Outreach and Enforcement Associate, Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement - Spanish-Speaking

Full Job Description

The County Executive’s Office seeks qualified candidates for the position of Outreach and Enforcement Associate in the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement.

Launched in July 2025, the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement (OLSE) promotes fair labor practices throughout San Mateo County.

OLSE’s core functions include conducting outreach and education to workers and employers within San Mateo County about their rights and obligations in the workplace and enforcing labor standards that protect San Mateo County workers through coordinated investigations and efforts to secure compliance.

OLSE is a partnership between the County Executive’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Office. To learn more about OLSE and our work, visit smcgov.org/olse.

Join us for a live info session to learn about the Outreach and Enforcement Associate position in the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement. You will hear directly from department leadership, get a better understanding of the role, and learn how to apply. The session will include a live Q&A. Register now to secure your spot: Click Here

THE POSITION

Reporting to the Labor Standards Manager, the Outreach and Enforcement Associate will lead OLSE’s community outreach and engagement work, support civil investigations and enforcement actions, and manage projects to support OLSE’s implementation. Spanish fluency is required for this position.

The Outreach and Enforcement Associate’s key responsibilities will include:

• Outreach and Community Engagement:
  • Plan and implement culturally and linguistically appropriate labor standards outreach campaigns targeting low-wage workers and their employers, prioritizing outreach consistent with geographic and industry priorities, with buy-in from key stakeholders.
  • Execute a wide range of outreach activities, including mass mailings, door-to-door canvassing, flyering, tabling, presentations, workshops, and events.
  • Deliver presentations to and facilitate discussions with low-wage workers and small businesses, providing clarity on workplace rights and resources available to support labor compliance.
  • Develop and maintain educational materials that present information responsive to community need in an accurate, accessible, and engaging manner.
  • Build partnerships and cooperative working relationships with County departments and various community, public, and regulatory organizations.
• Enforcement Support and Intake Coordination:
  • Receive and respond to complaints, inquiries, and requests for support from workers, employers, and members of the public, implementing OLSE’s intake procedures and best practices for ensuring all stakeholders who contact OLSE receive clear, helpful, in-language, and timely information and complaints are investigated promptly.
  • Conduct initial interviews with workers seeking OLSE assistance by phone and in-person; identify worker priorities and make recommendations for appropriate next steps.
  • As assigned, and under supervision, conduct investigations of potential violations of laws within OLSE’s jurisdiction, including interviewing workers, engaging with employers, calculating damages, and drafting investigation reports.
• Project Management:
  • Support the development and implementation of OLSE workflows and processes, including the implementation of a case management database.
  • Coordinate contract solicitations and assist with the maintenance and monitoring of OLSE contracts.
  • Prepare reports on OLSE activities and outcomes.

Additional duties include but are not limited to:

• Assist in developing goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards.
• Analyze programmatic practices and procedures and make recommendations for organizational, operational, policy, and procedural improvements.
• Conduct needs analyses, feasibility studies, and evaluations.
• Support Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement programs and projects.
  • Continuously monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of operations and service delivery methods and procedures to maximize funding and minimize costs.
  • Develop, summarize, and maintain administrative and fiscal records.
  • Prepare comprehensive technical reports, identify alternatives, and make and justify recommendations.
  • Conduct special research projects and financial analyses for countywide programs and usage, produce findings and recommendations, and prepare related reports.
  • Represent the Office in interdepartmental, community, and professional meetings and confer and coordinate with other County staff on a wide variety of administrative analyses and planning issues.
  • Ensure compliance with Federal, State, County, and funding agency regulatory and reporting requirements and applicable laws, regulations, and professional practices.
  • Prepare and submit Board of Supervisor agenda reports and various other commission, committee, and staff reports, resolutions, ordinances, and correspondence regarding assigned activities.
  • Attend meetings, conferences, workshops, and training sessions and review publications and related materials to become and remain current on principles, practices, and new developments in labor standards, labor laws, and enforcement.
  • Communicate orally, in writing, or through graphic representations and statistical summaries with colleagues, managers, employees, the public, organized employee groups, and representatives of various organizations.
  • Participate, as requested, in selecting, training, motivating, and evaluating assigned staff and interns; direct the work activities of assigned staff; prioritize and coordinate work assignments; provide or coordinate staff training; review work for accuracy; and work with employees to correct deficiencies.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience: Previous experience in program planning, grassroots outreach or case management, legal services, community engagement, and event coordination, especially with immigrant and and/or low-wage worker communities.
• Public speaking: Strong public speaking skills in both English and Spanish, with the ability to present complex topics in accessible and engaging ways for diverse audiences.
• Knowledge: Familiarity with workers’ rights issues and an understanding of the local labor enforcement landscape, from the CA State Labor Commissioner’s Office to local county and city structures.
• Communication: Orally and in writing, expresses ideas and facts in a clear, organized, and convincing manner in a style, tone, and level appropriate to the audience and the occasion.

