Social Services Program Officer (PCN 060399)

Job Description

This Individual Position is Exempt from the Hiring Freeze. Qualified Applicants are Encouraged to Apply.

Welcome to the Department of Health.

We’d be delighted to have you join our team. 

If you envision yourself in this role and are ready to start an exciting career with us, apply today.

This position is open to Alaskan Residents only.

Please check out the residency definition to determine if you qualify.

This position is currently located in Anchorage. 
The position may be in Anchorage or Juneau, depending upon the location of the most qualified candidate.

The Division of Behavioral Health is seeking a strong supervisor to join our team as a Social Services Program Officer. This position is ideal for someone with experience in human services and behavioral health systems who has successfully led teams, managed complex projects, and supported staff in achieving program goals.

What You Will Be Doing:
In this role, you will provide supervision and guidance to staff responsible for statewide behavioral health initiatives, including programs supporting children, families, and prevention, treatment, and recovery services. You will oversee and support project management efforts across the unit, manage projects within your own portfolio, and help strengthen systems, processes, and long-term strategic planning.

We are looking for someone who is flexible, collaborative, and interested in growing and leading a team in a fast-paced environment. The idea candidate will bring system-level thinking, strong organizational and communication skills, and the ability to balance day-to-day operational needs with broader strategic priorities. This position focuses on program oversight, planning, coordination, and leadership- it is not a direct service care role.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to statewide behavioral health efforts that impact the health and well-being of Alaskans across the state.

Our Mission, Values, and Culture:
The mission of the Division of Behavioral Health is to promote an integrated and comprehensive behavioral health system based on sound policy, effective practices, and partnerships.

Our Division Values: Connection, Collaboration, and Community.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:
We offer exciting work that has a positive impact on the lives of Alaskans. The Division is guided by our belief that every employee is a change agent whose ideas, values, and beliefs are respected as they enrich our overall team environment.

This position is being filled in Anchorage or Juneau, depending on the location of the most qualified candidate, and is in a fast-paced office environment. We offer a flexible work schedule that requires just two in-person days a week.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:
Anchorage Regional Office: Conveniently located in Midtown Anchorage at the Frontier Building within walking distance of Cuddy Family Park, Loussac Library, and Natural Pantry (3601 C Street, Suite 878, Anchorage, AK 99503).

Juneau Central Office: Centered in the vibrant downtown near the Alaska State Capitol Building, courthouse, Governor's mansion, state and city museums, and within walking distance to various restaurants, coffee shops, and gift stores (350 Main Street, Suite 214, Juneau, AK 99801).

Who We Are Looking For:
The ideal candidate will possess some or all of the following position-specific competencies in addition to the minimum qualifications listed below:

• Supervision: Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; sets task priorities; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance; ensures that staff are appropriately selected, utilized, and developed, and that they are treated in a fair and equitable manner. Assignments include the authority and responsibility to recommend or independently take action to employ (i.e., appoint, transfer, promote), discipline or discharge, or adjudicate grievances of direct reports.
• Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

To view the general description and example of duties for this job class, please go to the following link and search for Social Services Program Officer: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Alaska/classspecs

Minimum Qualifications

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions
This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications.  Please ensure your application(through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description           
The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class.  They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency.  They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines.   A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.  

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in 
 

• Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving: uses a logical, systematic, sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.
• Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.
• Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
• Social Services: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, practices, and current trends in social work administration, and social services, including child and/or adult protectives services, and casework management used in the planning, design, and/or implementation of programs that provide a broad range of social supports to individuals and families.
• Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

 
Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Any combination of preparatory post-secondary education and/or progressively responsible professional level experience providing, developing, administrating, or managing social/health services or social/health service programs.

 
Special Note:
“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.
  
“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.
  
“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
 
“Professional experience” means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.
 
“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.

Additional Required Information

At the time of the interview, please provide the following:

1. Three (3) professional references, whom we may contact by phone, are required. One (1) of these references must be your current or most recent supervisor, if not already provided in the application. 
2. Current performance evaluation, if available.
3. A copy of academic transcripts (unofficial is okay; please ensure that the institution name/URL is listed on the transcripts) is used to verify that you meet the minimum qualifications, if not already provided in the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions. 

The State of Alaska uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant’s level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions. 

EDUCATION
To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application  If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed  Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application  (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts)  Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment.
 
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION
If education is completed in a foreign college or university, it may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. The omission of the required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application, and you will not receive further consideration. 
 
WORK EXPERIENCE

When using work experience not documented in your application, please provide the employer's name, job title, employment dates, and whether you worked full-time or part-time  Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and if minimum qualifications are met  Work experience needed to meet the minimum qualifications must be documented in the application  If the application does not support minimum qualifications, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment A resume will not be used to determine that minimum qualifications have been met for the position you are applying for.

If you have currently or previously been appointed to a flexibly staffed position, please ensure your work experience within a flexibly staffed position indicates the actual dates employed at each level  Ensure your time and any subsequent flex promotion(s) are documented as a separate position  This is required as minimum qualifications require experience at a particular level in which the lower level may not be considered  If this information is not accurately reflected in your application, this may cause the processing of your application for consideration to be delayed.
 
NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.
 
The State of Alaska does not provide VISA Employer sponsorships.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS:

The location of this position is currently in Anchorage. The position may be located in Anchorage or Juneau, depending upon the location of the most qualified candidate. Please select the location(s) you are willing to be considered for. There is one (1) position to be filled.

APPLICATION NOTICE
You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via a hard copy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or another database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hard-copy application to apply successfully. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here: http://doa.alaska.gov/dop/workplace/help/

NOTICE
Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domain. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page at: https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword

EEO STATEMENT
The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.

WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov

For assistance with applying for a password, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword

Contact Information

For specific information in reference to the position, feel free to contact the hiring manager at:

 

Kathryn Chapman/Community Mental Health Services Program Administrator

907-465-4959

Email: kathryn.chapman@alaska.gov

Salary : $3,535 - $3,712