Administrative Specialist II - Seattle, United States - King County

Description

Salary: $ $33.08 Hourly

Location : Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA

Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)

Job Number: 2024SMD21701

Department: DPH - Public Health

Division: Prevention

Opening Date: 05/01/2024

Closing Date: 5/15/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

FLSA: Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit: C9 : PROTEC17-DPH, DCHS-Admin

Full- or Part-Time: Full Time

Summary

The Department of Public Health's Prevention Division is seeking an Administrative Specialist II to join its Administrative section. The Administrative section is staffed with a talented and mission-driven team that works collaboratively, is solution-oriented, and creates an environment of mutual respect. Our team provides administrative support across our entire program. This position offers an exciting opportunity to build upon the strong foundation that's been established for our administrative team, to improve our services, related to customer service, logistics, training, onboarding and offboarding of staff, database management, data entry, and other administrative duties, in this very fast-paced environment.

This position will support the Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization (CD-Imms) Section. The position will provide administrative support by providing customer service and support in a fast-paced work environment. The position will be responsible for triaging multi-line calls from healthcare providers, laboratories, and the public, requesting and reviewing lab reports from medical facilities, coordinating and transporting specimens throughout King County, performing high-volume data entry into multiple databases, and other administrative duties as assigned. This position reports to the Public Health Administrative Support Supervisor.

Background

The Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization (CD-Imms) section resides within the Prevention Division here in Public Health - Seattle & King County. The CD-Imms section focuses on three major functions: Disease Surveillance, Case Investigation, and Intervention. The section is led by the Chief and the Deputy Chief and is composed of 4 teams: Investigations, Analytics and Informatics, Immunization and Administration. We are a large, skilled, passionate team of ~100 FTEs that oversees the 65+ reportable diseases and conditions (excluding TB, STD, and HIV) from healthcare professionals and laboratories in King County. Some of our work includes investigating cases and identifying other exposed persons requiring follow up; analyze disease report data and trends to identity opportunities for disease prevention; monitor emergency department visits for indications of outbreaks or biological terrorism; conduct influenza surveillance year-round. We also lead immunization strategies to increase vaccine uptake especially among school age children and high-risk groups. Cross-collaboration across teams is central to our workflow and each team supports one another to achieve the objectives of the section.

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary positions are "at-will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last 6 months. However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels. As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long term funding sources.

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional career service, term limited temporary (TLT), short-term temporary (STT), or special duty assignment (SDA) vacancies over the next 6 months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all - in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit

Work Schedule

The work schedule for the position is from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and may include occasional nights and weekends. Work schedules may be subject to change depending on business needs. This position is overtime eligible.

Work Location

Work is located at the Chinook Building located at 401 Fifth Ave. Seattle, WA

Teleworking:

Some of the work associated with this position will be performed through teleworking, and will report to office location and to meetings as needed. Travel to other work locations may be necessary. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.

Job Duties

Healthcare Administrative Support

• Contact health care providers, laboratories, and hospitals to obtain patient demographic and confidential information.
• Route communicable disease reports received by email/fax to internal and external partners, including other local health jurisdictions and the Washington State Department of Health.
• Provide sensitive communicable disease information to the public and health care providers through various channels (telephone, email, mail).
• Maintain electronic records of disease case report files, request older case reports from the record center as needed, and send records to the archives.
• Arrange for specimens to be picked up from various locations (including private residences) throughout King County and be delivered to local or state laboratories for testing, including on evenings, weekends and after hours, either by driving the specimens or arranging for a courier service.
• Provide direct customer service and support over the phone to healthcare providers, laboratories, and the general public in a fast-paced work environment.

Case Management

• Process high-volume communicable disease reports submitted via electronic fax, US mail, and the disease report line and perform daily intake by entering information in a timely and accurate way into multiple databases and triaging calls to staff.
• Maintain case reports received in various secure email mailboxes in Microsoft Outlook.
• Maintain the disease hotline and record new messages as needed.

