Program Operations Specialist 1

The Department of Civil Service may administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets. Online tests will be administered using Remote Proctoring. You may access information on remote proctoring by visiting our website at www.cs.ny.gov/testing/remote-proctoring.cfm. Your admission notice will tell you whether your test will be administered online or in a test location.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to one of the following test sites to take this examination: Rensselaer, Buffalo, Nyack, Poughkeepsie, Canton, Syracuse, and Yonkers. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

If you previously applied for this examination scheduled for May 16, 2020, which was postponed, you do NOT need to reapply. Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualifications to take the examination. Additional information will be sent to previous applicants via email.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

THE LIST RESULTING FROM THIS EXAMINATION
WILL BE USED FOR VACANCIES IN THE ALBANY AREA(S) ONLY.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before October 16, 2021**, you must have a bachelor's degree and two years of professional clinical or treatment experience, or professional administrative experience in a federal, State, or local human services program. One year of this experience must have been in a program dedicated to serving individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

Human Services Program: For the purposes of this examination, a human services program is defined as a federal, State, or local government operated, licensed, certified, or funded program in which individuals receive services, including but not limited to: children and family, criminal justice, elderly, homeless, impulse control disorder, intellectual and/or developmental disability, juvenile justice, mental health, and veteran services.

Professional Clinical or Treatment Experience: For the purposes of this examination, professional clinical or treatment experience is defined as the provision of professional level care, treatment, or instruction to individuals in the disciplines of nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling, vocational counseling, audiology, speech/language pathology, social work, recreation therapy, psychotherapy, behavior analysis, creative arts therapy, or habilitation services.

Examples of non-qualifying professional clinical or treatment experience include but are not limited to: intern/externships; and providing direct care and/or support services, such as those provided by caseworkers, direct support assistants, nursing assistants, and therapy aides.

Professional Administrative Experience: For the purposes of this examination, professional administrative experience is defined as experience performing one or more of the following:

• Program planning, development, design, implementation, administration, and/or evaluation of services for individuals.
• Review and analysis of program data to determine program effectiveness and adherence to federal, State, and/or local regulatory requirements.
• Investigation, review, monitoring and tracking, and/or analysis of serious reportable incidents, and allegations of abuse and neglect for programs operated by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities or voluntary providers.

Examples of non-qualifying professional administrative experience include but are not limited to: supervision of community or residential sites providing services to individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities; and case management and/or treatment and care planning activities conducted as part of your responsibility to provide direct services to individuals.

Substitution: A master's degree in a human services field* or in public administration, business administration, public health, health administration, or hospital administration may be used to substitute for up to one year of the non specific experience.

*For the purpose of this examination a Human Services field includes: community mental health, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, social work, audiology, speech/language pathology, special education, education, child and family studies, therapeutic recreation, vocational counseling, counseling, and human development.

**If you expect to meet the educational requirements by January 31, 2022, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the Appointing Authority at the time of the employment interview. Failure to meet the educational requirements by January 31, 2022 may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Notes

1. Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1BLM.
2. A transition examination is also being held for these positions.
3. Although transition examinations are being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.

4. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: The names of all prospective employees will be:

   • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
   • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;

   and may be:

   • Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

   You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.

5. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
6. New York State residence is not required.
7. Medicaid and Medicare: In order to be eligible for appointment and to maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). If you are appointed and subsequently listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally-assisted program), you may be terminated from your employment.

The Positions

These positions exist in the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.

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Duties

As a Program Operations Specialist 1, you would perform professional, administrative, and technical duties to promote the planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs and services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Ensuring effective inter/intra agency communications - These questions test for understanding of techniques for interacting effectively with individuals and agencies, to educate and inform them about topics of concern, to clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with the staff of one's own agency and/or that of other agencies in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
2. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
3. Evaluating conclusions based on factual information - These questions test your ability to evaluate and draw conclusions from factual information presented. Each question consists of a set of factual statements and a conclusion. You will be asked to determine whether the conclusion can be proven to be true by the facts, proven to be false by the facts, or if the facts are inadequate to prove the conclusion.
4. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

If you pass, your seniority credit(s), if any, will be included in the computation of your final score. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' credits.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

Important: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB2 BLM-dah
Reissued: 08/28/2021
**Revised Material 08/18/2021

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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