Project Assistant (02-1733)

Job Description

This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing This position is responsible for the overall coordination of the Valley Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) service area, including outreach and recruitment of volunteers; screening, training, and retention activities; data collection and reporting; and grant activities applicable to the Mat-Su Valley area. This position reports to the State Director of Alaska CASA and works in conjunction with Guardians ad Litem and program staff around the state to develop and strengthen the CASA program.

Our Organization, Mission, and Culture The Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) provides legal advocacy and guardianship services to vulnerable Alaskans. With offices in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Kenai, Palmer, and Bethel, OPA advocates for abused and neglected children in protective proceedings, provides public guardianship for incapacitated adults, advocacy for victims of elder fraud, attorney services for respondents in adult guardianship proceedings, for parents in child in need of aid cases, and conflict criminal cases received from the Public Defender Agency. Alaska CASA is in the Child Advocacy Civil section of OPA. The Alaska CASA program recruits, trains, and oversees volunteers who are tasked with becoming experts on minors who are the subject of open Child In Need of Aid (CINA) cases to ensure focused best interest advocacy for the children/youth involved in assigned cases. Our purpose is to make a positive difference in the lives of children/youth who have experienced abuse and/or neglect. Alaska CASA serves children in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, the Kenai Peninsula, and the Mat-Su Valley. Local Coordinators and the State Director of Alaska CASA work collaboratively to ensure that each service area reaches as many children/youth as possible. Each local coordinator is given the ability to recruit, train, and oversee volunteers in a way that meets the local standards regarding best interest advocacy as well as standards identified by the National CASA Association. Members of the CASA team are committed to ensuring children and youth in abuse and neglect cases receive the best possible best interest advocacy through the work of CASA volunteers. We hope that each volunteer becomes an “expert” on the children/youth involved in the cases they are assigned. We embrace the values of cultural humility, the worth of every child/youth, honoring volunteers, striving for program excellence, and acting with integrity. In your role, you will have direct influence on the Mat-Su Valley service area. As part of the team, you will be included in statewide decisions on the function and direction of Alaska CASA. The Benefits of Joining Our Team A great benefit of joining the CASA team is knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of children/youth who have experienced abuse and/or neglect. This is a chance to work independently, implement ideas, and be a part of the greater Alaska CASA team. Because you can see the direct impact of CASA volunteers involved in a child’s life, this job brings a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction. Additionally, this position works regularly with a small, dedicated group of individuals who are as excited as you are to help this program grow.

The Working Environment You Can Expect This position has a private office next to staff Guardians ad Litem, legal support staff, and Public Guardians in OPA’s Palmer Civil Office. There is also space at this location to meet with current and potential volunteers and conduct training with easy access to parking. This position will work virtually with CASA staff around the state. Requires limited schedule adjustment outside of normal business hours. Requires some travel within the State.

Who We Are Looking For We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Program Oversight: Plans, coordinates, and monitors programs to ensure that federal, state, and/or local government program requirements and plans are met, providing professional consultation on the specialized services of the program or associated project(s).]

Minimum Qualifications Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. Competency Description The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

• Adaptability: adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
• Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving: uses a logical, systematic, sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.
• Reading Comprehension: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Training from an accredited college or university in any field and/or experience such as performing research; interpreting data; applying, interpreting, and disseminating technical, statutory, and/or regulatory requirements; and/or experience in community development, research, social services, economics, public administration, planning, or a closely related field.

Special Note:

“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

“Training” and “education” are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs. Additional Required Information Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission.

THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY

Please be sure to check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

EDUCATION If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or within 48 hours of the close of this recruitment to the contact person listed below.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

WORK EXPERIENCE

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment. NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

APPLICATION NOTICE

You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to successfully apply. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here: http://doa.alaska.gov/dop/workplace/help/

EEO STATEMENT

The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

NOTICE If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the ‘govermentjobs.com’ domains. For information on allowing emails from the ‘governmentjobs.com’ domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword.

WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are located in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov. For applicant password assistance please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword Contact Information Amy Hoagland Administrative Officer amy.hoagland@alaksa.gov

Benefits

Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits

The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.

For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of Retirement and Benefits. (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)

Insurance Benefits

• Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
• The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
• AVTEC
• Confidential
• Correctional Officers
• Marine Engineers
• Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
• Supervisory
• Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
• Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
• The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
• General Government
• Labor, Trades and Crafts
• Public Safety Employees Association
• Masters, Mates & Pilots
• Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)

Optional Insurance Benefits

• Group-based insurance premiums for
• Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
• Long-term and short-term disability
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment
• Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
• Supplemental Survivor Benefits
• Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses

Retirement Benefits

• Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
• Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
• Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
• Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
• Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
• Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options

See https://drb.alaska.gov/retiree/ for additional information

Paid Leave & Other Benefits

• Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
• Twelve (12) paid holidays a year