Homeless Services Program Assistant

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is recruiting for a Homeless Services Program Assistantfor our Office of Housing and Homeless Prevention Division.
As a Homeless Services Program Assistant, you will be responsible for performing professional and technical work in the administration and planning of Homeless Services and contract and grant management support to include contract development, program monitoring, program reporting, invoice processing, and policy and program development.
Some of the essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Reviewing invoices for compliance with program requirements.
• Drafting contracts and contract amendments.
• Preparing meeting materials and taking minutes for public meetings.
• Assisting with monitoring of grantee performance.
• Coordinating with fiscal staff to track contract budgets.
• Assisting in preparing documents for Request for Proposals processes.
• Supporting data collection and reporting efforts.
• Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations..

The ideal candidate has the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of affordable housing and Homeless Services Programs, mental health programs, developmental disabilities programs, and local social service agencies.
• Knowledge of research techniques essential to program needs assessment and planning.
• Ability to write clear and concise documents, reports, correspondence, and other related work.
• Ability to review budgets and invoices and verify basic financial calculations.
• Knowledge of long- and short-range program development.
• Knowledge of local government policy- and decision-making processes.
• Knowledge of resource management issues.
• Ability to communicate and negotiate effectively among diverse interests and groups.

What we offer our employees:

• Work-Life Balance: We are committed to ensuring that our staff experience the reward of public service, while also sustaining a routine that suits each individual's lifestyle.
• Plan for Your Future: As a member of our team, you enjoy great employee benefits, including a retirement plan, pre-tax savings accounts, as well as comprehensive health care and dental/vision care for you and your family. Please visit our 2024 Thurston County Employee Benefit Planswebsite for more information.
• Paid Leave: Full-time regular employees earn a minimum of 12 paid vacation days per year in addition to 11 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays.
• Robust Training Program: Employees are encouraged to attend County-paid training to help them further their career, learn new skill sets, and stay on top of emerging trends in our industry. We also encourage staff to participate in professional organizations and attend conferences.
• Flexible Work Schedules: Options some employees may take advantage of are alternative or compressed schedules and/or remote working.
• See under Benefitslater in this job description for detailed information about the many other benefits the County offers.

Why you'll love it here:
Thurston County is located between Seattle and Portland in Western Washington's South Puget Sound Region. Perched between the mountains and the ocean, the area boasts the perfect blend of year-round outdoor activities including boating, hiking, skiing, and more. The region is also home to the state capital city of Olympia, known for its many restaurants, microbreweries, coffee shops, farmers markets, kids' activities, history, and art events. Discover more about life in Thurston County at Experienceolympia.com.

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Social Work or closely related field. Experience may be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
• Two years professional and administrative experience providing care management services to individuals in the designated population(s) in the program area or any equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the applicant with the desired knowledge, skills and ability required to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to utilize a personal computer with applicable software to successfully perform essential job functions of the position including word processing, spread sheet, analysis, information retrieval, and tracking.
• Current Washington State Driver's License or have requested and obtained an appropriate accommodation.

Respect and Organizational Culture:

• Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
• Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
• Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment

Communication:

• Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
• Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
• Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
• Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors

Goal Setting and Accomplishment:

• Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
• Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
• Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
• Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
• Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change

Questions about this recruitment?
The contact person for this recruitment is: Vickie Larkin: vickie.larkin@co.thurston.wa.us or (360) 867-2505
This position is:
- NOT represented by a union
- Eligible for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Eligible for benefits
- Contingent on the ability to pass a criminal background check
Items required for consideration:
- Application
- Resume
- Cover letter
PLEASE NOTE: The candidate selected for this position is requiredto show proof of the following immunizations by their agreed upon start date:

• Proof of immunizations of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR)
• Proof of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap/TD)

Employment Type: Regular Full-Time Employee