Description
Salary: $84,708.00 - $101,759.84 Annually
Are you passionate about housing access, addressing homelessness, community development, and public service? Join the County of Santa Barbara’s Community Services Department as a Housing Program Specialist II. Under general supervision, this position administers federal, state, and local housing finance, homelessness assistance and community development programs and performs related duties as required.
This position will be part of the Homelessness Assistance Program Team.
We are accepting applications to fill one (1) full-time vacancy and to establish an employment list for potential future full-time, part-time, and extra help vacancies in Santa Barbara. The position will be located in Santa Barbara; however, the incumbent(s) may need to travel throughout the County.
We encourage you to apply today to join a team dedicated to fostering vibrant communities and making a real difference in the lives of Santa Barbara County residents.
Benefits: The County of Santa Barbara offers generous benefits. Click on the Benefits Tab above or click here to view more information. In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for:
- Retirement reciprocity
- Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
Housing Program Specialist I/II is a flexibly staffed professional class series within the Housing and Community Development Division within the Community Services Department. Incumbents will be assigned to the Homelessness Assistance Program team in the division and are responsible for performing a broad range of analytical, coordinating, and monitoring tasks while administering individual housing or homelessness projects.
Housing Program Specialist II is the journey-level classification in the series. Incumbents work with considerable independence while performing the more responsible or complex housing assignments, such as preparing housing and market studies and evaluating project performance data.
The Housing Program Specialist II is distinguished from Housing Program Specialist, Senior, by the latter's responsibility for coordinating the activities of major housing/financing or community development programs.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE will possess:
- An interest in addressing homelessness in their community.
- Experience administering state and federal funding to address housing, community development, or homelessness.
- Experience in project planning/management.
- Ability to work well independently and as part of a team, making positive contributions and assisting others as necessary.
- Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and coordinate with team’s workflows.
- Ability to keep organized records for federal, state, and local reporting purposes.
- Ability to organize project updates in Microsoft Teams, Smartsheet, or other program(s) used.
- Skills in data collection, such as housing statistics, e.g. rental vacancies, average home prices, overcrowding, etc. and utilizing data visualization to draft narrative summaries for reporting purposes.
- Ability to coordinate Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Requests for Proposals (RFP).
- Strong analytical skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication ability with an emphasis on distilling complex ideas for public consumption.
Examples of Duties
Depending on the specific assignment within the department, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Researches, gathers, and analyzes census, demographic, and housing data in order to assist in identifying housing and homelessness needs or to evaluate and/or support proposed projects or programs.
- Assists senior-level and management staff by preparing and assembling written documents, including recommendations for funding requiring review and approval by the Continuum of Care and/or Board of Supervisors. These may include program performance documents, financial status reports, agreements, grant applications, and other related housing and homelessness documents, plans, and applications.
- Monitors housing and homelessness service provision contracts or agreements between the State, federal government, or sub-recipients, to ensure compliance with contract terms and regulations. Conducts on-site housing project and shelter inspections. defines and reconciles issues/problems with service providers and maintains internal project monitoring and reporting systems.
- Coordinates public hearing and notification process; prepares and maintains hearing/meeting minutes and records; and provides information to leadership.
- Coordinates various public input meetings, committees, and focus groups to help shape homelessness response strategy and inform funding applications.
- Works across internal teams to schedule, produce, and distribute public communications, notices of funding, and requests for proposals. Makes edits to the Continuum of Care/Homelessness Assistance team website, and ensure it is up to date.
- Tracks provider contract performance and data quality. Assists in developing technical assistance or training when necessary.
Employment Standards
- Possession of a bachelor's degree, preferably in urban studies/planning, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field, and one year of professional experience in the administration of affordable housing, homelessness, or community development programs OR,
- Possession of a bachelor’s degree in urban studies/planning, business administration, public administration, or closely related field and one year of experience performing duties equivalent to Housing Program Specialist I with Santa Barbara County; OR,
- A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.
Additional Qualifications: Specific positions may also require additional experience and job-related knowledge and abilities in a specific area, such as knowledge of and experience in administering federal and state housing and community development loan and grant programs, including Continuum of Care (CoC), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), Homeless Housing Assistance program (HHAP), and homeless/housing projects.
Additional Requirements Incumbents must be willing to travel to project sites. Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License may be required.
Knowledge of: principles and best practices in homelessness response and resolution, pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations related to homelessness programs; research methods; basic math; report writing techniques; and standard English usage, grammar, and syntax.
Ability to: work independently; speak before small and large groups; represent the department at public hearings; organize multiple projects simultaneously and set priorities to meet deadlines; read, interpret, and apply local, state, and federal rules, regulations, and laws; gather and analyze data, draw valid conclusions and make recommendations; prepare written and statistical reports; monitor and coordinate program activities and projects; operate a personal computer and learn specific computer applications; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; and communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
Supplemental Information
SELECTION PROCESS:
- Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
- Application Ranking: Applications that meet the employment standards will be evaluated and scored. Candidates final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by the information provided on their application based on your experience and the Ideal Candidate section on the job bulletin. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.
Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Application Ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s) and exact duration of the employment list.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of accommodation needed from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.
Recruiters will correspond with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss the required deadlines.
Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement
The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance. The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates. The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.
APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 30,2025; at 4:59p.m. PST; postmarks not accepted. Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com.
Chanel Turner, Talent Acquisition Analyst – cturner@countyofsb.org
Retirement Plans
- Generous County Defined Benefit Plan
- Eligible to participate in 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan
- Retirement Reciprocity with CalPERS, CalSTRS, and 1937 Act plans
- For more information on our retirement plans, please visit: https://www.sbcers.org/ and http://www.santabarbara457.com
Health Benefits
- Choice of dental, vision and medical plans. In addition to the Benefit Allowance noted above, the County contributes toward medical premiums and dental premiums
- On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria which provide ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential assistance with personal and workplace problems to employees and their immediate family members
- Healthcare Advocacy Program to help employees navigate the complexities of health plan benefits
- Available Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Account (HSA), Supplemental Term or Whole Life Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance and more!
- For more information on our health benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4012/Health-Benefits
Paid Time Off
- Vacation Leave 12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public employment
- Sick Leave 12 days annually with unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement
- Paid Holidays based on bargaining unit (view the compensation summary for this bargaining unit, link below)
- Alternative Transportation Benefit (TDM) up to 2 days of additional vacation for using alternative methods of commuting
- For more information on Paid Time Off please view the Compensation Summary for this bargaining unit (available below)
Miscellaneous Benefits
- County Paid Term Life Insurance
- County Paid Long Term Disability Insurance
- Childcare and Employee Discounts
- Relocation Assistance may apply
- Flexible work schedule may apply
- For more information on all of these benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4013/24636/WorkLife-Benefits
Compensation Summary
- To view the Compensation Summary specific to the bargaining unit for this position (link to full Memorandum of Understanding also available at bottom of the summary), please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/3085/SEIU-Local-620
- This benefits list is for convenience only; please refer to the Memorandum of Understanding for complete details of terms and conditions. Amounts are generally prorated for part-time employment.
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