HEALTH PROGRAM SPECIALIST I - CALIFORNIA STATE PRISON- SACRAMENTO

Job Description and Duties

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented in response to the status of the State budget. PLP 2025 requires each full-time employee in Bargaining Unit 1 , and related Excluded, Exempt and Statutory Exempt employees, will have their base salary reduced by 3  percent and will receive 5PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 2027. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes

Under the direction of the Health Program Manager III or designee in a licensed facility, the Health Program Specialist (HPS) I acts as a highly skilled technical and subject matter expert in discrete areas of the Mental Health Services Delivery System (MHSDS), such as policy and procedure development, MHSDS-related data applications, performance trends, and local activities to ensure departmental compliance with all court orders, laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures governing the Mental Health Program. In addition, the HPS I serves a leadership role within a unit of staff tasked with establishment of a well-functioning health care performance management system at an institution, including a network of quality improvement committees that oversee improvement activities, a performance measurement and evaluation system, an annual improvement plan that incorporates the highest-priority improvement initiatives, and application of quality improvement tools and techniques to achieve performance objectives.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Either I:

One year of experience in the California state service performing duties equivalent to Associate Health Program Adviser. (Applicants who have completed six months of service performing the duties as specified above will be admitted to the examination, but they must satisfactorily complete one year of this experience before they can be eligible for appointment.)

Or II:

Experience: Three years of progressively responsible experience in health program administration, at least one year of which shall have been with major responsibility for a significant program such as is normally found in a complex or departmentalized medical care delivery setting or health institution or organization. (Possession of a Doctoral Degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Health Planning, Public Administration, or a closely related health professional field may be substituted for up to one year of the required general experience.) and

Education: Possession of a Master's Degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Hospital Administration, Comprehensive Health Planning, Public Administration, or a closely related health professional field. (One year of additional specialized qualifying experience may be substituted for the required master's degree.

To obtain list eligibility for the Health Program Specialist I classification, before applying for the position, you must first take and pass the examination:  CalCareers

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.

Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for a job vacancy, such as your State application, resume, or educational transcripts. Confidential information that should be excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number (SSN), birthdate, student identification number, driver’s license number (unless required), basis of eligibility, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age. Confidential information on the first page of applications submitted electronically online, such as Easy ID number, SSN, examination related information, and driver’s license number will automatically be redacted upon submission.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting Minimum Qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the Minimum Qualifications, the candidate will be withheld from the eligibility list, rendering them inactive and ineligible to be hired for the position. Candidates who have been withheld may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board.

Candidates new to CCHCS are required to submit to a background investigation process utilizing Live Scan Fingerprinting.

Tuberculosis (TB) testing is required for candidates new to CCHCS prior to appointment followed by department annual TB testing/evaluation thereafter.

Applicants who completed their education outside of the US (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of U.S. course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at

When submitting supporting documents, PDF file format is preferred.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Willingness to create and promote an equitable and inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated and valued.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website, , and the CalPERS website, .

Information on benefits afforded by membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System Benefit can be found on the CalHR website at .

Information on the benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act can be found on the CalHR website at .

This webpage is intended to provide general information. Benefit eligibility may be based on job classification, bargaining unit, time base and length of appointment.

Additional Information

Priority consideration will be given to Reemployment, Departmental Restriction of Appointment (DROA), State Restriction of Appointment (SROA), and Surplus candidates.

All methods of appointments may be considered.

CCHCS accepts electronic applications. If interested, please submit an electronic application (STD 678) and resume through your CalCareer account at Your application must be submitted on or before the above Final Filing Date.

Paper App (If unable to submit an electronic application): To apply for this position, you may submit a Standard State Application (STD 678) and resume, along with copies of your most recent performance report, college transcripts/college diploma (if applicable) and license/certification (if applicable) to the contact person listed above.

PLEASE NOTE: All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications (MQ's) of the classification, per SPB Rule 250.  Possession of MQs for list eligible applicants will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet MQs, the necessary steps will be taken to have the applicant's name withheld from the eligibility list.

This advertisement may be used for other PERMANENT/FULL-TIME  vacancies that may occur at this location during the life of this recruitment.

Resumes will be accepted in addition to the required STD. 678.

It is up to the hiring authority to accept Training and Development (T&D) assignments. If you are interested in a T&D assignment, you are not required to meet MQs; however, you must indicate T&D as your eligibility when applying.

The term VAR and/or XXX in the position number indicates that multiple vacancies may exist for this classification.

Interview Checklist

To prepare for the interview process, please refer to the Work4CA: Interview Checklist .

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Other -

  Education: If you are meeting minimum qualifications with education, you must include a copy of your diploma/degree and/or unofficial/informal transcripts for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If you are not using education to meet minimum qualifications, you may bypass this requirement