Senior Eligibility Assistant - Promotional

Senior Eligibility Assistant Positions

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 Human Services Department (HSD) has requested a department promotional certification to fill two full-time Senior Eligibility Assistant positions, one monolingual (English) and one fluent bilingual (English/Spanish). Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Human Services Department employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised positions. 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.

The Senior Eligibility Assistant (Senior EA) within the Economic Assistance Division of the Human Services Department performs a broad range of administrative and client service functions in support of eligibility operations, including substantial in-person interaction with clients and staff. Senior EAs will be responsible for responding to client inquiries, assessing service needs, and providing guidance on basic eligibility criteria and program requirements. Additional responsibilities include:

• Supporting workflow coordination by distributing assignments among Eligibility Assistants (EAs) and ensuring efficient daily operations
• Troubleshooting complex or escalated cases that require advanced knowledge, sound judgment, and problem-solving expertise
• Providing guidance and direction to EAs by interpreting and explaining applicable rules, policies, procedures, and work practices
• Instructing staff on proper job techniques and supporting consistent application of program requirements
• Building strong relationships and effectively guiding staff through transitions and shifting priorities
• The ability to make staff-level decisions regarding performance and needs, while appropriately escalating issues to management for additional support
• Applying a constructive, solution-focused approach with consideration of both staff and larger organizational impacts, and identifying inefficiencies while recommending improvements

The ideal candidates for these positions will possess many of the following:

• Familiarity with CalSAWS, CalHEERS, MEDS, and other related social service programs
• A high degree of accuracy and efficiency, including strong ten-key data entry skills to ensure the timely and precise processing of client information
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing and work with a diverse population
• The ability to adapt communication styles and approaches to meet individual needs
• The drive to provide exemplary customer service support
• The ability to navigate sensitive or challenging situations with professionalism, employ de-escalation techniques when necessary, and maintain a high degree of adaptability and flexibility in a dynamic work environment
• Superb attention to detail, with an aptitude for focusing on complex projects while working in a frequently interrupted environment
• Advanced Microsoft Suite skills (the ability to edit and remediate documents in Adobe Acrobat or learn those skills is a plus)
• Previous leadership experience or formal training in a supervisory or mentoring capacity is highly desired, but not required

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of experience, training, and education that would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. A typical way to qualify is: Three (3) years of office support experience that included public contact, record keeping, or completing detailed forms and/or documents would provide such an opportunity. Special Requirement: Designated positions will require the ability to speak, read, and write in a specified language, in addition to English.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: techniques and practices for leading others; methods and techniques used in gathering, organizing, researching, and evaluating data; principles and practices for providing customer service; procedures for managing files and records; modern office practices, methods, and procedures; standards of client confidentiality; office equipment, technology, and software applications. Knowledge of: specialized eligibility functions and related programs, caseloads, and assignments; English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation; basic arithmetic functions; techniques and practices for leading others; techniques and practices for dealing with individuals, some of whom display mental health issues, confusion, hostility, or who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol; cultural and human behavior to effectively interact with clients and coworkers. Ability to: prepare and maintain accurate reports and records; work effectively under pressure, strict deadlines, and with shifting priorities; manage time; prioritize workload for self and others; work independently in performing assignments and resolving problems; train and monitor staff performance; answer a variety of questions related to department programs and process, and troubleshoot issues for other staff; maintain procedures for unit protocols; effectively deescalate interactions with clients displaying mental health issues, confusion, or hostility; learn and use the Human Services Department's various automated systems to accomplish assigned work; learn and understand, apply, and explain rules, regulations, policies, and procedures pertaining to Cal Fresh, Medi-Cal, and other public assistance programs; learn and use eligibility program rules and regulations; enter data accurately into an automated system with sufficient speed to perform the work; complete necessary documentation and paperwork; maintain sensitive and confidential information; locate, identify, and correct inaccurate or incomplete information; exercise sound judgement while initiating processes, actions, and alternatives within established procedures and guidelines establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; understand and accept differences in human behavior; effectively interact with all populations, such as individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, educational, generational, and/or socio-economic backgrounds; operate modern office equipment, including copiers, fax machines, printers, and computers; read and write English and make basic arithmetic calculations; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; understand and follow oral and written instructions.

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. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate's personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant's name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

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. 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 candidates. Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam,