Associate Employee Services Specialist - County of Santa Clara CA : Job Details

Salary : $67,884.96 - $82,513.60 AnnuallyLocation : Throughout the County of Santa Clara, CAJob Type: Full-TimeJob Number: 25-D5L-ADepartment: Employee Services AgencyDivision: Human ResourcesOpening Date: 07/24/2025Closing Date: 8/6/2025 11:59 PM PacificBargaining Unit: 90 DescriptionUnder immediate supervision, to learn and apply Merit System Rules, County ordinances, laws, and collective bargaining agreements to perform a variety of routine and difficult specialized tasks in the employee services function, such as benefits administration, leaves of absence, retirement, and personnel transactions.NOTE: Candidates who meet the employment standards will be invited to take an online examination tentatively scheduled for the week of August 25th. Typical TasksThe following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

• Learns the full range of employee services transactions for compliance with ordinances, Merit System Rules, collective bargaining agreements, employment laws, and established procedures;

• Explains requirements and effects of ordinance provisions, Merit System Rules, collective bargaining agreements, and detailed procedures to supervisors, administrators, employees, and representatives of outside agencies;

• Provides customer service to employees and/or retirees on the rules, policies, and procedures regarding compensation, benefits, and retirement questions; responds to questions by researching Merit System Rules, collective bargaining agreements, health care provider summaries, and other reference materials;

• Researches, inputs, and adjusts payroll and benefit plan discrepancies and maintains information in the computer software applications or in the database;

• Maintains controls on deadlines for probation end dates, performance evaluations, salary increases, leaves of absence, and benefits enrollment;

• Maintains confidential personnel files;

• Prepares employment-related reports and forms upon request of administrative staff and outside agencies or for other employment-related transactions;

• Utilizes software applications to process transactions, modifies and retrieves information from Human Resources Information System (HRIS), manipulates data to generate a wide variety of informational and statistical reports, and checks for accuracy of records processed by computer;

• Advises personnel in departments regarding procedures and interpretation of rules and regulations relating to personnel actions, leaves of absence, benefits, and retirement administration;

• Performs all personnel action processes and works with professional/paraprofessional staff to complete employment-related transactions for new hires, promotions, provisional appointments, reinstatements, demotions, transfers, alternately staffed promotions, and other transactions to ensure compliance with Merit System Rules and collective bargaining agreements;

• Prepares and sets up for new employee orientations, onboards new employees, and explains County and departmental personnel policies, insurance, and employment benefits;

• Coordinates leaves of absence with employee, payroll, and management staff, ensuring accuracy of employee leave information and compliance with Federal and State leave laws and regulations;

• Coordinates employees' benefits while on leaves of absence, including paid/unpaid leave, health benefits, dependent coverage, benefits billing charges, and the return to work process;

• Calculates leave integrations, tracks hours used/taken by employees on leave, and works closely with Payroll to ensure that pay is accurate and correct;

• Notifies department liaisons and hiring managers of the status of employees on leave;

• Administers active employees and retiree benefits enrollments, leaves of absence, benefit reinstatements, qualifying events, and adjustments;

• Processes benefit forms for various benefit programs by checking for accuracy and completeness; verifies eligibility; inputs and retrieves benefit-related data from applicable database;

• Performs calculations related to benefit data, premiums rates, refunds, and other related benefit matters;

• Runs reports and conducts comparative analysis of data to review for discrepancies based on active and retired employee personnel actions, benefit elections, leave of absence status, or late personnel transactions to reduce benefit errors and fiscal impacts;

• Identifies errors or discrepancies pertaining to active employee and retiree benefits coverage, and notifies, assists, and recommends corrective actions to the applicable employee service center personnel;

• Prepares, issues, and sends required notices, benefits billing statements, and other communications per Federal and State leave laws and regulations;

• Conducts retiree medical enrollments, processes retirement benefits, and provides on-going assistance to retirees and/or survivors;

• Assists employees and retirees in processing employment and benefit changes; identifies, resolves, and communicates benefits deduction and coverage issues for the duration of membership, and acts as a liaison in the filing and resolution of member benefit claims;

• Verifies and performs calculations related to benefit data, including retiree medical eligibility estimates, Medicare premium adjustments, and other related retiree benefit matters;

• Sets-up and updates the retiree, dependent, or survivor's medical costs in the retirement system or ACH spreadsheet;

• May perform payroll and personnel functions such as originating, reviewing, researching, calculating, and processing work out of classification pays, differential pays, longevity pays, expense reimbursements, payroll adjustments, electronic personnel action request forms, timecards, or vacation donations;

• Performs specialized office support work;

• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required*;

• Performs other related duties, as required.

