Probation Services Manager I (Open & Promotional)

Probation Services Manager

The San Mateo County Probation Department is seeking highly qualified candidates to join their management team for the position of Probation Services Manager! The mission of the San Mateo County Probation Department is to enhance community safety, reduce crime, and assist the victims of crime through offender accountability and rehabilitation. The vision of the Department is to be a proactive and innovative agency that facilitates positive changes in offenders' behaviors that reduce recidivism and foster a law-abiding lifestyle.

Probation Services Manager I will supervise Deputy Probation Officers, other division staff and its programs; train, evaluate and counsel assigned personnel; participate in departmental management teams; assist in the development, implementation and interpretation of line administrative policies and procedures; establish effective working relationships with staff, other law enforcement and social services agencies, community organizations and the public; handle multiple tasks with frequently changing priorities; respond creatively to personnel and budgetary constraints; evaluate and report on individual staff development and performance; and prepare complex analytical and statistical reports.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in sociology, psychology, corrections, administration of justice, counseling, or related disciplines.
• A genuine desire to be a part of the department's management team and its future.
• Superior interpersonal skills with expertise in motivating and developing staff.
• Enthusiasm for the job.
• A positive and flexible outlook and excitement for new challenges.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well independently and as a member of a team.
• Excellent organizational ability for handling multiple tasks and urgent issues quickly and simultaneously.
• Knowledge/understanding of evidence-based treatment and supervision practices for juvenile and adult offenders.
• Initiative and sound independent judgment when responding to the public and dealing with problems.
• Skills as a consensus builder who is a firm, fair, responsive, and tactful leader with excellent group facilitation skills.
• Ability to demonstrate creativity when dealing with programs and staff issues.
• A willingness to take reasonable risks; this individual is not threatened by change; they promote and welcome new and/or creative ideas.

Note: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plan, direct, supervise, and evaluate the work of subordinate personnel.
• Coordinate the work of a small programmatic or service unit.
• Assign cases, supervise, and review the activities of a staff of deputy probation officers.
• Explain and interpret departmental policies and procedures to the staff and see that they are carried out.
• Cooperate with representatives from state and local government, welfare, school, and law enforcement agencies.
• Interpret and execute instructions from the courts.
• Consult with professionals in the fields of criminal justice, medicine, and mental health care.
• Evaluate and report on the performance of individual staff development.
• Participate in community education activities, supervise departmental training activities.
• Prepare reports.
• Interpret and make presentations to agencies, community organizations, and private citizens on crime and delinquency problems, methods of rehabilitation, and objectives of the courts and the department.
• Represent the Probation Department as required in formal and informal meetings, conferences, and oral and written communications.
• Perform a variety of special assignments, prepare complex analytical and statistical reports in any of several areas of human resource planning, as assigned.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and/or experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

Education: Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in sociology, psychology, corrections, administration of justice, counseling, or related disciplines.

Experience: Two years of increasingly responsible experience performing a wide variety of probation duties in a large, complex public agency.

Knowledge of: Federal, state, and local laws and regulations applicable to probation work; principles and practices of organizational analysis and probation planning; principles and practices of probation casework and methods of dealing with crime, delinquency prevention, control, and rehabilitation; accepted methods of juvenile group and casework techniques and practices; principles of financial administration, including public budgeting; community resources available for probation casework; computer systems and applications as used within the County; principles, concepts, and techniques of program management and evaluation; effective methods of supervision and management principles; strategies for motivating and managing employees; computer systems and applications as used within the County.

Skill/Ability to: Direct and participate in advanced administrative and operational activities related to probation work; coordinate program area activities with other departments, programs, and/or outside agencies; direct and participate in the analysis of a wide variety of moderate to complex administrative/operational problems and make effective operational and/or procedural recommendations; develop and administer policies, guidelines, and procedures related to assigned program area; utilize appropriate interpersonal style and methods of communication to gain acceptance, cooperation, or agreement of a plan, activity, and/or program idea; provide leadership in stressful situations, while maintaining interpersonal, cultural, and ethnic awareness and sensitivity; supervise, evaluate, and train assigned personnel; interpret laws and regulations; analyze and solve problems effectively; communicate effectively both orally and in writing; perform complex mathematical and statistical calculations accurately; establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.

Other Requirement: Must be a citizen of the United States or qualify under provisions of the California Government Code Section 1031.5.

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. The examination process will consist of an application screening based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions (weight: pass/fail). Candidates who pass the application screening may be invited to a panel interview (weight:100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations, or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California, and applicants must participate at their own expense. Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to http://jobs.smcgov.org to apply.

About the County San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.