Senior Detention Specialist - Promotional

Position Information

This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

The Sheriff's Office has requested a department promotional certification to fill a Senior Detention Specialist position. Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Sheriff's Office employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

Senior Detention Specialists work in the detention facility and handle complex administrative, clerical, and legal processing responsibilities similar to the work of Detention Specialists. This position trains new staff, conducts daily training evaluations, and attends to higher liability issues involving the Detention Division’s court response which includes evaluation of court minutes, compliance with court orders, court ordered release, and time computations. They may be called upon as acting supervisors to respond to questions from the public or to address internal staff needs. Senior Detention Specialists also handle some collateral duties such as CDCR property disposition, DNA collection and coordination, maintaining reduced bail data, and preparing statistical reports.

The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative team environment and has excellent customer service and communication skills, as well as many of the following:

• Superb problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment with the ability to be objective, diligent, and flexible when needed
• The ability to multitask while remaining detail oriented
• Experience training staff and/or leadership coursework or training
• The ability to understand and apply complex laws coupled with law enforcement records knowledge
• The ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• A positive attitude

Note: Senior Detention Specialists are required to work in a uniform and workday, swing, and graveyard shifts, weekends, holidays, overtime, and other shift assignments. Although assignments require minimal or no physical contact with inmates, incumbents work within a detention facility, in close proximity to and interact with inmates (e.g., answering questions, exchanging paperwork and property, etc.). Incumbents are subject to departmental policies, including uniform requirements and standards of conduct.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of work experience and education which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally, this would include two years of experience as a Detention Specialist or, equivalent experience providing administrative support in an adult or juvenile detention facility.

Additional Requirements: Candidates certified for employment must be willing to undergo and successfully complete thorough background investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Office. Additionally, candidates must be willing to work in uniform, and willing to work all shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekdays, weekends, holidays, and overtime.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position. The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: the purpose and processing of a diversity of law enforcement and legal documents, forms, and records; the operations, procedures and jurisdictions of a Sheriff's Office detention facility; the record and computer systems of the Sheriff's Office; basic arithmetic, English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and composition.

Working knowledge of: general clerical and office practices and procedures; word processing and other data processing programs used in business office.

Some knowledge of: effective supervision; techniques and methods of training employees in work procedures.

Ability to: interpret laws, procedures, policies and rules related to Sheriff Office's detention facilities; effectively deal with irate individuals in difficult situations; identify potentially dangerous situations and react quickly and calmly in emergency situations; ensure compliance with procedures used in maintaining security of a detention facility; perform several tasks simultaneously amid noise and interruption; maintain accurate records; understand and follow oral and written instructions; make decisions in routine procedural matters; identify and correct technical inaccuracies; work independently in performing assignment and in resolving problems and deviations; assist in the planning and coordination of the work in the assigned unit; understand, interpret, explain, and apply specific statues, codes, laws, regulations, and procedures to train employees; use independent initiative and discretion in organizing work and carrying out instructions within a structured environment; establish and maintain cooperative and harmonious relationships with sworn personnel, attorneys, inmates, litigants, other employees, and the general public.

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 will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Background Process

Being part of the Sheriff's Office and being expected to keep the public safe requires a thorough background investigation process. This process includes an assessment of prior work history, verifying educational experiences, court reports, public records searches, and understanding past patterns relating to drug usage, financial patterns, etc. This entails gathering a significant amount of information from job candidates and speaking to former employers, friends, family members, etc. Polygraphs, drug tests, and medical and physical examinations are also part of this process. Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process. Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment. This process can take anywhere from 3-5 months. Many factors are taken into consideration and one should not assume a credit issue or prior drug use is automatically disqualifying. Candidates will be given the opportunity to present mitigating information they feel should be considered. You are encouraged to be as responsive as possible while this process is taking place to help expedite the timeline, and we encourage you to stay patient and interested in this great career opportunity while this process is taking place.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

Please read the Sheriff's Office Pre-Employment Drug Use Guidelines for further information.

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. 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: JL
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 : Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generousCounty contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

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: 6/19/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

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