
Posting number: 202601852
Department: Police Department
Job classification: Office Specialist, Principal
Posting type: Open
Categories: Law Enforcement
The San José Police Department is dedicated to providing public safety through community partnerships and 21st Century Policing practices, ensuring equity for all. The Department is committed to treating all of San Jose’s diverse community members with dignity, fairness, and respect, while protecting their rights and providing equal protection under the law.
The San Jose Police Department is seeking to fill a vacancy for a Principal Office Specialist position in the Reserves Unit.
This position will primarily provide clerical and administrative support to the Reserve Director. The ideal candidate will possess a high level of professionalism, requires exceptional verbal and written communication skills, excellent computer skills and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with a high level of ethics, integrity, and a supreme work ethic.
Completion of high school or equivalent (General Education Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate) AND three (3) years of experience in varied office clerical work.
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university may be substituted for the required experience.
Submit to a personal background investigation as required by the Police Department.
Competencies
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:
Job Expertise – Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies, and federal and state rules and regulations.
Communication Skills – Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts.
Computer Skills – Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.
Customer Service – Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
Multi-Tasking - Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).
Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills – Build and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and other PD units, including Central Supply, the Range, Fiscal, OSSD, and the City Manager and Clerk’s offices. Demonstrates teamwork by assisting others, collaborating to achieve shared goals, and effectively resolving conflicts.
Flexibility – Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.
Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promote job performance.
Selection Process
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process may consist of one or more interviews and a background investigation.
You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process. Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit, including spaces, for each text response.
You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Alexandria Rodriguez at Alexandria.Rodriguez@sanjoseca.gov.

From its founding in 1777 as California's first city, San José has been a leader driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San José stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley—the world's leading center of technology innovation. San José is the 10th largest in the U.S., and is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, work, live, play and learn.
San José is located in Santa Clara County at the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay, about 50 miles south of San Francisco, 390 miles north of Los Angeles. The local weather is hard to beat with moderate year-round temperatures. Residents enjoy 300 days of sunshine each year and an average annual temperature of 70 degrees.
The City of San José operates under the council-manager form of government, a system that combines the policy leadership of elected officials in the form of a city council, with the managerial expertise of an appointed city manager.