Alcohol And Other Drug Services Specialist

Position Information

Are you an experienced Alcohol and Other Drug Services professional?
If so, join our Behavioral Health team in this critical role!
Starting salary up to $47.37/hour ($98,866/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*
The County of Sonoma seeks candidates to fill multiple full-time Alcohol & Other Drug Services (AODS) Specialist positions in the Behavioral Health Division of the Department of Health Services (DHS). These critical positions will act as lead workers for an AOD program, providing expanded service opportunities for clients of the Veterans Court Program.
Please note: California Health and Safety Code Section 11833(b)(1) now requires AODS Specialists to be licensed, registered, or certified. Please see the "Minimum Qualifications" section of this job announcement for more information about this requirement.
What We Offer
Benefits
You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including
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.

• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance of up to $850 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Eligibility for 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
• A hybrid telework schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
• County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits

Duties For AODS Specialists Include

• Conducting counseling sessions, screenings, and American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) assessments
• Developing treatment/service plans, problem lists and providing referrals as needed
• Developing and revising enrollment criteria and updating policies and procedures
• Acting as the court coordinator which includes collecting client information and progress in the program and reporting out to the courts
• Interpreting state, federal, and local laws, ordinances, and rules and regulations that pertain to the County’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services
• Preparing data, reports, and summaries for program managers and supervisors
• Providing coverage as needed for various services/programs
• Monitoring client’s progress on an ongoing basis
• Acting as lead oversight staff of your assigned program(s) including scheduling of staff, assigning caseloads, providing programmatic support, and acting as the primary liaison between contractors, courts, agencies, and other community partners
• Generating and analyzing reports related to the delivery of direct services

The Ideal Candidates For These Positions Will Possess

• Experience leading, scheduling, coaching, or training staff
• 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 Engineers and Scientists of California Union Local 20 Memorandum of Understanding (ESC MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory .
• A demonstrated ability to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships within interdisciplinary teams and between different programs and/or departments
• Experience with electronic records systems (SWITS and/or other external data systems), electronic billing and/or claiming, data entry, trainings, and generating reports
• An AODS Counselor registration or certification
• Extensive knowledge of the Behavioral Health System of Care within the County of Sonoma
• Experience providing substance use disorder interventions including motivational interviewing, substance abuse counseling, and crisis intervention
• Experience screening and assessing for substance use disorders, formulating treatment plans, and providing case management services

This recruitment is being conducted to fill multiple full-time Alcohol and Other Drug Services Specialist positions in the Department of Health Services. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) bilingual positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified C ounty employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be either: Three years of experience equivalent to the Sonoma County class of Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor II and academic course work that directly relates to the knowledge and skills listed, including college level coursework in sociology, psychology, alcohol and drug treatment and closely related fields. A bachelor's degree in any of the areas described is highly desirable.
OR
Four years of experience with responsibilities involving the development, implementation and administration of alcohol and drug treatment and education programs and academic course work that directly relates to the knowledge and skills listed, including college level coursework in sociology, psychology, alcohol and drug treatment and closely related fields. A bachelor's degree in any of the areas described is highly desirable.
Special Qualification: All employees of this class must register, obtain, and maintain a Counselor Certification as defined by the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 8: Certification of Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors. Upon appointment to this class, employees will have six months to register and five years to obtain Certification from an ADP approved certifying organization whose curriculum includes a minimum of 240 hours of formal classroom training. Human Resources will waive the Counselor Certification requirement for licensed professionals (or registered interns) who successfully pass a written examination similar to that administered for Certification. This examination will be administered by the Sonoma County Human Resources Department, and will be designed to measure those areas included in the curriculum required for certification.
Due to regulatory changes, California Health and Safety Code Section 11833(b)(1) requires that any individual who provides counseling services in a licensed or certified AODS program, except for licensed professionals*, must be registered or certified with an organization approved by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Individuals must be currently licensed, registered, or certified to be eligible for employment.
A list of approved certification agencies recognized by the DHCS may be found at the following site:
http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/CounselorCertificationOrganizations.aspx

• Licensed professionals include a physician licensed by the Medical Board of California; or a psychologist licensed by the Board of Psychology; or a clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, or an intern registered with the California Board of Psychology or the California Board of Behavioral Sciences .

Additional Special Qualification: Some positions may require the ability to fluently speak and write a language other than English.
Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
Knowledge of: treatment and rehabilitation techniques used in the identification and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse County, State and Federal laws governing public alcohol and other drug abuse programs; the principles, methods, and techniques used to develop formal and informal training programs associated with the assigned specialty area; the methods and techniques used to develop community information and educational programs; the needs, problems, attitudes and behavior problems of the alcohol and drug abusing person; modern methods of diagnosing and treating persons who misuse alcohol and drugs; basic principles of individual and group behavior; socio-economic, environmental, and cultural factors affecting the behavior of alcohol and drug abusing persons; principles and techniques of group, family and individual counseling; laws, rules, regulations and department policies related to client confidentiality; counseling techniques related to the treatment of alcohol and other drug abusing clients; services and resources provided through other governmental agencies and community-based organizations for alcohol and other drug abuse treatment and education; methods and techniques used to plan and control the work of others assigned to specific projects; County program policies and procedures; court procedures and etiquette; community organizations involved in alcohol and other drug abuse programs; principles of supervision; effective personnel practices including recognition, performance evaluation, and progressive discipline; principles and techniques of employee training.
Ability to: plan, organize, conduct, and evaluate the effectiveness of training and educational programs; use community resources to establish and maintain community alcohol and other drug abuse care, treatment, and education programs; oversee and coordinate the work of other staff; train, develop and lead staff; understand and apply County alcohol and other drug program policies and procedures; provide consultative services in complex situations involving behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; evaluate the behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; coordinate the delivery of alcohol and other drug abuse services; analyze situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action; recognize problems that call for the use of public and private community resources; assess situations, identify problems, develop problem solving options, identify associated risks, and make most appropriate decision; effectively listen, mediate and resolve complaints; read, interpret, apply, and explain complex regulations and reports; communicate effectively with persons from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; establish and maintain effective work relationships with all types of persons encountered in the course of work; develop rapport and maintain cooperative relationships with clients and service providers; read, understand, apply and explain regulations and procedures governing job training programs; prepare clear and concise oral and written reports; work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team; use computers and related equipment as necessary for job assignments.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should 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.

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 BE COMPLETED.
Responses to supplemental questions will be used in assessing minimum qualifications. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses which state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient.
The Selection Procedure Will Consist Of The Following Examination
An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (Weight 100%). Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be placed on an employment list and referred to the department for selection interviews.
Additional Information
A background investigation may be 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 applicants.
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 bulletin 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: DP
HR Technician: RR