Data Entry & Clerical Work

• Sort and distribute incoming mail, and process outgoing mail by creating labels, updating mailing lists, and assisting with bulk mailing projects.
• Perform data entry corrections in the local and state surveillance databases and participate in annual data reconciliation.
• Coordinate and schedule meetings, reserve conference rooms via MS Teams and Outlook and set up audiovisual equipment, record meeting minutes, and attend meetings as a representative of the administrative team as requested.
• Manage the distribution and collection of equipment to staff, including computers and peripherals; provide instructions for use of computers, projector screens, phones/headset, scanners, faxes, printers, and copiers and facilitate resolution of technical issues by calling maintenance service or repair if needed.
• Process expense claims, including for travel, mileage, and other purchases.
• Process travel requests.
• Prepare and maintain documents, packets, manuals, and forms, spreadsheets, and mailing lists.
• Order goods and services and track inventory for the section.
• Maintain and update loaner laptops.
• Maintain and create personal protective equipment kits for employees.
• Fax, copy, conduct word processing, create transparencies, and provide support with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint presentations, Publisher, and Access as needed; provide file management support in Teams and SharePoint.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with tact and discretion.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with others, including working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience conducting high-volume and accurate data entry and documentation.
• Knowledge of equity and social justice principles and practices, and understanding of the effects of place, race and policy, systems and environment-based inequities on marginalized communities and populations.
• Experience working with or in a workplace setting serving a diverse or underserved population.
• Demonstrated effective communication skills that are culturally appropriate, respectful, and non-judgmental.
• Experience providing customer service for diverse clients, under varying degrees of stress, with discretion, patience, etiquette, and professionalism, in person and over the phone in a fast-paced, high-volume work environment.
• Documented experience working with electronic health records and disease surveillance systems.
• Skilled at problem-solving, troubleshooting, organizing, prioritizing, and completing multiple tasks simultaneously, with the ability to adapt to changes in workload demands and meet strict deadlines.
• Experience gathering, organizing, and evaluating data, utilizing intermediate skills to track, evaluate and report quantitative information.
• Knowledge of medical terminology related to communicable diseases.
• Valid Washington State Driver's license required. Must be willing to drive to collect/distribute specimens within King County locations during and after business hours - including weekends and nights.
• Demonstrated ability to lift up to 20 pounds to move boxes, retrieve health records, replenish office supplies with or without reasonable accommodation. This may involve intermittent lifting, standing, stooping, bending, reaching and extensive walking during the course of the workday.
• Proficiency with software applications and word processing applications, including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Ability to work well under pressure and time constraints.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and prioritize time-sensitive matters and respond with a sense of urgency while adapting to changes in workload demands.
• Two (2) years of experience in general administrative office duties, such as sorting and distributing mail, faxing, scanning, photocopying, setting up printers and copiers, filing a high volume of documents, sending confidential documents via secure email, scheduling meetings and interviews (via MS Teams/Microsoft Outlook), and taking meeting minutes.
• Two (2) consecutive years of demonstrated experience performing high-volume data entry (experience in using 10 key).
• Two (2) consecutive years of demonstrated experience working in a busy office setting with high volume calls, triaging multi line phones.
• Within the last 5 years a minimum of 2 consecutive years of demonstrated experience in a health care field or setting working directly with medical providers and laboratories (HIPAA training/certification).
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience using surveillance databases, such as the Washington Disease Reporting System (WDRS) database, REDCap, and the Washington State Immunization Information System (WAIIS).
• Strong interpersonal skills, including healthy conflict resolution.
• Knowledge of medical terminology related to COVID-19, vaccine-preventable and enteric/foodborne related communicable diseases.
• Demonstrated ability to reliably attend work and meet obligations.
• Experience managing public records requests.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and comprehend new and complex bodies of knowledge efficiently.

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

This full time, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position and is open to all qualified applicants.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Cover Letter (Expressing interest in the position)

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to For tips on interviewing, please visit
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Union Membership

This position is represented by the PROTEC17 labor union.

Contact

For questions about this recruitment, please contact Salyse Duckworth, HR Analyst at

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.

01

Do you have experience in a Public Health practice or healthcare setting working directly with medical providers and laboratories?

• Yes
• No

02

If you answered "yes" to the question above, please describe your experience, including where you worked, number of years of experience, and responsibilities. If you answered no, type N/A.

03

Do you have demonstrated experience working with people from a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, and/or socioeconomic backgrounds?

• Yes
• No

04

If you answered "yes" to question above, please describe your experience. If you answered no, type N/A.

05

Do you have experience using Microsoft Office 365, Word, Teams, and Outlook calendar scheduling?

• Yes
• No

06

If you answered "yes" to question above, please describe your experience using Microsoft Office 365, Word, Teams, and Outlook calendar scheduling. If you answered no, please type N/A.

07

Do you have experience using electronic health records systems?

• Yes
• No

08

If you answered yes to the previous question, please describe your experience, including the systems and level of expertise. If you answered no, please type N/A.

09

Do you have work experience providing customer service and communicating confidential information to medical providers, laboratories, health agencies, and the public?

• Yes
• No

10

If you answered "yes" to the question above, please describe your experience, including where you worked, number of years of experience, and responsibilities. If you answered no, type N/A

11

Are you able to lift 20 pounds with or without accommodations?

• Yes
• No

12

Do you have work experience conducting high-volume data entry?

• Yes
• No

13

If you answered "yes" to the question above, please describe your experience, including where you worked, number of years of experience, and responsibilities. If you answered no, type N/A.

14

Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? ANDIs this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? ANDDo you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?

• Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
• No.

15

If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff

Required Question