Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness

Full Job Description

If you have a passion for providing services and helping our community members, apply to the Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness position today!

Starting salary up to $90.68/hour ($189,260/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

About the Position

The Department of Health Services is seeking a resourceful and compassionate leader to join the team as the Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness. This position will advise, plan, manage, and coordinate many of the County's homelessness services and their related programs. In partnership with service agencies, advocates, and the community, this position will help move our County's goal to make homelessness increasingly rare and brief. They will do this by:

• Recommending policies, procedures, and program enhancements, in collaboration with other staff, County departments, and community organizations
• Working in compliance with regional, state, and federal policies to provide services to clients
• Recruiting, selecting, training, evaluating, and supervising staff both directly and through subordinate managers
• Preparing, monitoring, and administering the Homelessness Services section's budget, grants, contracts, and other finance sources
• Working with business partners and internal and external stakeholders to align resources and develop a sustainable and responsive supportive system to improve client experiences
• Providing general and programmatic oversight of the County shelter and housing facilities, contractors, and associated programming
• Presenting the Department of Health Services' position on topics related to this role, including receiving input from various audiences

As the ideal candidate for this position, you will have proven experience working with vulnerable populations and possess many of the following:

• Experience in administrative, fiscal, and budgeting functions within a public or government agency
• Applied knowledge of how to effectively integrate supportive services to enhance the resources offered to your clients
• A high level of comfort speaking to various audiences, including our Board of Supervisors, the public, and executive-level management in varying County departments
• Excellent leadership skills that enhance team morale and foster a supportive environment
• The ability to provide clear expectations to the team, give constructive feedback, and have an approachable demeanor as a leader
• An understanding of how to be resourceful in the homelessness services space
• Knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply laws and regulations
• The ability to use data to identify and implement metrics to measure program success and help improve client experience
• Knowledge of effective treatment models for working with individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness

Please Note: This position is required to work onsite and will need to independently travel to various community agencies, city council meetings, Board of Supervisors meetings, housing facilities, shelters, and County of Sonoma departments, multiple times throughout the week, in a timely manner.



About the Department of Health Services (DHS)

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the community's health and well-being.

With over 700 staff members and numerous community partners, the department offers a broad range of programs and services to promote and sustain health for individuals, families, and communities, supported by an adopted budget of approximately $545.9 million for FY 2025-26, with departmental operating expenditures totaling $346.9 million.

The department’s mission is to promote, protect, and ensure access to services supporting health, recovery, and well-being for all residents, guided by core values of equity, collaboration, and excellence.

Divisions:

• Executive Management & Administration: Provides leadership and administrative support, including compliance, finance, health policy planning and equity, legislative policy, health data and epidemiology, human resources, IT, and privacy and security.
• Behavioral Health: Offers mental health and substance use disorder services for all age groups, including those with Medi-Cal and the uninsured, directly and through community partnerships.
• Homelessness Services: Offers homelessness services, including care and outreach services to sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness, and staff support to the Homeless Coalition (Continuum of Care) Board.

Public Health: Protects and promotes health through direct services and policy changes.

Programs include Environmental Health and Safety, Family Health, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Disease Control and Surveillance, Healthy Communities, Public Health Preparedness, Animal Services, the Regional Public Health Laboratory, and the Coastal Valleys Emergency Medical Services Agency.






The County of Sonoma - Where Your Career and Community Come Together

Named by Forbes Magazine as one of America’s 500 Best Midsized Employers in 2022, 2023, and 2024 (one of only two government agencies in California to make the 2024 list), the County of Sonoma has a mission to enrich the quality of life in Sonoma County through superior public services.

Sonoma County is a general law county.

The primary governing body is the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which consists of five members elected by the residents of their respective districts on a nonpartisan basis.

These supervisors serve four-year terms, during which they are responsible for making policy decisions, adopting budgets, overseeing the County's departments and agencies, and discussing and deciding on matters ranging from public safety to infrastructure development.

The Board of Supervisors is fully committed to a mission and vision that values high-quality services to support and enrich the community, strong leadership, engaged citizen participation, transparency and accuracy in information, and efficient and fiscally sustainable government.

The Sonoma County 2021-2026 Strategic Plan is based on the following pillars:

• Climate Action and Resilience
• Healthy and Safe Communities
• Racial Equity and Social Justice
• Resilient Infrastructure
• Organizational Excellence

For more information, visit socostrategicplan.org.

The County provides a full range of services to the community through 29 departments, agencies, offices, and special districts, and employs over 4,400 regular personnel with an annual budget of approximately $2.8 billion for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation - 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits: Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness position in the Department of Health Services.

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.




Requirements

Experience and Education:

Any combination of experience, training, and education that would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. A typical way to qualify is:
Four years of full-time professional management experience working with federally assisted housing and/or homelessness services programs in a non-profit or government agency, which included supervising subordinate managers, supervisors, and employees.

AND

Significant academic coursework and/or training in business or public administration, the Social Sciences, or a related field of study.

License: Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Qualifications

Thorough knowledge of: the principles of public policy, planning, and homelessness and related services; federal, state, and local statutes, regulations, and legislative considerations governing non-profits, state, and/or federally-assisted housing and homelessness services programs and funding sources; the general principles of land use planning and zoning related to housing assistance; social, economic, and health-related community issues that contribute to homelessness; the principles and practices of providing community services; policy and procedural development and the analysis and evaluation of programs; grant administration, housing finance, and budgeting; fluency in racial justice and social equity concepts; effective supervision and management, including work planning and organization, and the selection and performance management of employees.

Ability to: effectively supervise and direct the work of professional, technical, and operations support staff; develop and maintain effective working relationships; successfully manage complex assignments; manage, plan, and organize various aspects of work relating to administration, budget, grant management, and general management matters; understand and interpret policies, data, and technical and legal documents; understand and accept differences in human behavior; effectively interact with all populations, such as individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, educational, generational, and/or socio-economic backgrounds; communicate effectively orally and in writing; develop and support strategic objectives; provide effective leadership, motivate employees and foster an inclusive, equitable, and positive work culture; be decisive, and work independently.

Additional Information

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria.

Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications.

Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments.

This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process.

Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race.

This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire.

Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination.

Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.




Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment.

Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation.

Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position.

If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.




How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.

All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement.

Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging.

We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.

The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: SZ

HR Technician: PPB