Employment StandardsSufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through training and experience equivalent to a high school diploma or equivalent;andTwo (2) years of full-time work experience performing a wide variety of clerical duties with extensive customer service responsibility.OROne (1) year of full-time work experience comparable to an Office Specialist II in the County of Santa Clara and/or experience in a human resources function including but not limited to experience in a recruiting, classification, compensation, personnel, labor relations, employee relations, and/or benefits administration function.Special Requirements:

• Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver's license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.

• *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.

Knowledge of:

• Office practices and procedures, including filing systems, financial record keeping, reference sources, and preparation of forms and reports;

• Effective and efficient customer service principles and practices, including email and telephone etiquette and de-escalation techniques to respond to difficult behavior;

• Basic mathematics to perform necessary calculations and prepare statistical reports;

• English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;

• Common computer systems and applications.

Ability to:

• Read, interpret, and apply County ordinances, Merit System Rules, laws, and collective bargaining agreements to routine and difficult employment-related transactions;

• Learn one or more of the following areas: personnel transactions, benefits administration, retirement, and leaves management (including, but not limited to, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), California Family Rights Act (CFRA), Pregnancy Disability Leave Act (PDLA), Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Workers' Compensation, and disability programs);

• Explain and apply regulations, policies, and procedures of various personnel transactions, employee benefits programs, retirement, leaves management, and/or departmental-specific personnel requirements;

• Elicit and analyze information in researching and resolving issues from managers, employees, or retirees;

• Maintain confidentiality of all employee information and data with a high level of trust and integrity;

• Understand and follow oral and written instructions;

• Perform detailed work requiring independent judgment and accuracy within established timeframe;

• Prepare and utilize statistical data, reports, and forms accurately and in detail;

• Use computer systems and applications;

• Use a keyboard with moderate speed and high accuracy;

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures;

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.

Physical Requirements

• Safely perform physical activities such and bending, reaching, and stooping.

The County offers comprehensive first-class medical, dental, and vision benefits plans for County employees and their dependents, including plans with no deductibles, no co-pays, no co-insurance, and no prescription drug co-pays. Learn more The County also offers generous paid time off with significant vacation, sick time, and 13 paid County holidays annually! Details are included in the with the bargaining unit applicable to the job classification.In addition to the amazing perks above, the County also offers the additional benefits below.Retirement BenefitsThe County offers robust retirement plans including a (similar to the private sector's 401(k) plan) and the In addition to lifetime retirement income available through the CalPERS pension plan, the 457(b) Deferred Compensation plan provides a great way to save for retirement and supplement the defined benefit pension available to employees. These plans help our employees build a plan for their future and contribute to their family's long-term financial well-being.Health Flexible Spending AccountThe empowers employees to manage healthcare expenses efficiently with tax-free contributions (up to $3,200 for the 2024 calendar year). Secure tax-free solutions for your healthcare expenses and enjoy the flexibility to manage your healthcare finances effectively with the HFSA.Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)The enables employees to utilize tax-free funds for dependent care services, facilitating a convenient and cost-effective approach for managing your dependent care expenses. The County also offers the , an employer-funded DCAP, for employees with annual income under $120,000.Life and AD&DThe County offers life and disability benefits including , Insurance, These benefits ensure financial security and income support when you and your family need it most.Employee Assistance Program (EAP)The County prioritizes employee mental health and well-being and offers a top-tier through Concern providing confidential counseling sessions covering stress, anxiety, relationships, grief, as well as financial/legal services, personal coaching, child and elder care referrals, and comprehensive crisis support.Employee WellnessThe offers free wellness programing, fitness classes and resources; including Elevate My Wellness an all-in-one platform designed to elevate your well-being journey.Education ReimbursementA generous program is available, including Education Reimbursement for employees seeking additional training and professional development.NOTE: Benefit and Retirement information may vary from bargaining unit to bargaining unit. Due to changes in State Law, current pension provisions described in the union contracts are not automatically applied. Specific pension benefits for new hires who start on or after January 1, 2013 may be different than indicated in the union contracts.Click here to access all Memoranda of Understanding and most recent Summary of Changes.01 (REQUIRED) Please answer the following questions. Completion of the following supplemental questions is REQUIRED and is an integral part of the evaluation process. Initially, it will be used to determine minimum qualifications. For those applicants meeting the employment standards, this information will be critical in the subsequent competitive assessment to identify those candidates to be invited to continue in the examination process. Your responses to the questions may also be reviewed and scored in a Competitive Rating evaluation process based on pre-determined rating criteria. Your answers should be as complete as possible, as no additional information will be accepted from applicants once the Competitive Rating evaluation has begun. A response of see resume or see application will deem your application incomplete. Include a detailed description of your work experience in the following format for EACH employer referenced, in each answer: a) Employer name(s) b) Job title(s) c) Start/end dates of employment d) Total hours worked per week e) Description of task(s) performedDo you understand the requirement to provide complete answers in order to determine relevant experience for each area in question?

