Local Deputy Registrar - Vital Records Program (TLT/SDA)

Customer Service Specialist III's (Local Deputy Registrar)

Public Health Seattle & King County Vital Records Program is seeking two (2) term-limited temporary (TLT) or Special Duty (SDA) Customer Service Specialist III's (Local Deputy Registrar) to join its team. The Local Deputy Registrar is involved in a variety of detailed tasks and functions in support of issuing birth and death certificates. The program is fast-paced, generating a significant volume of work on a daily basis. Customers are engaged with face-to-face, by telephone, via mail, as well as through web-based resources. Customer Service Specialists are required to adhere to State and local regulations, policies, and procedures governing the maintenance, integrity, and release of vital records. There are no telework opportunities for this position.

Essential to this position is the ability to work in a stressful, fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions, without the loss of efficiency and accuracy. This position is part of a team of Customer Service Specialists who are cross trained to fill in for others as needed. The Vital Records Program is in the East Lobby of the King County Customer Service Center on the 2nd floor in King Street Center.

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) positions are "at-will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last up to 12 months. However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels. As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity. For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial County probation. You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

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Work Schedule

Typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm. This is a non-exempt position and is subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible overtime.

Work Location

This position will be based at the King Street Customer Service Center located at 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Job Duties

• Provide expertise on the New Model Law for Vital Records customers.
• Issue and sell birth and death certificates using database systems, point-of-sale technology (POS), microfiche, micro cards, and archived book and ledger records, while ensuring compliance with State and local regulations, policies, and procedures governing those documents.
• Register all King County deaths according to Revised Code of Washington.
• Manage invoice orders in Sensitive Information Management System (SIMS) for Funeral Homes, SSA, Police Departments and other agencies.
• Backup purchasing and procuring goods and services.
• Perform end-of-day closing activities.
• Perform daily POS closing activities, preparing reports and deposits for accounting services according to cash handling policies and procedures.
• Backup incoming and outgoing mail, addressing quality assurance and ensuring accountability.
• Provide customer service by fulfilling orders and responding quickly and efficiently to all customer questions and concerns. Engage in troubleshooting to respond to inquiries and work to solve problems while ensuring compliance with established policies and procedures.
• Follow-up with customers when clarification is warranted.
• Assist funeral directors and families with requests for disposition review.
• Respond to potentially sensitive and volatile situations regarding medical examiner cases and vital records customer inquiries. Work effectively with the public utilizing problem-solving skills to manage situations and deal with people who may be distraught, angry, and/or grieving. Diffuse potentially volatile situations.
• Process over the counter and mail order fees using a POS system following established public health cash handling and accounting procedures. Issue receipts, balance checks and cash with orders, and assist in daily register closeout procedures.
• Perform data entry into a variety of logs and spreadsheets.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Regular and reliable attendance and punctuality are essential for this position.
• Demonstrates experience in delivering exceptional customer service.
• Demonstrates a high level attention to details.
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively in a stressful, fast-paced work environment with competing demands and frequent interruptions, while adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.
• Demonstrates ability to communicate professionally with regard to culturally appropriate, consistently respectful, and non-judgmental manner to a wide variety of audiences including people who have experienced direct or indirect traumas.
• Demonstrates ability to handle difficult situations with confidentiality, discretion and diplomacy while protecting private and sensitive client information.
• Demonstrates ability to process a large volume of customer orders, received through various means, while adhering to regulations, policies, and procedures governing the release of those records.
• Demonstrates efficiency as a member of a team or independently.
• Demonstrates ability to adhere to standard office principles and practices, program-specific requirements, and to engage in positive conflict resolution techniques.
• Demonstrates a high competency in a Windows environment.
• Demonstrates ability to operate other standard office equipment such as copiers, fax, scanners, and multi-line telephones.
• Proficiency in math and basic accounting procedures.
• Ability to solve problems in a positive, constructive manner and to maintain professionalism with customers and staff.
• Demonstrates ability to move items weighing up to 20 pounds and to repeatedly sit, stand, bend, and stoop frequently throughout the day.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Worked with accessing legal documents to identify if they qualify for the release of the requested certificate.
• Previous experience in medical records, vital records offices, patient registration, medical examiner's offices and birth registration.

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play. Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

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