Critical Care Manager, BHCS

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION . The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted online.

Qualified bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari, Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to apply. There is an additional biweekly compensation for persons in positions designated bilingual. Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

DESCRIPTION

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county. The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion. Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth-largest city. One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities, and rural areas. As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens. The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles. The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities, and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.

ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH

Alameda County Health is the local government agency that promotes and protects the health and well-being of all who live, work, learn, and play in Alameda County. We coordinate services and cultivate partnerships with community organizations and providers to help ensure access, organize, and deliver health care and services to people with Medi-Cal and without insurance, support resilient communities, and improve health for all. We focus on health equity by developing programs and systemic solutions that reduce disparities for the people and communities we serve.

Alameda County Health’s departments and programs focus on services and support that provide care for the whole person.

• The Behavioral Health Department provides mental health and substance use services for people with Medi-Cal and without insurance and supports people along their path to wellness, recovery, and resilience.
  
• The Environmental Health Department works to keep our air, water, and food safe; it regulates, protects, and promotes the health of everyone in Alameda County by enforcing environmental health codes to reduce exposure to toxins and diseases.
  
• The Public Health Department focuses on community and population-level health, preventing and addressing root causes of health inequity across a range of communicable and chronic diseases.
  
• Alameda County Health also provides services through Housing and Homelessness Services, Emergency Medical Services Agency, HealthPAC, and Healthy Schools and Communities.
  

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

As part of Alameda County Health, the Behavioral Health Department supports people with Medi-Cal and without insurance living with serious mental illness and substance use conditions along their path toward wellness, recovery, and resiliency. We provide services through a network of contracted mental health and substance use providers and administer the State’s resources and training for behavioral health providers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals. We advocate for our patients and families and create space for personal engagement in their care.

We are outpatient specialists for mental health services for older adults and youth, substance use providers and treatment program specialists, advocates for quality improvement and patients’ rights, and psychiatric and integrated health care providers.

For more information about the Behavioral Health Department, please visit www.acbhcs.org .

THE POSITION

Under general direction manages and monitors acute, sub-acute, and crisis system resources and authorizes services for adults or adolescents on involuntary psychiatric holds or in need of acute psychiatric care; provides oversight of high level behavioral health services provided by community-based organizations; ensures appropriate levels of care that meet clinical quality of care standards; facilitates treatment and discharge plans with other system partners such as Social Services Agency, Probation Department, Sheriff’s Department, the Regional Center and other hospitals as appropriate.

The Critical Care Manager, BHCS, is a licensed clinical professional, fully-trained and professionally skilled upon entrance into the classification. The work is generally performed in an urgent or emergency care setting and other sites where travel may be required. This position has extensive contact with County and contract service providers who provide clinical services to Behavioral Health Care Services (BHCS) clients.

This class is distinguished from other clinical classes in that the Critical Care Manager, BHCS is responsible for administrative and managed care tasks that entails a high level of influence and authority in making decisions that shape policy and procedures concerning acute and sub acute care services. The responsibilities include providing technical and clinical direction to other professionals and acting as a liaison to other clinical classes who provide direct service delivery. Critical Care Managers report directly to a System of Care Director (Director, Children and Youth Services, Adult Services System of Care Director, Older Adult System of Care Director, or Transitional Age Youth System of Care Director).

For more detailed information about the job classification, please visit: Critical Care Manager, Behavioral Health (#6518).

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate for this position will have considerable experience in the delivery of psychiatric services to adults in a managed care context with expertise in the provision of psychiatric emergency and crisis services and will:

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  Be a collaborative strategic partner who is able to build strong ties with psychiatric emergency room and inpatient staff as well as other departments and community providers in an effort to maximize resources and achieve positive outcomes.
• Have a clear understanding of the role and function of psychiatric emergency services.
• Understand the impact of managed care, authorization services, quality assurance and regulatory bodies on the delivery of psychiatric emergency and crisis services.
• Understand the meaning of “Medical Necessity” in psychiatric emergency and crisis service environments and the impact that may have upon clients, providers, family and the community.
• Understand the elements of quality assessments in a psychiatric emergency room environment and be familiar with newer standards of mental health treatment such as screening for trauma history, avoiding seclusion and restraints, maximizing recovery, and the use of crisis plans and advanced directives.
• Be skilled at collaboration in acquiring and communicating information, supporting accurate evaluation, and producing best outcomes.
• Be a flexible and practiced problem-solver with good judgment-capable of thinking logically, taking initiative and reacting calmly under pressure to arrive at sound conclusions, well-supported decisions and appropriate plans/actions.
• Be an effective communicator with excellent interpersonal skills focused on building an environment where diverse, multidisciplinary service providers are engaged in working together to enhance the delivery of behavioral health care for Alameda County.
• Be able to develop systems to monitor activities or outputs that are easy to use and provide timely and pertinent information as well as the use of data for planning and quality improvement.
• Make a positive impact on others by (exuding) confidence, creating good first impressions and earning professional trust and respect of others.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The minimum professional requirements for admission to the competitive assessment process include:

Education :

Possession of a Master’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a mental health care field.

AND

Experience :

The equivalent of three years of full-time, paid post-license experience in direct behavioral health care service delivery that included psychiatric diagnosis, treatment and disposition planning and or the clinical review of these direct behavioral health care services.

License :

Possession of a valid clinical license from the applicable licensing authority: California Board of Behavioral Sciences, California Board of Psychology, or California Board of Registered Nursing.

Positions in this class require a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license. Applicants must possess such license prior to appointment.

Special Requirement :

In compliance with the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), employees in this classification are required to possess a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number prior to their first day on the job.

In compliance with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Federal Cures Act, Employees in this classification who are required to render direct specialty mental health services in the course of their assignment must successfully be enrolled in Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) web portal pri5384or to commencing employment.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Knowledge of:

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

• Social and behavioral aspects of mental and emotional disturbances and their characteristics

• Principles and practices of direct client service delivery

• Scope, activities, and functions of various behavioral health facilities and public and private community agencies providing services to mental health clients

• Policies, procedures, and systems related to Behavioral Health Care Services, legal and regulatory requirements and limitations

• Applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations

• Funding sources and administrative requirements in the program area to which assigned

• Principles and practices of program planning and evaluation

• Programmatic analysis and report preparation

Ability to:

• Organize and prioritize work to meet critical deadlines

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing

• Interpret, explain, and apply complex regulations, policies, and procedures

• Plan, monitor, and evaluate program and service delivery in the programmatic area to which assigned

• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policies and guidelines

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course work

• Make effective presentations to diverse groups

• Represent the department and the County in meetings with others

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the classification will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants. Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process.

3) An oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN:

Deadline For Filing:

5:00:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Review of Minimum Qualifications

Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified

October 2, 2025

October 20-24, 2025

Virtual Pre-recorded Civil Service Oral Examination:

Virtual Oral Examination Ratings:

Results Notification:

Promulgation of Eligible List:

October 29-November 7, 2025

November 10-17, 2025

Week of November 24, 2025

December 7, 2025

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Departmental Hiring Interviews:

TBD

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website , https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/reasonable-accommodation/

BENEFITS

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical - HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental - HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1 st United Services Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three (3) days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to eight (8) days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com , @acgov.org , nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org , and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email boxes Noreply@jobaps.com and nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org , are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions, please go to our website at hrs.alamedacountyca.gov . You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

hrs.alamedacountyca.gov

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.

Closing Date/Time: 10/1/2025 5:00:00 PM

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• County of Alameda

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