Public Health Program Assistant I - Eh Water Lab

Salary: $3,783.00 - $5,032.00 Monthly
Location : Thurston County, WA
Job Type: Regular Part-Time Employee
Job Number: 40R01616
Department:Public Health & Social Services
Division: Environmental Health
Opening Date: 11/29/2023
Closing Date: 12/13/2023 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: AFSCME CO
Summary of Duties
Thurston County Public Health & Social Services is hiring for a part-time (.5 FTE)Public Health Program Assistant I - EH Water Labposition in the Environmental Health (EH) division. In this role, you will provide administrative tasks for the Water Laboratory.
Some of the essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide information to the public by phone, email, letter, or in person related to program requirements.
• Establish files and entering appropriate information into computer programs and/or databases.
• Create and maintain databases and prepare spreadsheets reports.
• Follow up, track, ensure quality assurance, and file reports in response to state requirements.
• Monitor and coordinate purchasing and distribution of program inventory and other supplies.
• Create/maintain billing accounts: generate monthly bills and track and process payments.
• Process water sample results (via mail, email, and fax).
• Drive a County vehicle to pick up and deliver water samples to the laboratory.
• Send results to the public, state agencies, and federal agencies.
• 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:

• Ability to multi-task and pay attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain complex specialized records and prepare narrative or statistical reports.

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 2023 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
• 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 include 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
Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• Two years of related office experience, which includes general office practices and arithmetic, basic bookkeeping, customer service, filing, etc.
• Must have the ability to operate a personal computer and applicable software to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Desired Skills
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

Other Position Related Information
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:

• 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
• Possess a current Washington State driver license or have an appropriate accommodation

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)

Thurston County provides a comprehensive benefits package to all regular employees. The following is a brief summary of available benefits offered to county employees. Benefits are subject to change and may differ according to collective bargaining agreements. Plan documents and eligibility requirements are provided upon hire. This information is subject to change at anytime.
Health Care Benefits:
Thurston County provides medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage for all regular full-time employees enrolled in the County's standard plans. For regular part-time employees, who work less than 75% of an FTE, the county pays a pro-rated portion of the cost for medical, dental, vision and life insurance.
Medical
Thurston County provides medical benefits through the Washington State's Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB). Plan availability is based on county of residence. Each year the County determines the standard and non-standard plans. For standard plans, the County pays the full employee premium.
Dental
Dental plans are provided through the Washington Counties Insurance Fund (WCIF). Employees have the opportunity to choose between two plans, Delta Dental, a preferred provider plan or Willamette Dental, an HMO plan.
Vision
Thurston County employees have Vision Service Plan coverage through the Washington Counties Insurance Fund (WCIF). Employees also have additional vision coverage through their medical plan.
Life Insurance
The County provides each regular, full-time employee with a basic, term life plan of $36,000 life insurance and $36,000 accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage. Additional voluntary, supplemental life insurance and AD&D insurance is available as a payroll deduction.
Dependent Coverage
Eligible dependents may be added to all coverage listed above. Depending upon the bargaining unit, the County pays up to a specific maximum amount toward dependent coverage with the employee paying any amount above the County maximum contribution.
Pension Plans:
Retirement
Eligible Thurston County employees participate in the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems' pension plans (PERS, PSERS, or LEOFF). With the exception of PERS plan 3, all of these plans are "defined benefit" plans with retirement benefits based on your average compensation and earned service credits. PERS Plan 3 is a hybrid plan incorporating both "defined benefit" and "defined contribution" elements. These plans are funded by both employer and employee contributions.
Deferred Compensation
The County offers three voluntary deferred compensation plans for employees who would like to set aside additional deferred tax dollars into a retirement savings plan. Deferred compensation plans are 457 plans as defined by IRS regulations.
Holiday and Leave Programs:
Paid Leave
Thurston County offers two leave plans, Alternative leave and Traditional leave. In the Alternative Leave program, leave is accrued per pay period and may be used for vacation and/or sick leave purposes. Employees in the Traditional Leave program accrue both sick leave and annual leave each pay period.
Thurston County Observed Holidays
Eleven paid are observed by Thurston County. Depending on union contract, regular employees receive one floating holiday and one Community Service Day each calendar year, or two floating holidays each calendar year.
Other County Paid Benefits:
Long Term Disability (LTD)
The county's long term disability plan provides a monthly benefit of 60% of your monthly base salary up to $6,000 per month after a waiting period of 90 days of disability.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employees and immediate family members are eligible to receive confidential, professional counseling assessment and referral services through First Choice Health. The employee assistance program can assist and respond to all kinds of requests for counseling assessment and life concerns, such as, relationship concerns, family problems, alcohol and drug abuse problems, financial crisis, identification theft, general stress, caregiver burnout, depression, etc. Services are available 24-hours per day, 7-days per week.
Additional Voluntary Benefits:
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Employees can take advantage of Section 125 flexible spending accounts for out-of-pocket health care and daycare expenses. Section 125 FSAs allow you to pay for allowable health-related and/or dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Short Term Disability
The County's short term disability plan is meant to assist with temporary periods of disability, as well as bridge the 90 day waiting period before the County's Long Term Disability begins. It provides a benefit of 60% of employees weekly base salary up to $1,000 per week after a waiting period of 30 days.
Worksite Plans:

• Accident Insurance is designed to help pay for costs not covered by employee health insurance when injured due to an accident.
• Hospital Indemnity will pay a lump sum if an employee is admitted to the hospital, and will pay a lump sum for each day your are inpatient, to a maximum of 15 days per year.
• Critical Illness will pay a lump sum if you are diagnosed with certain serious conditions. Cancer, heart attack, and stroke are a few of the listed conditions in this policy.

Electronic Payroll Savings with TreasuryDirect
County employees can invest in TreasuryDirect electronic savings bonds (Series I and EE) by requesting a payroll deduction. Monthly deductions are forwarded to the Federal Reserve, which enables employees to buy and redeem electronic savings bonds directly from the United States Treasury Department.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Thurston County is a qualified employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Act. Employees may be eligible for federal student loan forgiveness.
Additional Benefits
The County also offers direct deposit, credit union memberships, a Commute Trip Reduction Program, and other miscellaneous benefits.
Please click for more information or visit the Thurston County Benefits website: