Description

THE POSITION: Under general direction of the Behavioral Health Access & Outreach Division Manager, the incumbent plans, organizes, and directs Behavioral Health Access & Outreach program areas. The Patient Navigator for Ventura County Behavioral Health assists members of the public navigate County and statewide Behavioral Health services to effectively access necessary treatment and mental health support.

A Patient Navigator is a person in a government agency to whom people can go to for assistance with navigating the programs or policies of the agency. The Medi-Cal Managed Care and Mental Health Office of the Patient Navigator help resolve service challenges from a neutral standpoint to ensure that our members receive all medically necessary covered services and information for which plans are contractually responsible.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE: The ideal candidate will possess strong cultural awareness skills, have general program management experience, previous experience working with mental health consumers and knowledge of the available services offered. The candidate will have the ability to listen with empathy and care, be able to research, problem solve and advocate, ensuring that consumers are assured that their concerns are addressed. The candidate will be able to exercise judgment, diplomacy and an in-depth understanding of the organizational structure and dynamics to ensure that appropriate individuals are involved. The candidate will have strong abilities to work in a team environment and build new relationships in order to efficiently assist our consumers.

APPROXIMATE SALARIES:
Program Administrator I: $66,933.97 - $93,716.76 Annually
Program Administrator II: $74,972.05 - $104,971.17 Annually
Program Administrator III: $78,490.38 - $109,897.31 Annually

Distinguishing Characteristics:
This series is distinguished from those in administrative classification series (e.g., Administrative Officer) in that incumbents are responsible for the operation and management of a specialized program(s). This is a management series and allocated positions may have at least one level of subordinate supervisory positions. Determination of specific classification level is based upon the relative size, complexity and visibility (internal/external) of the program involved and the degree of line supervisory responsibility exercised by the position. The lower levels of the series may be utilized to underfill and/or serve as a bridge into the full level of responsibility common to the higher levels. The lower level(s) may involve management of small, routine programs with low visibility and/or planning, organizing and coordinating a segment of a larger program or budgetary analyses, organization/ staffing, work measurement and other management systems in support of line operations for a larger program.

EDUCATIONAL/BILINUGAL INCENTIVE:
Some positions may be eligible for educational incentive. This incentive may be 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% for incumbents in eligible positions based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.

PAYROLL TITLE: Program Administrator I-II-III

DEPARTMENT/AGENCY: Health Care Agency - Behavioral Health

Program Administrator I-II-III are Management classifications and are not eligible for overtime compensation. Incumbents in this classification are eligible for benefits at the MB4 level.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies for these positions only. There is currently one (1) Regular, full-time position.

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: March 14, 2023
CLOSING DATE: April 4, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.

FIRST REVIEW DATE: March 21, 2023

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Level I

• 
  With heavy management oversight, provides consumer and family member education regarding how to navigate the various internal and external public healthcare systems such as mental health, public health, and entitlement programs;
• Provides advocacy, support, and assistance to individual consumers/family members, who are having difficulty accessing services by connecting them to an available and desired service;
• Provides education to the community and other public/private organizations to improve understanding of mental illness with the goal of reducing stigma through public speaking projects and presentations;
• Builds and maintains working relationships with a variety of community agencies and organizations in order to further client treatment goals;
• Effectively represents and advocates for the consumer and family/caregiver perspective within the community and mental health system by engaging in productive and collaborative dialogue;
• Prepares required reports; compiles and analyzes narrative financial information and statistical data to improve operations, identify program needs and/or change service delivery methods; and,
• Performs other related duties as required.

Level II
In addition to the above, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• With moderate management oversight, assists in the development of Policies & Procedures related to client navigation; and
• Assist in developing reporting structures.

Level III
In addition to the above, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• With minimal management oversight, develops and implements new processes related to patient navigation;
• Develops and analyzes complex reports related to offered services using Excel, Access, and SharePoint;
• Navigates a high volume of consumer caseloads; AND
• May participate in committee meetings.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:

Any combination of education and experience which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills and abilities. This can typically be obtained by the following combination of education and experience:

Program Administrator I: Bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, public health, or a related field and one (1) year of related work experience in mental healthcare or patient advocacy.

Program Administrator II: Bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, public health, or a related field and at least two (2) years of related work experience in mental healthcare or patient advocacy.

Program Administrator III: Bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, public health, or a related field and at least four (4) years of related work experience in mental healthcare or patient advocacy.

Related work experience may substitute for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Necessary Special Requirements:

• 
  Must be willing and able to perform public speaking and lead planning meetings.
• Possess and maintain a valid California driver license.

Desired:

• Exceptional work in listening with empathy, caring for individuals, understanding their situation, even when presented from multiple cultures, languages, ages, and experiences.
• Experience working in a clinical setting.
• Experience with overseeing and reporting on grant or other program deliverables.
• Related work experience within public sector behavioral health and/or healthcare systems.
• Intermediate proficiency using Microsoft Excel.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Some to considerable (depending on level) knowledge of the following:

• The principles and techniques of program management;
• Budgetary preparation and analysis;
• Fiscal management;
• Organization and staffing;
• Administrative application of data processing, public relations, and personnel administration as applicable to the California Department of Healthcare Services Behavioral Health Workforce Development Mentored Internship Program (DHCS/BHWD MIP) grant;
• Public mental healthcare resources;
• Methods and techniques for process improvement.

Skill in:

• Writing detailed notes and communications for consumer matters.

Some to considerable (depending on level) ability to do the following:

• Provide a high standard of customer service;
• Analyze administrative and fiscal problems;
• Prepare a variety of reports and recommendations;
• Speak effectively in public;
• Plan, organize, and supervise the work of others;
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• Establish effective working relationships with other employees and stakeholders;
• Prioritize requests and time manage;
• Maintain confidential information;
• Promote and support a collaborative and diverse workforce.
• Possess and maintain a California driver's license to drive a car.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 4, 2023.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at ventura.org/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – Qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the exam process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – Qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to the written examination.

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION:
A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%: A job-related oral examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating examinees' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Examinees must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Responses such as "See Resume" or "Refer to Resume" are not acceptable and may disqualify an applicant from further evaluation.

If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, a T&E or an Oral Examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

Applicants successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, and driving record may be required for this position.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Erin Niemi by e-mail at erin.niemi@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 654-2568.