• Flexibility: As a member of a small team, ability to adapt to changing circumstances and willingness to pitch in where needed to achieve the program’s goals.

• Relationship-building: The ability to build strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders—from low-wage workers to elected officials—by demonstrating self-awareness, cultural humility, and commitment.

Organization and project management: Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage projects and time efficiently, stay on top of multiple priorities, anticipate obstacles, solve problems, and build and maintain systems to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

Maintains high standards even when things are hectic.

• Situational Awareness: The ability to remain calm and professional while working under stress and handling sensitive topics related to labor enforcement.
• Technology Proficiency: Adept in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfort using other digital tools for outreach and communication such as Canva and Drupal.

In-County Travel: A valid California driver’s license and the willingness and ability to travel frequently throughout the County to conduct outreach, including some evenings and weekends.

County vehicles can be checked out for work purposes, and reimbursements for mileage will be provided for personal vehicles.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications could be:

• Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, or a related field.
• At least one year of professional administrative experience is typically required at the Associate Management Analyst level.

Knowledge of:

• Project and/or program management, analytical processes, and report preparation techniques.
• Organizational and management practices as applied to the analysis, evaluation, development, and implementation of programs, policies, and procedures.
• Principles of mathematical and statistical computations.
• Research and reporting methods, techniques, and procedures.
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulatory codes, ordinances, and procedures relevant to assigned area of responsibility.
• Principles and practices of public administration, county management, and local government.
• Sources of information related to a broad range of county programs, services, and administration.
• Basic principles, practices, and procedures of funding sources and grant funds disbursement.
• Principles and practices of contract administration and evaluation, public agency budget development and administration, and sound financial management policies and procedures.
• Recent and on-going developments, current literature, and sources of information related to labor standards, labor laws, and enforcement.
• Record keeping principles and procedures.
• Techniques for effectively representing the County in contacts with governmental agencies, community groups, and various business, professional, educational, regulatory, and legislative organizations.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively working with the public, vendors, contractors, and County staff.

Ability to:

• Assist in the development of goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards for the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement.
• Coordinate and oversee programmatic administrative, budgeting, and/or fiscal reporting activities.
• Perform responsible and difficult administrative work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative.
• Conduct research on a wide variety of administrative topics including grant funding, contract feasibility, budget and staffing proposals, and operational alternatives.
• Evaluate and develop improvements in operations, procedures, policies, or methods.
• Research, analyze, and evaluate new service delivery methods, procedures, and techniques.
• Prepare clear and concise reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, and other written materials.
• Interpret, apply, explain, and ensure compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local policies, procedures, laws, and regulations.
• Establish and maintain a variety of filing, record keeping, and tracking systems.
• Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Plan, organize, and carry out assignments from management staff with minimal direction.
• Plan and conduct effective management, administrative, and operational studies.
• Analyze, interpret, summarize, and present administrative and technical information and data in an effective manner.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy and legal guidelines in politically sensitive situations.
• Effectively represent the department and the County in meetings with governmental agencies, community groups, and various businesses, professional, and regulatory organizations, and in meetings with individuals.

Additional Information

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply.

Current County of San Mateo employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in classified regular, probationary, extra-help, or limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: Pass/Fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). A Spanish language skills test may be given prior to the panel interview.

Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification.

All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination.

All examinations will be given in County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense. IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online.

If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply.

Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date. TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

• Informational Session: January 26, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm

• Final Filing Date: February 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST

• Application Screening: February 10-13, 2026

• Panel Interviews: February 25, 2026

• Finalist Interviews: March 9, 2026

San Mateo County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment.

The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.

Analyst: Chet Overstreet (01152026) (Associate Management Analyst)