Job Description

Posting number: 26/08-3383-OB

Department: Department of Health Services (DHS)

Job classification: COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER SPECIALIST

Posting type: Open

Categories: Health Services, Public Health, Health Education

If you're looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact and be a part of a team dedicated to promoting public health, we encourage you to apply to be a Bilingual Community Health Worker Specialist!

Starting salary up to $39.87/hour ($83,213/year), a competitive total compensation package*, AND a fluent bilingual premium**!

About the Position

Community Health Worker Specialists play a crucial role in the County of Sonoma's Department of Health Services, providing a range of comprehensive educational and outreach services that help individuals and families in the community receive the support they need. Working at the community level, these positions support improvements to programs and systems that support a well-integrated network of services and supports. These essential positions focus on community outreach, health education, and coalition engagement in support of public health prevention initiatives. Our Community Health Worker Specialists understand the complex system of health care delivery and how our underserved populations in the community access services, including the barriers to these services. While we currently have one fluent, bilingual (English/Spanish) position open, we urge folks who are interested in being a Community Health Worker Specialist and have a bilingual skill set to apply to this recruitment for possible future openings.

The Public Health Division is currently hiring one full-time Community Health Worker Specialist with fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) skills to support two public health programs: the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) and Tobacco Prevention programs. Playing a key role in public outreach and education, this position will:

• Represent the programs at community events and meetings, both virtual and in person
• Engage with local coalitions and community groups by attending meetings, providing updates, facilitating discussions, and delivering presentations
• Assist with training related to tobacco prevention policies and implementation strategies
• Provide health education and communication on topics related to the health and well-being of the MCAH population
• Conduct community outreach and education by distributing culturally responsive education materials, flyers, and outreach content (including using social media)
• Assist with the translation and cultural adaptation of health-related materials, community questions, and social media posts from English to Spanish

As an ideal candidate for our Community Health Worker Specialist position, you will have some knowledge of local community resources and experience collaborating with community members and organizations. In addition, you will possess many of the following:

• Experience implementing public-facing health-related programs
• Training or experience working with media, including developing media that is shared with the public (this could be social media posts, ads, short videos, etc.)
• A Community Health Worker certificate (either completed or currently enrolled in a program to complete)
• Excellent communication skills, with an emphasis on communicating with empathy
• The ability to build relationships with community members from diverse backgrounds
• An interest in working in the community in a health-related space
• A passion for public speaking and educating the public on health-related topics at outreach events, community meetings, and facilitated presentations

The County of Sonoma is interested in finding the best candidate for this position and will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, education, and training to meet the minimum qualifications, as described below. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and transferable skill set and how they set you up to be the best candidate for this position.

Community Health Worker Specialists serve a variety of programs within the Department of Health Services and may work with community members, community-based organizations, healthcare partners, and other agencies to improve access to services, provide health education and outreach, strengthen community partnerships, and support improved health outcomes. The employment list established through this recruitment may be used to fill future bilingual Community Health Worker Specialist vacancies with other program assignments.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Bilingual Premium Pay** - An additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Community Health Worker Specialist fluent, bilingual (English/Spanish) position in the Department of Health Services. This bilingual position requires English and Spanish skills at the fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay is $1.50/hour for fluent skill sets.

The employment list established from this recruitment may also fill other full-time, part-time, and extra-help bilingual (English/Spanish) positions that may occur during the active status of the employment list. Qualified candidates who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Examples of duties

Experience and Education: Any combination of education and work experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally, this would include coursework in education, sociology, psychology, nutrition, or a closely related course, and one year of experience equivalent to that of a Community Health Worker II. Possession of a Community Health Worker Certificate is highly desirable.

Special Requirement: Designated positions may require the ability to speak and write a language in addition to English.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Qualifications

Considerable knowledge of: Department of Health Services' programs, policies and procedures; a wide variety of community health and social services resources; psycho/social/cultural issues faced by members of the underserved and at risk communities served; a wide variety of public and private health care community support services.

Working knowledge of Methods and procedures of training staff and volunteers; methods and procedures of health education; principles and practices related to public speaking and the development of formal presentations; methods and techniques of conducting interviews; counseling techniques.

Knowledge of: basic public health principles, health behavior theories, healthy lifestyles and self-care, as well as the social determinants of health and related disparities.

Ability to conduct self-management coaching, manage conflict, use interviewing techniques, coordinate care, communicate with residents of the underserved and at risk communities and with representatives of public and private agencies providing community health-related services; work effectively and gain support with clients of different ages and backgrounds; provide training and education to staff, clients, community agency staff, and the public; communicate effectively both orally and in writing in English; work well with others; function as a team member, and benefit from supervision and training; carry out a variety of assignments and balance priorities in assigned area(s) with minimal supervision.

Supplemental information

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: SZ

HR Technician: KK