• Yes
• No

02 What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• None
• High School or GED equivalent
• College (1 to 29 semester units / 1 to 44 quarter units)
• College (30 to 59 semester units / 45 to 89 quarter units)
• College (60 to 89 semester units / 90 to 134 quarter units)
• College (90 to 119 semester units / 135 to 179 quarter units)
• College (120 or more semester units / 180 or more quarter units)
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctoral Degree

03 How many years of experience do you have performing a wide variety of clerical duties with extensive customer service responsibility?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four or more years

04 Please describe your work experience performing a wide variety of clerical duties with extensive customer service responsibility. Responses must include the following required information:- Your job title(s)- Start/end date(s)- Hours worked per week- Detailed description of tasks performed.If none, type N/A. 05 Do you have one (1) year of full-time work experience comparable to an Office Specialist II in the County of Santa Clara and/or experience in a human resources function? Experience should include, but isn't limited to, experience in recruiting, classification, compensation, personnel, labor relations, employee relations, and/or benefits administration functions. View the Office Specialist II Job Specification here:

• Yes
• No

06 Please describe your work experience comparable to an Office Specialist II in the County of Santa Clara and/or experience in a human resources function.Responses must include the following required information:- Your job title(s)- Start/end date(s)- Hours worked per week- Detailed description of tasks performed.If none, type N/A. 07 Select the areas you have experience in.

• Customer Service
• Database Management/Tracking
• Human Resources Recordkeeping
• Initiating & Monitoring background checks
• Payroll
• None

08 Please describe your experience with each area selected above.Responses must include the following required information:- Your job title(s)- Start/end date(s)- Hours worked per week- Detailed description of tasks performed.If none, type N/A. 09 Please describe your experience interpreting, applying, and explaining human resource policies, procedures, protocols, processes, and activities to departments and/or the public.Responses must include the following required information:- Your job title(s)- Start/end date(s)- Hours worked per week- Detailed description of tasks performed.If none, type N/A. 10 Do you have experience with any of the computer applications below? If so, select which applications you have experience with.

• Datawatch
• ELPF-EPAR
• KRONOS
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• NEOGOV
• PeopleSoft
• SAP
• None of the above

11 For each computer application selected above, provide the following information. You may also add applications not listed, and provide the following information for each.A. Computer application nameB. Skill level (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced)C. Description of how the application was used in your current and/or previous position(s) 12 Do you have experience with employee benefits plans? If so, select which employee benefit plans you have experience with.

• Flexible Spending Plans
• FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)
• Health Plans (Medical, Dental and Vision)
• Retirement Plans
• None

13 Please describe your experience with each employee benefit plan selected above.Responses must include the following required information:- Your job title(s)- Start/end date(s)- Hours worked per week- Detailed description of tasks performed.If none, type N/A. 14 How did you find out about this job?

• Contacted by County Recruiter
• Virtual Job Fair
• In Person Job Fair
• In-Person Networking Professional Event
• Virtual Networking Event
• Community Event
• Glassdoor
• Governmentjobs.com
• Professional Association
• Search Engine (Google, Bing, online search, etc.)
• Hospital Website: SCVMC, O'Connor Hospital, St. Louise Regional Hospital Website
• Contacted by a Recruitment Firm
• Handshake
• Student Career Center
• County Text Message
• County Career Newsletter
• Other (Specify in the next question)
• County Employee Referral
• County of Santa Clara Career Website
• County of Santa Clara Job Interests Email Notification
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Indeed

15 If you selected an event/fair or other in the question above, please specify. If not, type N/A. Required Question