8529-Probation Assistant - Exam Announcement - City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 94103

About the Job

Company Description

This announcement has been administratively updated on 1/23/2025.

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

Application Opening: January 21, 2025
Application Deadline: February 5, 2025 @ 12:00AM
Exam Type: Class Based Test
Eligible List Type: Entrance
Certification Rule: Rule of Ten (10) What does this mean?
Recruitment ID: CBT-8529-X00090
Salary range: $70,720 - $85,930

To Apply: Submit your application online by clicking on "I'm Interested" and completing the application. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Please Note: If applying through Indeed, you must complete the City and County of San Francisco application through SmartRecruiters by going to: https://careers.sf.gov/ . Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Who We Are:

The San Francisco Adult Probation Department values the individuality and diversity of justice involved adults, recognize the unique challenges they face, and invest in their success through services designed to help them permanently exit the criminal justice system. Our reentry and rehabilitative services complement our supervision strategies by providing a unique blend of opportunity and accountability. We provide a continuum of supportive, integrated services that are tailored to address individual needs, empower clients to overcome barriers, and help them become contributing members of the community. SFAPD dedicates endless energy toward enhancing public safety, seeking victim restoration and accountability, providing structured and evidence-based supervision, all on the behalf of the Superior Court of San Francisco. The Department’s mission: Protect and Serve the Community, Further Justice, Inspire Change, and Prioritize Racial Equity so that all People May Thrive, is achieved through the implementation and integration of evidence based practices which have been shown to be effective in reducing recidivism and improving public safety.

Job Description

INTRODUCTION

Under general supervision, the Probation Assistant position provides para-professional support to Deputy Probation Officers and/or civilian personnel by monitoring clients to ensure compliance with conditions of their probation and release and providing recommendations for action on assigned cases. This class is responsible for significant interaction with clients and collateral agencies to conduct general inquiries and provide information.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

The Probation Assistant is a non-sworn para-professional position. This class is unique in that it provides technical support to the Deputy Probation Officers; and performs such duties with some degree of latitude and independence. This class encompasses a wide range of duties and responsibilities, from beginning through the fully experienced journey level, and performs assignments that require a medium degree of ability and initiative as experience is gained. Class 8529 duties may be performed under the direction of Class 8444/8530 Deputy Probation Officers, supervising sworn personnel or Chief Clerk and Principal Clerk personnel.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

None

MAJOR, IMPORTANT, AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list. An 8529 Probation Assistant may be assigned to any one of three units within the department at any time.

1. Serve as liaison to collateral agencies including, but not limited to, the courts, DA’s office, schools, social services, mental health and other treatment providers, and local law enforcement agencies; research and retrieve documents requested by the court regarding records disposition and conditions of probation; may represent the department at community group meetings.

2. Locate and communicate with clients by telephone and in the office to gather factual information required for the terms of their probation, prepare referrals to available services and verify payment of court-imposed fines, restitution and child support; conduct client drug testing and maintain the chain of custody of information; transport clients to a variety of non-custodial locations.

3. Gather information from victims (who may be individuals, corporations, small businesses, the City of San Francisco, etc.) to determine restitution for pre-sentence investigations. Submit restitution reports for Court probation matters, complete judicial council forms and maintain case notes.

4. Update information in the criminal justice and case management systems on the verification of program completion/participation; update departmental databases with changes to contact information, services provided, and resources used.

5. Provide administrative support to Probation Officers and civilian personnel.

6. Perform Client checks-ins for clients visiting the Community Assessment and Service Center (CASC) for services, resources, and visits with the Probation Officers. This may entail metal detection screening, client bag checking, assisting clients with locker usage; searching for clients in the CASC Access database; entering client information and visit purpose into the CASC database, which tracks client traffic into the CASC.

7. Interact with and support clients visiting the CASC with various needs such as, but not limited to, breakfast, lunch, and food bag distribution, helping clients get to the correct on-site services or groups/classes, and answering questions clients may have regarding available services and resources.

8. Train new or reassigned probation assistants and may act as a backup to other units.

9. Process and sort incoming/outgoing mail and deliveries; operate office equipment and/or machinery. Utilize the CTAG case management system.

10. Perform related duties as required.

IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of: office procedures, including oral and written communications, personal computer usage; various social, economic and psychological factors affecting criminal and other anti-social behavior of individuals; principles of interviewing and problem solving methods; court procedures and the general law relating to the legal rights of offenders.

Ability to: use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation; inspire confidence and employ techniques of acquiring essential information from offenders and others; develop, establish and maintain effective working relationships with the courts, governmental and community agencies, co-workers and other departmental personnel and agencies; review, evaluate, and analyze official documents; and prepare clear, accurate and concise reports for a legal environment.

Skills: computer literacy; computer-based systems. Word, Excel, Email.

Qualifications

How to Qualify:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education: Possession of an associate’s degree from an accredited college or university course work in the Criminal, Social and Behavioral Sciences or closely related field.

Licenses & Certifications: Possession of a valid California Driver's License within 45 days of appointment to this position.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.
• Fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese.
• One year of Customer Service experience.

How to Apply:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every position to which they apply. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/ .

Note:
Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

The selection process will include evaluation of applications, education and a Written Multiple-Choice examination.

Written Multiple-Choice Examination: Weight: 100% Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a written multiple-choice exam designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include but is not limited to:

Office procedures
Written communications
Use of correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Review, analyze official documents
Prepare clear, accurate and concise reports
Principles of interviewing, problem solving methods

This is a standardized written multiple-choice examination. In accordance with CivilService Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in this examination.

Additional Information

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be twelve (12) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification - The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of The List. Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/].

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://www.sf.gov/departments--civil-service-commission.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

Source : City and County of San Francisco