Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Programmer I

Recruitment #19-1821-01

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

 

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

 

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

DESCRIPTION

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.  

 

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

The Information Technology Department (ITD) is the central technology support for the County’s agencies and departments who serve our communities. Our more than 1.5 million residents and countless customers around the world depend on the services the County provides. ITD powers those services in ways that our tech savvy constituents have come to expect; giving them access to services when and where they need them. We are a team of technology professionals and evangelists with a wide-range of technological skills and diverse experiences. We provide great customer service and high-quality products.

 

We are passionate about our work and we are proud of the numerous awards we have won. We are very excited about the cultural change in our department. We are transforming the perceptions of government technology and redefining ourselves. We are “staying ahead of the wave” by fostering innovation, pushing the envelope, and taking risks. We have embraced the entrepreneurial spirit of our start-up neighbors in Silicon Valley. We are more than just technologists though. We are also passionate about our communities. We are volunteers, food drive donors, activists, and humanitarians who love the communities we work and live in.

To learn more about the department please visit the Information Technology Department Website. https://itd.acgov.org/index.page

 

THE DIVISION

ITD’s Application Systems Group offers a variety of application development services. We can design, build, support and implement web apps, mobile apps for Apple and Android devices, enterprise apps such as PeopleSoft Financials and HRMS, custom apps using various modern and legacy technologies like JAVA, JavaScript, .NET, HTML, C#, Web API, MVC, Entity Framework, PHP, COBOL, etc. and cloud based or SAS solutions. ITD has developed and supports dozens of enterprise class custom applications for the various County departments and agencies, as well as several regional applications serving many of the Bay Area counties and local governments. We bring together our understanding of your business, technical expertise, and project methodology to deliver superior technology solutions within agreed up on timeline and budget.

 

THE POSITION

Under supervision, to monitor operational data processing information systems, making corrections, revisions, and enhancements to existing computer programs and procedures; to design, code, and test small to moderately complex computer programs or program modules; and to do related work as required.

Programmer I is the entry-level class in the programmer series. Incumbents participate in the programming of simple problems and are assigned clearly defined segments of larger or more complex programs or systems.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications and knowledge and skills below, the ideal candidate will:

  • Possess excellent technical skills including: Knowledge of methods and practices of computer systems design, programming and implementation; Knowledge of structuring techniques for efficient program construction and maintenance; Knowledge of standard application design methodology; The ability to apply testing theory and quality standards to software development; Knowledge of basic software systems testing.
  • Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of principles and practices of technical problem solving.
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with those contacted in the course of business.

For a detailed listing of the essential responsibilities and core competency requirements for this position, please click here for the job description.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either I

Education:
The equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a major in MIS, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a closely related field. Or possession of a certificate in computer programming or equivalent.

Or II

Experience:
The equivalent of one year of full-time experience programming in any language or technology.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Methods and practices of computer systems design, programming and implementation.
• Structuring techniques for efficient program construction and maintenance.
• Standard application design methodology.
• Industry standard practices for the software development life cycle.
• Principles and practices of technical problem solving.
• Basic software systems testing.

Abilities:

• Design simple system interfaces.
• Use appropriate utilities and available software products.
• Apply testing theory and quality standards to software development.
• Understand and implement detailed functional specifications.
• Deliver elements of systems design, including data migration rules, business rules, wireframes, or other detailed deliverables.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Coordinate and manage information technology related activities.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with management and internal support units.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. 2) Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process which is a review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process, an oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

 

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

 

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

 

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:  

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

 

Deadline for Filing

5:00pm, Monday, July 15, 2019

Review of Minimum Qualification

July 19, 2019  

Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified

August 7, 2019

Oral Interview Exam**

Week of August 19, 2019

 

**The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

 

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

 

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

 

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs/divisions/ps/application.htm

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Vision or Vision Reimbursement
  • Share the Savings
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
  • County Allowance Credit
  • Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Floating Holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Catastrophic Sick Leave
  • Employee Mortgage Loan Program
  • Group Auto/Home Insurance
  • Pet Insurance
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

 

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

 

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

 

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

 

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

 

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.