PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM ASST I

Thurston County • Olympia, WA

8h • Onsite

About The Position

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is recruiting for one (1) regular full-time Public Health Program Assistant I for our Environmental Health Division.
As a Public Health Program Assistant I, you will play a vital role in providing information to the public by phone, letter, or in-person related to program requirements. This may include regulations, codes, fees and permit procedures related to building sites, construction, on-site sewage systems, land use, and water systems. If you are a detail-oriented professional with a passion for public health, the environment, and providing excellent customer service, we would love to hear from you!

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• Two years of related office experience, which included general office practices and arithmetic, basic bookkeeping, customer service, filing, etc.
• Must have the ability to operate a personal computer and applicable software to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to communicate effectively (verbal, written and in-person)
• Customer service experience
• Knowledge of sanitary codes and related procedures
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Respect and Organizational Culture
• Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
• Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
• Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment
• Communication
• Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
• Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
• Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
• Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors
• Goal Setting and Accomplishment
• Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
• Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
• Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
• Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
• Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change

Responsibilities

• Provide program-specific information to the public via phone, mail, e-mail, and in-person
• Review fees, prepare billings and maintain cash receipt records, and balance daily cash and deposits to the County Treasurer
• Devise and evaluate office procedures and filing systems; maintain archiving of program records and files
• Investigate, review, and resolve problems, with routing to appropriate staff for follow-up, in addition to contacting customers for follow-up or to gather additional information
• Assist staff in the creation of educational materials
• Create and send out renewal notices, as well as assist with large mailing for all programs within the Environmental Health division
• Perform daily tasks in permitting database; includes but not limited to, routing and pulling files
• Assist with covering the office front desk; greet customers, answer phone calls, and notify technical staff of walk-in customers
• Assist with scanning and archiving for historical records along with records that have met retention
• Process mail for the division and distribute to appropriate parties
• Provide administrative and technical support to division staff
• Create, maintain, and update information in program specific databases, programs, and spreadsheets
• Create notices and bills, and track/process payments in Permit Tracking Database, Microsoft Access, and Point and Pay payment system
• Process and distribute incoming mail, and scan/route incoming applications and historic program records
• Assist with coordinating workshops, including notification, enrollment, resource materials, and certificates
• Contact customers to obtain additional information for the program if needed
• Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations

Benefits

• Work-Life Balance: We are committed to ensure that our staff experience the reward of public service, while also sustaining a routine that suits each individuals’ lifestyle.
• Plan For Your Future: As a member of our team, you will enjoy great employee benefits, including a retirement plan, pre-tax savings accounts, as well as comprehensive health care and dental/vision care for you and your family. Please visit Thurston County Employee Benefit Plans for more information.
• Paid Leave: Full-time regular employees earn paid vacation in addition to paid holidays.
• Robust Training Program: Employees are encouraged to attend County paid training to help them further their career, learn new skill sets, and stay on top of emerging trends in our industry. We also encourage our staff to participate in professional organizations and attend conferences.
• Flexible Work Schedules: Some of the options that employees may take advantage of include alternative or compressed schedules and/or remote working.
• Deferred Compensation: The County offers 3 voluntary deferred compensation plans for employees who would like to set aside additional deferred tax dollars into a retirement savings plan.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Employees can take advantage of Section 125 flexible spending accounts for out-of-pocket health care and daycare expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: This is a federal program which allows full-time public service employees who have made qualifying payments for certain loans, to get their student loans repaid. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED