFORMATION:
Management Appraisal of Performance Plan (MAPP): This position is subject to the provisions of the Management Appraisal of Performance Plan (MAPP). Initial salary placement and subsequent salary adjustments will be made in accordance with MAPP guidelines and regulations.

DEFINITION:
Directs the activities of a division in the Department of Public Social Services.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class work under the direction of an Assistant Director of Public Social Services and are responsible for directing the activities of a function or unit organized on a divisional basis to accomplish one or more major departmental line or staff objectives. Incumbents must exercise a knowledge of the principles of management in order to direct the activities of these major organizational units or functions. They must also exercise a knowledge of the Department's programs, policies, and procedures in order to coordinate effectively the activities of their division with other divisions in the Department.

Essential Job Functions

Plans, assigns, directs and evaluates the work of a division established to:

• Review financial information obtained from public assistance applicants and participants in order to establish their initial or continuing eligibility and to determine the amount of cash grant, food stamps, Medi-Cal, or other benefits to which they may be entitled.
  
• Develop and monitor individualized employment plans for Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) and General Relief participants which includes job placement, workshops, supervised job search, vocational assessment, remedial education, vocational skills training and work experience; ensure sufficient service availability for the participants by collaborating with various public agencies, non-profit service providers, community advocates and private-sector businesses.
  
• Develop and provide services to individuals and families in areas such as in-home supportive services, adult protective services, special circumstances and disaster services; partner with other public agencies, non-profit service providers and community advocates to develop coordinated community-based services for disabled and frail elderly individuals.
  
• Plan, develop and direct research projects of caseloads and target populations; direct the design of research models, statistical and analytical methods; direct the preparation of statistical reports in response to requests as required by the Board of Supervisors, state and federal agencies and other public and private agencies.
  
• Provide specialized support such as property management services and security in all departmental facilities; refurbish, alter and modify facilities to accommodate welfare-to-work operations; provide support services such as procurement of supplies by maintaining a departmental warehouse operation and providing printing services.
  
• Account for appropriate County funds in the administrative budget and provide records for claiming purposes; prepare departmental administrative and assistance expenditure claims for reimbursement from other government agencies.
  
• Evaluate the impact of legislation on departmental operations and propose federal and state legislation which will meet goals of the Department; analyze proposed federal and state regulations governing social services and income maintenance programs; and develop strategic plans for meeting the department's mission.
  
• Provide specialized support services in the areas such as Welfare Fraud Prevention & Investigation, Appeals and State Hearings; provide corrective action activities for the CalWORKs, Food Stamp, Medi-Cal and General Relief programs.
  

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY:
Option 1:Six (6) years of experience in a social services related program* working in an administrative** or staff capacity***, four (4) years of which must have been at the level of Los Angeles County's class of Human Services Administrator III**** or Administrative Services Manager III***** or higher.

Option 2*******: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in a social services related field******, Public Administration, or Business Administration - AND - four (4) years of experience in a social services related program* directing a major section of a program or administrative function in a medium to large******* agency or organization. This experience may have been in either a public or private agency or business providing public services.

LICENSE:
A California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL EXPECTATIONS:
Physical Class II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:

* Public social services program is defined as a program that is administered by the Federal government, or by a State or local government using Federal financial assistance; and provides services directed at reducing poverty, improving opportunities for low-income children, revitalizing low-income communities, empowering low-income families and low-income individuals to become self-sufficient, or otherwise helping people in need.

** Administrative Capacity is defined as work performed typically in an administrative services branch of an organizational unit, including responsibility for the development of procedures and participation in policy formulation. This includes experience at the level of independent responsibility of assignments of average difficulty analyzing and making recommendations for the solution of problems of organization, budget, personnel, information services, programs, facilities planning, materials management, and general management.

*** Staff Capacity is defined as work performed in an advisory capacity to line managers to provide program and administrative support. This includes assisting and supporting administration by doing research, analysis, and making recommendations to line manager on matters such as utilization of personnel, allocation of funds, workload fluctuations, and programs and procedures for accomplishing work objectives.

**** Human Services Administrator III is responsible for directing the development or administration of an income maintenance, social service, specialized accounting, fiscal or other program section, or for providing direct staff assistance to department directors.

***** Administrative Services Manager III directs a section composed of multiple units responsible for providing administrative services which directly impact the management of major departmental programs and administrative operations.

