Public Health Program Assistant Ii - Operation & Maintenance

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.

• 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.

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:

• 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)

Employment Type: Regular Full-Time Employee