Employment And Eligibility Specialist

COUNTY OF ORANGE
TheCounty of Orangeis California's third most-populous county, with more than 3 million residents and 34 cities. It is one of the region's largest employers, with a workforce of about 16,000. Working for the County offers a variety of opportunities for career development and growth and the job satisfaction of serving the public and contributing to efforts that make a difference in people's lives
SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY
Administering a number of human services programs, the Social Services Agency (SSA) is composed of four business divisions: Assistance Programs (AP); General Relief; Children and Family Services (CFS); Family Self-Sufficiency & Adult Services (FSS-AS); and Administrative Services. SSA is responsible for planning, implementing and operating many of the social services programs provided by the County of Orange.
Click here to learn more about the Social Services Agency.
Click here to learn more about the County of Orange.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Employment and Eligibility Specialist (EES) duties include, but are not limited to the following: interviewing, evaluating and supporting clients; determining client eligibility for various programs within SSA; identifying resources and providing immediate assistance to clients; communicating regularly with clients; providing employment counseling; ensuring supportive services payments are issued to clients in a timely manner; explaining program requirements and job searches; performing case management; acting as liaison with work site supervisors to resolve any problems; and performing other duties as assigned.
In addition, the EES position will be working with clients experiencing severe homelessness, mental health issues, or other limited physical challenges and may also be former felons. Some Social Services Agency positions will be assigned to work at Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Laguna Hills, Orange, and Santa Ana.
TRAINING EXPECTATIONS
Selected candidates will attend an induction training in a classroom setting, including fieldwork. During classroom training, the work schedule is 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday - Friday. Other schedules may be available upon completion of training.

BILINGUAL PAY
There is a significant need for bilingual Spanish/English, Korean/English, Vietnamese/English, Arabic/English, and Farsi (Persian)/English speaking applicants. Bilingual applicants must be able to fluently speak, read, write, and understand a second language in addition to English. An additional $1.15 per hour is paid for positions requiring bilingual skills.
WORK SCHEDULE, LOCATION and PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT
Work schedules will vary depending on program needs. Work schedules are subject to change, based on the needs of the department.
Work location and program assignment will vary depending on the needs of the department.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will possess casework experience in a public or private organization working with a knowledge of addressing socioeconomic problems, cultural differences and barriers to employment associated with various ethnic or disadvantaged segments of the community. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge and/or experience in the following core competencies:

Technical Knowledge | Technical Experience:

• Proficiency in MS Office Suite/365, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms and Outlook
• Experience using Social Services Agency related computer/software programs such as OnBase (imaging software), Hyland Perceptive, SAWS such as CalSAWS/CalWIN, Medical Eligibility Data System (MEDS), RADEP, SNAP-QCS,
• Proficiency in core case work, with at least 2 years of recent casework in CalWORKs/CalFresh/Foster Care/Medi-Cal programs is highly desired
• Conducting complex professional/technical research, analysis, including interviews of clients

Case Management Skills:

• Having the ability to independently assess clients' needs
• Planning, implementing, coordinating, monitoring and evaluating social services options to meet clients' needs
• Determining barriers that prevent clients from cooperating with or participating in job related activities, and encouraging clients to obtain/retain employment, and to become self-sufficient

Critical Thinking | Problem Solving Skills:

• Using logic, good judgment and resources to carefully make sound and timely decisions/recommendations
• Working independently
• Solving challenging issues with participants that may be experiencing physical, emotional and/or mental challenges
• Making complex arithmetic computations in order to correctly determine eligibility to benefits
• Having the ability to act as liaison with work site supervisors to resolve issues
• Establishing priorities, organizing workload, and managing caseload effectively to meet critical deadlines
• Organizing, prioritizing and completing a large volume of work within designated timeframes/deadlines

Customer Service | Interpersonal Skills

• Effectively interviewing participants, utilizing interviewing and counseling techniques to solicit information.
• Being adaptable and flexible while maintaining a focus on quality of care and services
• Listening effectively and presenting ideas and complex materials concisely, clearly, and logically
• Maintaining confidentiality of all information and documents that are considered personal and sensitive in nature
• Conduct home and field visits
• Maintaining a professional demeanor when dealing with difficult clients
• Resolving conflicts, confrontations, or disagreements in a constructive manner to minimize negative program impact, maintaining professional demeanor in difficult situations

Communication Skills:

• Communicating and interacting clearly and effectively verbally and in writing, with all levels of staff and participants, while partnering with other government and professional entities, businesses and the general public

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Please click here for information on the minimum qualifications for the Employment and Eligibility Specialist classification.
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates will be required to undergo a background clearance check and must successfully clear prior to the start of their employment. All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Areas considered in the background check include conviction history, employment history, professional references and education verification (i.e. degree, license, or official transcripts) if applicable. Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (N.A.C.E.S.) In addition, a Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) background clearance check may be required. CACI is a repository of child abuse investigation reports managed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that contains information related to substantiated cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental/emotional abuse, and/or severe neglect of a child.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) screens all applications to identify the qualified candidates for the position based on the skills required to meet the needs of the County. After the initial screening, the qualified candidates will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.
Candidates are encouraged to take a Practice tests which can be accessed online at https://www.shldirect.com/en/practice-tests. (Note: the practice tests are meant to familiarize the candidate with SHL online testing and are therefore, generalized and may not necessarily reflect the exact same criteria/questions assessed during this recruitment online assessment).

• Application Screening: (Refer/Non-Refer) Human Resource Services (HRS) will initially screen applications for the minimum qualifications. Only those applications that meet the required qualifications will be referred to the next step.
• Online Assessment:(Weighted 100%) The online assessment will be scored and will cover required job related; behavioral competencies needed for this position. Only the highest scoring candidates will be referred to the next step.

ELIGIBLE LIST
Human Resource Services (HRS) will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.

Veterans Employment Preference

The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for Employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.

Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure.

Please see below for important information regarding COVID-19 related recommendations.
Effective April 3, 2023, it is strongly recommended that County employees working in health care settings and correctional facilities follow vaccination and booster guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please click here to see the latest guidance for more details. The position for which you are applying may be required to adhere to any applicable State or County Public Health Orders. You will receive notification of any requirement as it applies to a position. The position for which you are applying may be required to adhere to any applicable State or County Public Health Orders. You will receive notification of any requirement as it applies to a position.
EMAIL NOTIFICATION
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.
NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.
Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile atwww.governmentjobs.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.
For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, Cindy Mora at (714) 245-6265 or cindy.mora@ssa.ocgov.com. Employment Type: Full-Time Regular