****** Examples of social services related fields include human services, social work, psychology, and sociology.

******* To receive credit for your education, include a copy of your official diploma, official transcript, or letter/certificate from an accredited institution with your application or within ten (10) calendar days from the last day of filing. The document should show the date the degree was conferred and be in English; if it is in a foreign language, it must be translated and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf and https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205105_PPG_123_ACE_Resource_Guide.pdf .
We do not accept password protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

******* Medium to large agency or organization typically has 200 or more employees.

ENDORSEMENT OF COUNTY QUALIFICATIONS:
If you performed work that differs from the duties described in your class specification and you believe qualifies you for this opportunity, we will need to receive proof that you were officially recognized for doing that work by your department. This proof should be in the form of Verification of Experience Letter(s), signed by your Departmental Human Resources Manager. This must be provided within ten (10) days from the last day of filing. That letter will be reviewed, verified, and approved if appropriate. If we don't receive that proof from you, then we cannot consider this type of experience.

WITHHOLD INFORMATION:
No withhold will be allowed. Required experience/education must be fully met by the last day of filing, and clearly indicated on the application.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:
This examination will consist of two (2) parts:

Part 1: Multiple-choice and/or simulation assessment, weighted 50%, assessing:

• Deductive Reasoning
• Achieving Work Goals
• Adapting and Responding to Change
• Adhering to Principles
• Coping with Pressure and Setbacks
• Deciding and Initiating Action
• Delivering Results
• Entrepreneurial Thinking
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts
• Leading and Supervising
• Persuading and Influencing
• Relating and Networking

Part 2: An Evaluation of Training and Experience, weighted 50%, assessing:

• Advanced education in Public Administration, Business Administration, or a social serviced related field
• Experience administering a district office, policy or administrative support section, or departmental specialized section or program within a public social services program
• Experience with activities contributing to the improvement of service delivery
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholder representatives

Candidates must meet the requirements and achieve 70% or higher on combined score of Part 1 and 2 in order to be placed on the Eligible List.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE AND/OR SIMULATION ASSESSEMENT(S) ARE NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

TRANSFER OF TEST COMPONENTS:

If you have taken identical components recently for other exams, your responses may be automatically transferred to this examination. This exam contains test components that might be used on future exams, and your responses could be transferred to that exam.

TEST PREPARATION:

We provide study guides and other test preparation resources to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides may help in preparing for the test, we recommend reviewing all related materials that seem necessary.

• Various information can be found on our website at https://hr.lacounty.gov/job-search-toolkit/ . The section dedicated to test preparation is "Employment Test Assistance."
  
• Online practice tests are available at https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practive-tests .
  

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible list in order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation.

VACANCY INFORMATION:
The resulting eligible list will be used to fill vacancies in the Department of Public Social Services offices located throughout Los Angeles County.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.

Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.

We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment. Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application may lead to disqualification.

We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.

• Lusineasryan@dpss.lacounty.gov
• info@governmentjobs.com
• talentcentral@shl.com
• donot-reply@amcatmail.com
• vcudiamat@hr.lacounty.gov
• jmacam@hr.lacounty.gov

Applicants must submit all applicable documents (i.e., diploma, official transcript, certificate, Verification of Experience Letter, etc.) during application submission. All documents must be clear and legible. Although resumes can be uploaded as attachments to the application, resumes cannot be accepted in lieu of completing the online application.

Documents not submitted with the application may be emailed to ExamsUnit@dpss.lacounty.gov but must be received within ten (10) calendar days of filing. All emails must clearly identify the applicant's name and the subject line must include the exam name, Division Chief, PSSand exam number, 48014H.

PLEASE REVIEW YOUR APPLICATION CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY PRIOR TO CLICKING THE "SUBMIT" BUTTON
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment . The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Public Social Services is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER :
Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS INFORMATION AND COORDINATOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the assessment process, contact the Testing Accommodations Coordinator at Te at TestingAccommodations@hr.lacounty.gov . We require a completed Request for Reasonable Accommodation form as well as supporting documentation from a qualified professional justifying the request. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can respond and keep you moving through the process.

Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922

Questions regarding this posting may be emailed, with the exam name, Division Chief, PSS and exam number, 48014H in the subject line, to ExamsUnit@dpss.lacounty.gov .
Department Contact Name(s): Lusine Asryan

Department Contact Phone(s): (562) 566-7507

Department Contact Email: ExamsUnit@dpss.lacounty.gov

For more information on Employment Information, click on the link below:

http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/247636_EmploymentInformation.pdf

For detailed information, please click here

Closing Date/Time: 3/12/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

• 

• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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