The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.

Why join the City of Oakland?
The City of Oakland is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. As an employee of our citizen-oriented local government organization, you would be dedicated to providing efficient, quality services to the citizens of Oakland.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in customer service; going above and beyond to assist the customers
• Able to multi-task between assignments and have good time management
• Well-versed in organizing and retrieving data
• Capable of handling a fast-paced environment
• An excellent communicator, in both oral and written form

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Answering heavy telephone calls from the public
• Receiving and replying to voicemail and email
• Processing heavy volumes of violation notices
• Creating and updating records ensuring accuracy and validity of information
• Working well in a group setting on department projects
• Operating standard office equipment
• Managing the day-to-day front counter
• Developing and maintaining positive working relationships with other City departments, regional shelter partners, and other jurisdictions and agencies
• Ensuring all equipment is operating properly, coordinating any necessary facility repairs, and managing inventory and ordering of supplies

A few reasons you might love this job:

• Every day brings something new! You will tackle a wide range of tasks, helping you build a broad skill set while gaining exposure to various departments.
• Potential for growth. You will have an opportunity to grow in the City of Oakland and your professional life.
• You will be a part of a dynamic and diverse team.
• Your work will have a direct impact on providing important services to a community with a rich and dynamic history.
• You will have great colleagues.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Balancing multiple tasks with overlapping deadlines.
• Interacting frequently with people from diverse backgrounds and personalities.
• Working with individuals with opposing perspectives.

Competencies Required:

• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Customer Focus: Attending to the needs and expectations of customers
• Decision Making: Choosing optimal courses of action in a timely manner
• Establishing Credibility: Doing what one commits to doing and respecting the confidentiality of information and concerns shared by others.
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
• Mathematical Facility: Performing computations and solving mathematical problems
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Professional Impact: Presenting self as a positive representative of the organization
• Reading Comprehension: Understanding and using written information
• Teamwork: Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
• Using Technology: Working with electronic hardware and software applications
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing

Minimum Requirements for Application

This is a public contact position. The City highly encourages all bilingual candidates to apply! Some positions may require bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin. Under the authority of Civil Service Rules Section 5.03, if a position requires bilingual language skills, only those candidates who have indicated they are bilingual in the required language(s) will be referred. Bilingual candidates will be required to successfully pass a language proficiency test if selected for hire.

Supplemental Information

The Recruitment Process:
The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.

Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications.

In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.

For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will be invited to take an online multiple-choice test. You’ll have 7 days to complete the test once the link is sent to your email. This is tentatively planned to launch during the week of December 2, 2024.

For some recruitments, more than one type of assessment may be used. Depending on the number of candidates who pass the first assessment (multiple-choice test, structured interview, writing exercise, performance exam) you may be asked to complete a secondary assessment before the recruitment is finalized. If a secondary assessment is scheduled, you will be notified by email with specific details. If a secondary assessment is not scheduled, department hiring interviews will occur during this time frame.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

What’s in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5 hour work weeks
• 15 paid holidays
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: Cal PERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic Cal PERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new Cal PERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Disaster Service Workers
All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.
Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user of the system.
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm.

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Our online application system is provided by Government Jobs. If you have problems while applying online, please contact Government Jobs Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday. You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) 238-3112 for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system. For recruitment-specific questions, please contact Melissa Davis, HR Analyst at mdavis3@oaklandca.gov.