Public Health Program Assistant Ii - Fess

Salary: $4,317.00 - $5,742.00 Monthly
Location : Thurston County, WA
Job Type: Regular Full-Time Employee
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 40R01313
Department:Public Health & Social Services
Division: Environmental Health
Opening Date: 01/31/2024
Closing Date: 2/7/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: AFSCME CO
Summary of Duties
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services is recruiting for a Public Health Program Assistant II position for our Environmental Health Division.
Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is Thurston County's local health jurisdiction and human services department and is responsible for protecting the health and promoting the well-being of all people who live, work, and play in Thurston County. We value diversity and strive to foster a sense of belonging, honoring the unique experiences, cultures, skills, backgrounds, identities, and perspectives of our employees and community. As an agency actively working to address health equity, we aspire for everyone to have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of their individual circumstances.
As a Public Health Program Assistant II, you will support our Operation & Maintenance section and Water Quality section by providing excellent customer service and general office support.
Specific responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Provide program-specific information to the public via phone, mail, or in person.
• Provide administrative and technical support to Environmental Health staff.
• Create, maintain, and update information in program-specific databases, programs, and spreadsheets.
• Prepare reports, including daily application processing report.
• Establish and maintain files, records, accounts, and other information sources as needed to support and document program activities.
• Create and monitor office procedures and filing systems for effectiveness and adjust as needed.
• Responsible for department archiving and maintaining archived records and files.
• Responsible for tracking, quality assurance, responding to, and reporting of Environmental Health program requirements.
• May be required to conduct research to appropriately answer program-specific questions.
• Monitor, purchase, and coordinate distribution of program inventory, including brochures and department supplies.
• Review program fees, prepares billings, maintain cash receipt records, balance daily cash receipting, and make deposits.
• Compose, draft, proofread, and edit reports, letters, newsletters, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and other types of correspondence as needed.
• Create monthly notices and bills and track and process payments in Permit Tracking Database, Microsoft Access, and Point and Pay payment system.
• Process and distribute incoming mail and scan and route incoming applications and historic program records.
• Coordinate workshops, including notification, enrollment, resource materials, and certificates.
• Contact customers to obtain additional information for the program, if needed.
• Develop and maintain training record system to provide for proper evaluation, control, and documentation of programs.
• 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:

• Excellent time management
• Ability to multi-task
• Familiar with office equipment, copier/printer, multi-line phones
• Experience in Microsoft applications
• Strong organizational skills
• Customer service experience
• Familiar with billing/accounts payable

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
Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• Four years of related office experience, which included 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's license or have an appropriate accommodation

PLEASE NOTE: The candidate selected for this position is required to 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 you...