Salary : $96,616.00 - $120,702.40 Annually
Location : County of San Mateo, CA
Job Type: Regular
Job Number: G235P
Department: Human Services Agency
Opening Date: 08/20/2026
Closing Date: 9/8/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 08

Description
The Human Services Agency (HSA) of the County of San Mateo is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Job Development Specialist II. There is currently one vacancy located in Employment Services. This recruitment may also be used to fill future vacancies. Under general supervision, the Job Development Specialist will provide a variety of job development services including, but not limited to:

• Assessing clients for a broad range of employment related service strategies to guide them into the labor market.
• Promoting and developing employment, on-the-job training, and job placement opportunities.
• Developing and facilitating employment workshops.
• Providing leadership, coordination, and support for Federal and State funded programs.
• Providing information about services available at the Resource Centers.
• Conducting community outreach and recruitment activities.
• Maintaining positive and supportive relationships with employers and expanding existing employer base by connecting with local businesses and attending job fairs.
• Providing employment support to individuals with employment barriers, including those with mental health diagnosis, developmental disabilities, medical barriers, and criminogenic history.
• Updating appropriate websites and social media networks.
• Attending offsite meetings.
• Providing job information through individual client appointments.

The Job Development Specialist may also have project lead responsibility.

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• Knowledge of and/or work experience in workforce development and grant funded employment training and placement initiatives.
• Experience working with and providing employment services to diverse populations including people with mental health disabilities, people in alcohol and drug recovery programs, incarcerated/formerly incarcerated individuals and others with disabilities and/or barriers to employment.
• Experience collaborating/conferring with treatment providers, including case managers and Department of Rehabilitation staff.
• Experience advocating for clients and partnering with employers.
• Possess the ability to work productively with individuals that have employment barriers.
• Knowledge of practices and techniques in career assessment, advising, mentoring, interviewing, problem solving and analysis of labor market intelligence.
• Familiarity with community resources and referral services, local labor market trends and educational/employment training schools and programs.
• Possess excellent interpersonal and writing skills.
• Spanish-speaking bilingual skills preferred.

In addition, the ideal candidate will have strong skills in the use of software programs such as MS Word, MS Excel and Publisher.

Examples Of Duties
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Identify and establish working relationships with area employers with vacancies and/or high turnover rates in order to market the County's workforce programs and clients.
• Develop and update job listings.
• Develop and facilitate employment-related workshops.
• Explain the advantages to employers for participating in the County's program services and follow up on their participation.
• Identify and secure job openings which match the training and vocational goals of clients.
• Place clients in employment opportunities by matching their skills sets with job requirements.
• Participate in outreach and recruitment activities by attending job fairs and other marketing opportunities; provide information as opportunities arise.
• Discuss job goals and work history with clients and continually assess their job readiness; advise clients of any vocational issues and barriers to employment.
• Provide a variety of support services to clients individually and in groups such as assisting them in developing resumes, and instructing them in employment application processes, job search strategies and interviewing skills.
• Provide employment seminars in jails or other in-custody settings to support re-entry into the community.
• Serve in a consultative role to clients, case managers and others in addressing and resolving problems.
• Provide relevant marketing and public relations services for assigned programs and represent the County on various boards and committees.
• Develop and coordinate various job development resources and tools such as a job bank and provide work direction to support staff in such activities.
• Advise clients regarding on-the-job interpersonal skills and appropriate work and employment communication skills.
• Monitor and record client progress; write a variety of documents including case notes, letters and reports and complete a variety of forms.
• Monitor employed clients' progress to foster and track clients' retention.
• Establish and maintain effective communication and working relationships with clients, employers, other agencies and community organizations and maintain contact with employers to address problems, complaints and issues regarding placed clients.
• Operate a motor vehicle to visit various locations to contact employers, attend job fairs and provide other related services such as client transportation for work interviews and to job fairs.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices and techniques of job development and client placement.
• Local labor market trends and the employment opportunities in business, industry and government.
• Basic principles and practices of marketing and public relations as they relate to job development.
• Basic task analysis techniques for job coaching.
• Applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations and County and program policies and guidelines.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.

Skill/Ability to:

• Effectively market and represent a program, its clients, and services to employers.
• Secure job openings and appropriately match clients to jobs.
• Advise clients regarding employment and related issues and refer clients to other resources for non-employment-related issues.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, employers, County staff and others.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Explain to clients and employers and apply laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines.
• Establish and maintain accurate records and files and prepare clear and concise reports, correspondence and other written materials.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Job Development Specialist I: Bachelor's degree in public administration, marketing, human resources, social sciences or a related field.
• Job Development Specialist II: Two (2) years of professional experience providing a variety of job development, job placement and support services for job seekers, including first-time entrants, unemployed and dislocated workers.

Application/Examination
Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position 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%), which may include an additional exam component given prior to, or during, the 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 San Mateo County, 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 on 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
Final Filing Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST
Application Screening Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, through Thursday, September 10, 2026
Combined Panel Interview: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Analyst: Arlene Cahill (Job Development Specialist II - G235)
We invite you to explore our page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)

In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.

As a County employee, you'll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
01

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants for this position are required to submit responses to the supplemental questions below. Your responses will provide additional information about your background and experience related to this position. This information will weigh heavily in the application screening by the subject matter experts and will also be used in the selection process. Answer the questions completely, paying attention to all parts of the multi-part questions. While being thorough and detailed, also be concise. Your strategic use of language will be considered. Neatness, clarity of expression, attention to detail, proper use of grammar and the ability to follow instructions will also be considered in the evaluation process. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions. However, please remember, you must also attach a resume to your application.I have read and understand these instructions.

• Yes
• No

02

Fluency in Spanish is often required. Are you fluent in Spanish? (A "No" answer will not disqualify you from this recruitment.)

• Yes
• No

03

With which of the following populations have your worked?

• Low-Income Clients
• Mental Health Clients
• Disabled Clients
• Substance Abuse Clients
• Unemployed (Dislocated) Professional Clients

04

Please describe your professional experience providing a variety of job development and job placement service.
05

Describe a specific work example that demonstrates your ability to develop effective working relationships with private industry. Include your role, the stakeholders with whom you worked, the strategies you used to get "buy-in," the challenges you faced and the outcome.
06

How did you learn about this position?

• County of San Mateo Website
• County of San Mateo Job Interest Card Notification
• County Hosted Virtual Event
• County Hosted Job Fair
• CalOpps.org
• College/University Career Center
• Community-based Organization Posting
• Facebook/Instagram
• Friend or Relative
• GovernmentJobs.com
• Indeed
• Job Fair
• LinkedIn
• Professional Publication/Website (Please specify in next question)
• X (formerly called Twitter)
• Zip Recruiter
• Other (Please specify in next question)

07

If you answered, "Professional Publication/Website" or "Other" to the above question, please indicate below how you learned about this position. Your response to this question will help us in better marketing County jobs. Type NA if not applicable.
Required Question