Salary : $88,097.34 - $107,090.13 Annually
Location : Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26/08-0069-O
Department: Human Services Department (HSD)
Opening Date: 08/12/2026
Closing Date: 8/26/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 05

Position Information
The Human Services Department seeks a qualified candidate to fill a full-time

Deputy Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservator position!
Starting salary up to $51.31/hour ($107,090/year) plus a competitive total compensation package!*

Deputy Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservators (Deputy PA/PG/PC) investigate, and may administer, the estates of deceased individuals who either had no will or were without appropriate people willing or able to act as administrators. They conduct official County investigations into conservatorship matters and act as legally appointed conservators for persons found by the Courts to be unable to properly care for themselves or their finances.

Deputy PA/PG/PCs also perform case, estate, personal, and financial management services for adults who are older, dependent, and/or gravely disabled who are unable to act in their own best interest, or resist fraud and/or undue influence. They will communicate with clients, community partners, and others, sign medication consents, investigate referrals, prepare court documents, conduct quarterly visits, attend team meetings, and serve as the Officer of the Day, as needed.

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Experience involving the probate of estates and/or legal guardianship/conservatorship
• Expertise investigating and evaluating information and data
• Professional experience dealing with decedent estates, probate guardianships, and/or Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) conservatorships
• An understanding of the public assistance programs available to clients
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage a large workload under strict deadlines
• Experience working with a diverse population of clients in varying degrees of crisis
• Strong communication skills to assist clients and family members who may be under severe stress
• The ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain client confidentiality
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Panoramic Database Software, and other case management tracking tools

Minimum Qualifications
Experience and Education: Any combination of education, training, and experience which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities.
Normally, this would include a Bachelor's degree in behavioral science, social welfare, behavioral health, business administration, legal studies, or related field; and one year experience determining eligibility for benefits as an Eligibility Worker, Social Services Worker, or closely related class in a county public social service, or similar, agency; or one year experience involving probate of estates, estate management, and/or legal guardianship/conservator duties.
OR
Academic course work at a college or university in behavioral science, social welfare, behavioral health, business administration, legal, or related field; and two years of experience determining eligibility for benefits as an Eligibility Worker, Social Services Worker, or closely related class in a county public social service, or similar, agency; or two years experience involving probate of estates, estate management, and/or legal guardianship/conservator duties.
Certification: Certification by the California State Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators is required within four years of appointment.
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 requires possession of a valid California Driver's License.
*Specification History

12/24 revisions limited to person-first, gender-neutral language

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: basic principles and techniques of investigations, interviewing, and case management; the appropriate provisions of the California Probate, Health and Safety, and Welfare and Institutions Codes, and other pertinent laws and regulations as they relate to Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservator services; legal definitions and forms used in conservatorship and probate proceedings; various public welfare programs and community resources available to conservatees; concepts involved in wills, trusts, insurance policies, deeds and contracts; legal procedures and practices; courtroom procedures; research and recordkeeping methods; the special needs of adults who have disabilities, mentally illness, and are frail; medical and psychiatric terminology, and current treatment methods.

Ability to: communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; investigate, assess, and evaluate data and develop an effective course of action; work independently in performing most work assignments, and in resolving problems and deviations; develop and maintain effective working relationships with the public, coworkers, clients, relatives and friends of clients, and employees of agencies involved with assigned caseload; effectively and tactfully communicate with persons under emotional stress; effectively work with clients who are difficult, unstable, mentally ill, potentially abusive, or violent; effectively organize and budget time and workload; establish and maintain systematic records including business, tax, and inventory records; use modern office equipment and computers sufficient for satisfactory work performance.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• 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 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 to 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 to determine the requirements for this position.