Research Specialist I - County of Riverside
Riverside, CA 92501
About the Job
The County of Riverside's Housing and Workforce Solutions Department (HWS), Continuum of Care Division (CoC), is seeking a qualified Research Specialist I to join the team in Riverside.
The Research Specialist I will conduct data and statistical analysis, evaluate Continuum of Care programs, analyze project outcomes to determine program success, and assess eligibility for future funding opportunities. They will be responsible for troubleshooting system software issues, providing support to partner agencies from nonprofit and other government agencies, and working in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Lastly, the Research Specialist I will utilize Microsoft Power BI to create dashboards, monitor sub-recipients' projects to ensure adherence to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data standards, and oversee the timeliness and accuracy of data entry, as well as cleaning large data sets.
The most competitive candidates will possess experience in managing large datasets, including tasks such as checking the accuracy of raw data, investigating and resolving data errors, analysis for report and summary generation, and proficiency in utilizing tools such as Microsoft Power BI and Excel. Additionally, knowledge or prior experience in managing public assistance programs is preferred.
Meet the Team!
The Housing and Workforce Solutions Department (HWS) is comprised of 6 Divisions: Community Action Agency, Continuum of Care, Riverside County Housing Authority, Grants & Community Development, Workforce Development, and HWS Administration. The mission of HWS is to enhance the economic position of the county and its residents, improve the quality of life, encourage business growth, build a positive business climate, develop a trained workforce, improve existing communities, offer a variety of housing opportunities, and maintain the environment.
The Housing and Workforce Solutions Department (HWS), Continuum of Care (CoC) Division's primary purpose is to develo p and maintain an effective county-wide CoC. The CoC oversees our community's plan to organize and deliver supportive social services, including housing options, which meet the specific needs of individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Ultimately, the goal of the Continuum is to move people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, toward stable housing and self-sufficiency. This effort's purpose is to end homelessness in the County of Riverside. Can you see yourself here?
EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Initiates research and statistical investigations and recognize the need for research and statistical investigations in the areas of behavioral health or social service delivery and program planning and evaluation.
• Assists in the coordination with staff and outside agencies to obtain data; designs, organizes and develops research plans and evaluation designs.
• May assist in defining study populations and sample selection criteria; generating databases and writing queries and computer programs to produce ongoing and ad hoc reports; conducts surveys and interviews and administers questionnaire forms; collects and analyzes baseline and administrative data; performs random assignment of study subjects; and, periodically posts reports to the web site.
• Advises administrators of research findings and/or procedures; prepares narrative reports of findings with valid conclusions, projects program impacts, and predicts trends.
• Assists in conducting research to identify needs for new programs, identifies appropriate sources of funding to support new programs and prepares funding applications.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Graduation from a recognized college with a Bachelor's degree in social science, statistics, mathematics, economics, business/public administration, public health, data processing, or any of the natural sciences. While a Bachelor's degree is preferred, additional qualifying experience may be substituted for up to two years of education on the basis of 30 semester or 45 quarter units equaling one year of experience.
Experience:
OPTION I
Two years of progressively responsible experience in administrative, professional, investigative, technical or other responsible work which included statistical analysis, research or program design and data collection, and electronic data storage and report generation or grant writing.
OPTION II
Two years as an employment, eligibility, social service, or accounting supervisor with responsibilities that include the development or use of personal computer programs to compute or analyze benefits or the delivery of services.
Knowledge of: policies, procedures, practices and legislation governing the provision of social service delivery systems; advanced research and statistical methods including data collection and analysis; computer programming and processing methods; principles of management including planning, organizing and evaluating programs; social service concepts and issues.
Ability to: develop and prepare concise and coherent oral and written reports and recommendations; analyze, interpret and evaluate statistical data and research findings; use statistical software packages on personal computers; maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; design and carry out research topics related to social service.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Veterans' Preference
The County has a Veterans Preference Policy. Upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 (or NGB-22) indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. See the policy here ( Download PDF reader ).
What's Next?
Open to All Applicants
This recruitment is open to all applicants. Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the department.
Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of the Housing and Workforce Solutions Department (HWS) may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.
Qualified applicants may be considered for future vacancies throughout the County.
Reasonable Accommodations
The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at:http://dao.rc-hr.com/.
Application Period
BASED ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Applications received prior to the closing date will be considered based on the information submitted. Changes or alterations cannot be accepted. All applicants must submit a complete application by the close date of the recruitment. No late applications will be permitted.
Include relevant work experience details on resume and/or application.
Proof of Education
Applicants who fail to provide information demonstrating they possess the position requirements may not be considered further in the application process. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.
Upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account. If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).
For questions regarding this recruitment
Contact Danilo Lozano at DaLozano@rivco.org with any questions regarding this recruitment.
GENERAL APPLICATION INFORMATION:
Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com . A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.
MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION INSURANCE: A choice of different medical, dental and visions plan are available to elect. The County provides a Flexible Benefit Credit contribution as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding to contribute towards the cost of these plans.
Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here .
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).
- Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.
- Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.
- Tier III (PEPRA New Member - Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013. As of July 1, 2020, the employee contribution is 7.25% and subject to change annually.
A new member is defined as any of the following:
CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as "classic members".
Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.
Note:
This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to retirement@rivco.org or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.
If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees' Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there's any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.
VACATION ACCRUAL (Bi-Weekly Accrual):
0< 3 year = 80 Hours (10 Days)
4< 9 years = 120 Hours (15 Days)
10 or more years = 160 Hours (20 Days)
Maximum Vacation leave accumulation is 480 hours.
SICK LEAVE: Four (4) hours Sick Leave accrual per pay period with unlimited accrual.
HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.
BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: Allowed 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 additional days can be taken from accrued Sick Leave balance).
BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: Equal to one times annual base salary not to exceed $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.
DISABILITY: Short-term Disability benefit pays up to a maximum of $461.54 weekly, payable up to a maximum of 52 weeks.
POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the applicable SEIU Memorandum of Understanding.
OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information.
