New job SAFETY OFFICER (Human Resources Specialist III) (SR-24) in Hawaii

Please note that this recruitment will close at 4:30 p.m. HST on September 22, 2021

Salary rate is determined by collective bargaining agreements or Pay Administration Policy as applicable.

COVID -19 VACCINATION STATUS: All new hires must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Upon offer of employment, it would be incumbent upon the applicant to notify the County of any religious or medical exemption that will prevent the applicant from meeting this requirement.

ELECTRONIC MAIL (EMAIL) NOTIFICATIONS: The Department of Human Resources will use ONLY electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status, processing of their applications and examination notices due to the COVID-19 situation.

Please ensure that the email address and contact information you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails or fail to check your emails in a timely manner. In addition, please be aware that you may no longer receive notification about applications submitted if you choose to disable the Job Application Emails feature.

Eligible lists may be used for temporary and permanent vacancies for the class of work during the life of the eligible list. Temporary appointments may lead to conversion to permanent employment.

Serves as the SAFETY OFFICER for the County; plans, develops, conducts and coordinates training to meet the identified needs in the workforce; implements and coordinates the County's risk management program, including Workers Compensation and Safety; conducts investigations; oversees drug/alcohol testing program; and performs other related duties as required.

The position:

• Plans, develops, and organizes a comprehensive supervisory management, safety and employee development program for the County of Kaua'i
• Implements, coordinates and assist in the direction of the County's risk management program
• Oversees Drug/Alcohol Testing to ensure the County meets its annual testing thresholds required by law and as allowed under the collective bargaining agreement
• Conducts investigation related to complaints on employee relations matters and potential policy violations and prepares report

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must meet all the requirements for the position they are seeking as of the filing date of their application, unless otherwise specified. Therefore, please provide a complete application of all the information you would want considered in our review. Applicants may request an administrative review to provide clarifying information only on the information that was originally provided on the application at the time of filing; subsequent submittal of missing documents or new information that was not part of the original application submittal will not be considered in the Administrative Review.

Please note that unless specifically indicated, internships that are required for graduation may not be credited for experience. Your possession of the required amount of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. Overall paid or unpaid experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position.

Note: Calculation of experience is based on full-time, 40-hour work weeks. Part-time experience will be pro-rated. Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours per week is equivalent to six months of experience. In addition, hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week will not be credited. Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours per week is equivalent to one year, not one and one-half years.

Training & Experience: A combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree in public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field, and

• three (3) years of specialized work experience.

Qualifying Specialized Work Experience: Professional work experience in human resources management work that included the analysis of facts and data to resolve problems and recommend appropriate courses of action in area(s) of a human resources program assigned.

THE HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAM IS IN SAFETY; TRAINING; WORKERS COMPENSATION; RISK MANAGEMENT; AND INVESTIGATIONS.

Substitutions Allowed:
The following may be substituted for education:

• General professional work experience or education credits can be substituted for up to two (2) years of the Bachelor’s degree such as:
  • Full time progressively responsible professional, technical or substantive work experience demonstrating the scope, level and quality of work comparable to a curriculum leading to an associate’s, bachelor's or master’s degree.
  • Successful completion of semester credits in a curriculum leading to a degree or diploma at an accredited community college, trades school, college, or university. (15 semester credits = 6 months).
• Specialized professional work experience in public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field or education credits in public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field can be substituted for up to two (2) years of the Bachelor’s degree such as:
  • Full time progressively responsible professional, technical or substantive work experience demonstrating the scope, level and quality of work comparable to a curriculum leading to an associate’s, bachelor's or master’s degree.
  • Successful completion of semester credits specific to public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field leading to a degree or diploma from an accredited community college, trades school, college, or university (15 semester credits = 6 months).
• A master’s degree or PhD in public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field may be substituted for the education requirement.

The following may be substituted for experience:

• Successful completion of semester credits specific to public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field leading towards a Master’s/PhD degree from an accredited college or university, may be substituted up to one (1) year of the specialized work experience requirement. (15 semester credits = 6 months).
• A Master’s degree in public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the specialized work experience requirement.
• A Doctorate’s degree public administration, business administration, political science, psychology or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the specialized work experience requirement.

If a degree is used to substitute for the education requirement, it may not be used again towards the experience requirement. If work experience is used to substitute for education, it may not be used again to meet the experience requirement. If the applicant holds more than one degree, transcripts must be provided and a thorough review will be conducted by the DHR staff in order for more than one degree to be credited towards the minimum qualification requirements. Additional degrees can be considered if obtained independently through mutually exclusive classes from another degree being considered. Substitutions will be used to the advantage of the applicant.

Quality of Experience: Possession of the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for a position. The applicant's overall experience must have been of such scope and level of responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that he/she has the ability to perform the duties of the position for which he/she is being considered.

License Requirement: At the time of appointment, Candidate selected for hire will need to possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s license.

Knowledge of: Government organization and functions; merit system philosophy; various kinds of occupations and sources of occupational information; laws, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements governing public employment; public human resources administration principles and practices; general principles, concepts and processes applicable to the human resources specialty area assigned; research methods and techniques; methods and techniques for evaluating and analyzing facts and information to make sound recommendations and resolve problems; report and letter writing; trends and developments in public human resource management programs.

Ability to: Plan, assign, and review the work of subordinates; apply the principles, methods, and techniques of human resources management applicable functional area assigned; interpret and apply laws, regulation, and contractual provisions; conduct comprehensive research studies; analyze data and make sound recommendations; express ideas logically, both orally and in writing; recommend operational improvements; give and follow oral and written instructions; establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Tests: Applicants may be required to qualify on an appropriate examination.

Health and Physical Condition Requirements: Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Required Forms and Documentation:

• 
  Evidence of education (degree or transcript). A legible photo copy of an official transcript will be accepted. DHR reserves the right to request for an official copy.

Note: Transcripts downloaded from the internet are not acceptable. Copy of your education degree or transcripts must be submitted in order to be given credit. Copies will not be returned. Supporting documents must be attached to the application postmarked or dropped off to: Department of Human Resources, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 140, Lihue, HI 96766 or emailed: [email protected] within 10 calendar days from filing the application. Office hours are Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Examination: The examination may consist of a written test, training and experience evaluation, or any other examining technique. Be certain to list all pertinent training and experience, as this may be important in determining your examination score. It is essential that the applicant describe fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week. Candidates may be examined for their knowledge and abilities as mentioned above.

• Please note written exams are held ONLY on Kaua'i. We do NOT conduct testing in other jurisdictions.
• When attending the exam, please be prompt. There will be no admittance once the door is closed.
• Masks need to be worn at all times.
• In the event that a candidate does not have a mask, he/she must leave the testing site and will not be able to participate in the written exam (as required by emergency proclamation).
• A candidate may request for an accommodations if he/she is unable to wear a faced mask. A doctor’s note indicating the inability for the candidate to wear a face mask must be submitted PRIOR to the written exam. Alternate arrangements will be made to test the candidate individually on a different day/time. The candidate will be required to wear a face shield.

For further information about Equal Employment Opportunity, the Merit Civil Service System, Citizenship and other requirements, Reasonable Accommodation, Veterans Preference, Examination Requirements, and the Internal Complaint and Merit Appeals Board Processes please visit our website at www.kauai.gov.

NOTE: Persons selected for employment will be required to pass a suitability background investigation which may include, but not limited to, an oral interview, reference check, drug screening, pre-employment medical exam, psychological assessment, polygraph test, as applicable to the position to their employment.