City of San Jose
United States, California, San Jose
Apr 11, 2024
Full Time
The City of San José's Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services is proud to be "Building Community Through Fun" through innovative, creative, and excellent programs and services. Our mission is to build healthy communities through people, parks, and programs. The Department is a steady force in our community, advancing education, health, and social connections. We meet the diverse needs of our community across the lifespan by connecting people to places and people to people. The principles of equity, access, diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and flexibility guide us. The Department creates and activates thriving places where people live, work, play, and learn, which include 48 community centers, 210 parks, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, nearly 61 miles of trails, and programs and services that touch the lives of individuals and families in our community. We take a fun approach to public service, and value the public's trust. The BeautifySJ Program is a blight reduction, community and neighborhood beautification, and encampment management program within the Community Services Division of the Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department. BeautifySJ Programs include, the Graffiti Removal Program, Illegal Dumping Program, Neighborhood Dumpster Day Program, Neighborhood Litter Program, Recreational Vehicle Pollution Prevention Program, Encampment Trash removal Program, Clean Gateways and Cash for Trash Program. The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department is currently seeking to fill two temporary (Overstrength) full-time Community Activity Specialist vacancy in the BeautifySJ Prorgram. The position is currently funded through June 30, 2026. These two (2) Community Activity Specialist who will support the Encampment Management Team with the implementation of the no return/no encampment zone for encampments. In addition to this assignment, these two positions will assist the encampment abatement teams with weekly abatement activities including noticing encampments, referrals to partner departments for outreach, providing education on encampment setback areas. The position daily engagement with those residing in homeless encampments. Those selected for the positions can expect to work in-person, 40 hours per week with a typical in-person schedule of Monday-Friday. Applicants can also expect at times to work on activities and events and may include evening and weekend work. The duties of this position will consist of: Posting encampment abatement notices at encampments Engaging with those who reside in homeless encampments to educate them on the "no return zone" and other encampment setbacks Working in and near homeless encampment locations Pilot and document best practices for a no-encampment zones Coordinate with city officials, other City Departments, law enforcement, and service providers to ensure a unified approach to clearing and managing encampments Coordinating resources and scheduling workload for efforts including but not limited to Secondary Employment Unit (SEU) requests and scheduling through SJPD outreach service requests to the Housing Department, etc. Process reports and data tracking through the Survey123 system This posting will be used to fill future Community Activity Specialist positions that support neighborhood beautification and encampment management. Education: Graduation from high school or equivalent (General Education Development (GED) Test or California Proficiency Certificate) Experience: Three (3) years of full-time equivalent work experience (6,240 hours) with diverse neighborhoods, residents experiencing homelessness, blight reduction programs, underserved communities, or neighborhood engagement and mobilization. Acceptable Substitutions: Up to two (2) years of undergraduate course work from an accredited college or university (equivalent to at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units) may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis. Certifications: Must possess a valid California Driver's License.The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts. Computer Skills : Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel. Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills. Flexibility: Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment. Problem Solving : Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome. Social Awareness: Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people's emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness. Knowledge of: Techniques and strategies in working with vulnerable populations. Trauma informed principles. Local government principles. The basic principles and techniques of first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Ability to: Identify and establish positive relationships with residents, organizations, and interjurisdictional partners. Coordinate programs and community events, attend neighborhood and community stakeholder group meetings, and effectively respond to resident and program participant inquiries and concerns. Ability to work and interact effectively with any of these populations: neighborhood group/associations, non-profit organizations, interjurisdictional partners such as City and County, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and people with diverse backgrounds. Selection Process: The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Note : Submitting a resume along with your application is desirable for this position. If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Taylor Pawlik at Taylor.Pawlik@sanjoseca.gov.