Financial Services Officer

Introduction

YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.

Qualified applicants must be current county employees and have completed the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes the District Attorney's Office, the Medical Center, and the Superior Court) by the last day for filing. A regular appointment does not include provisional, TAP (Temporary Assignment Pool), or STEP-UP appointments.

Applications will only be accepted online.

DESCRIPTION

THE POSITION

Under administrative direction, the Financial Services Officer manages and oversees various financial service staff and functions at an agency or departmental level; serves in a consultative role to management in addressing and resolving financial, revenue, contract, grant and related administrative, programmatic and policy matters; facilitates the implementation of a wide variety of programs and projects; and to do related work as required.

Positions in this class normally exercise full management authority for making decisions and implementing programs to facilitate the effective provision of financial, business, administrative, and analytical services to the assigned organizational unit. Areas of responsibility normally include budget development and processing, contract negotiation and administration, grants management, and/or financial planning. In addition, responsibilities may include specified administrative functions such as personnel, purchasing, management and operational analysis and the provision of office and related support. Supervision of professional and paraprofessional staff is also required.

This class is distinguished from Administrative Services Officer, which has management level responsibility in the broad administrative services area with financial services being of a secondary nature. It is further distinguished from Administrative/Financial Services Manager, which, as a second-level manager, directs and oversees both administrative and financial services at an agency level or for a large county department with complex, multiple funding sources and contracting and reporting activities.

THE VACANCY

The immediate vacancies are in the Library; however, Financial Services Officer is a countywide classification, therefore the eligible list resulting from this recruitment process may be used to fill future vacancies which may arise within the next year for this and other County Departments.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate will have:

• Strong technical, professional, financial, and programmatic expertise in the public sector, particularly in budgeting, financial management, contract administration, and grant management.
• Proven leadership and supervisory experience, including the ability to train, coach, mentor, and manage staff to maximize individual and team performance.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and consensus-building skills, with the ability to manage priorities and ensure work is completed efficiently and on time.
• Success in collaborating with diverse stakeholders and building strategic partnerships across teams, departments, agencies, and organizations to achieve shared goals.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to apply knowledge of organizational operations, industry trends, and business functions to support effective strategies and outcomes.
• A customer-focused approach, demonstrated by building productive relationships, responding effectively to stakeholder needs, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Strategic and creative problem-solving skills, including the ability to forecast financial needs, analyze complex issues, exercise sound judgment, and develop proactive action plans.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively, build rapport, and work respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• A commitment to organizational success and accountability, taking pride in contributing as a trusted leader responsible for the organization's financial stewardship.
• Professional presence and credibility, with the ability to inspire confidence, establish trust, and earn the respect of colleagues, partners, and stakeholders.

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit: Financial Services Officer (#0217)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process include:

EITHER

The equivalent to three years of full-time experience at the level of or higher than the class of Financial Services Specialist II or Administrative Specialist II in the Alameda County classified service.

Completion of the Alameda County Management Academy "Management & Supervision Certificate Program" may be substituted for six (6) months of the required qualifying experience for the internal patterns.

OR
Education:

The equivalent to graduation from a four-year accredited college or university (180 quarter units or 120 semester units) with major coursework in business or public administration, economics, financial management or a field related to the work. (Additional professional-level financial planning and support experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.)

AND

Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time professional-level experience in independently performing complex financial planning or analysis, budget development and processing, contract negotiation and administration and/or grant management at a level equivalent to or higher than the Alameda County classified service class of Financial Services Specialist II, preferably in a public agency setting. This experience must have included at least one year of supervising the work of others.

License: Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:
• Management principles and practices, including work planning, employee supervision and business management.
• Financial planning, rate setting and revenue enhancement principles and strategies.
• Principles and practices of governmental budget development and administration.
• Principles and practices of contract and grant administration.
• Financial record-keeping and auditing practices.
• Practices and techniques of administrative analysis and report preparation.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• General administrative principles, including personnel, purchasing and business management.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.

Ability to:
• Serve effectively as a member of a departmental management team.
• Manage a variety of financial functions, including budgeting and contracts and grants administration.
• Plan, supervise, review and evaluate the work of others, either directly or through subordinate supervision.
• Plan and conduct complex financial, revenue and strategic planning analyses.
• Provide sound technical advice on financial matters to departmental management.
• Conduct and coordinate financial audits.
• Monitor legislative and regulation changes and recommend operational and procedural changes as required.
• Interpret, explain and apply complex policies, regulations and procedures.
• Prepare clear and accurate reports, correspondence, procedures and other written materials.
• Represent the department and the County in meetings with others.
• Organize and prioritize work and meet critical deadlines.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the classification will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) An oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the "What You Need to Know" section of our website, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN:

Deadline For Filing:

5:00:00 p.m., Monday, November 9, 2026

Review of Minimum Qualifications

November 10, 2026

Virtual Pre-recorded Civil Service Oral Examination:

Virtual Oral Examination Ratings:

Results Notification:

Promulgation of Eligible List:

November 24-December 4, 2026

December 7-11, 2026

Week of December 14, 2026

January 6, 2027

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Departmental Hiring Interviews:

TBD

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

BENEFITS

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical - HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental - HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)</