Principal Social Welfare Examiner

This is an administrative position involving responsibility for planning, coordinating, supervising and managing the performance and activities of a group of employees, a unit or section depending on the organizational structure of the agency for determining financial eligibility for the various programs administered by the local Social Services district. Duties, though similar to those of a senior social welfare examiner, are broader in scale, are performed with more independence and involve a greater variety of related functions and the exercise of supervision over a greater number of subordinates. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Director of Income Maintenance. Performs related duties as required.

Either:
a) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher and two (2) years of full time experience or its part time equivalent in examining, investigating or evaluating claims for assistance, veterans or unemployment benefits, insurance or a similar program operating under established criteria for eligibility, interviewing; one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. OR;
b) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college with an Associate’s Degree and four (4) years of full time experience or its part time equivalent as defined in (a) above. OR;
c) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and six (6) years of full time experience or its part time equivalent as defined in (a) above. OR;
d) An equivalent combination of training or experience as defined by the limits of (a), (b) and (c) above.
Notes:
1. Degree(s) must be awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the US Department of Education/US Secretary of Education. If the degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, the candidate must provide independent verification of equivalency. A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm . Candidates will be required to pay the evaluation fee.
2. Applicants may be approved conditionally to take civil service examinations if the minimum educational requirement is met within twelve
(12) months from the examination date.
3. As proof of satisfactory completion of the minimum educational requirement, conditionally approved candidates are responsible for submitting appropriate documentation within twelve (12) months of taking the exam.
4. Names of conditionally approved candidates will be restricted on the eligible list and will not be certified for appointment(s) until appropriate documentation is received.
5. Verifiable part-time experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements. The use of Calculators is ALLOWED for this examination.

A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the following areas:
1. ENSURING EFFECTIVE INTER/INTRA AGENCY COMMUNICATION S - These questions test for understanding of techniques for interacting effectively with individuals and agencies, to educate and inform them about topics of concern, to clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with the staff of one's own agency and/or that of other agencies in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
2. PREPARING WRITTEN MATERIAL - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
3. EVALUATING CONCLUSIONS IN LIGHT OF KNOWN FACTS - These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.
4. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISION - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in directing the activities of a large subordinate staff, including subordinate supervisors. Questions relate to the personal interactions between an upper level supervisor and their subordinate supervisors in the accomplishment of objectives. These questions cover such areas as assigning work to and coordinating the activities of several units, establishing and guiding staff development programs, evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, and maintaining relationships with other organizational sections.
5. ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES - These questions test for a knowledge of management techniques and practices used in directing or assisting in directing a program component or an organizational segment. Questions cover such areas as interpreting policies, making decisions based on the context of the position in the organization, coordinating programs or projects, communicating with employees or the public, planning employee training, and researching and evaluating areas of concern. Test guide: The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available online at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

There are no residency requirements for this examination. However, preference in appointment may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of Otsego County for at least one month immediately preceding the scheduled date of the written examination.

The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies as they occur in the Otsego County Department of Social Services under the jurisdiction of the Otsego County Personnel/Civil Service Department.