Position Information

NY HELPYes

AgencyTemporary and Disability Assistance, Office of

TitleTemporary Assistance Specialist 1 or Trainee 1 or 2 (NY HELPS)

Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers

Salary Grade18

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $49363 to $82656 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Contingent Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 30%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 9 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? No

Location

County Albany

Street Address Employment and Income Support Programs

40 North Pearl Street

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12243

Job Specifics

Minimum Qualifications NY HELPS: This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, candidates may be hired via a non-competitive appointment if they meet the below NY HELPS minimum qualifications.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

NON-COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

For Trainee 1 level, you must have a bachelor’s or higher degree.

For Trainee 2 Level, you must have a bachelor's or higher degree; AND one year of professional experience performing one or more of the following:

• Administering temporary assistance programs and initiatives to assess applicant/recipient needs, determine eligibility and/or provide services or benefits to low-income individuals or families. Such initiatives may include, but are not limited to, the development of systems applications for determining eligibility and benefit levels for temporary assistance programs;
• Planning, implementing, assessing, monitoring and/or evaluating programs to deliver effective temporary assistance and/or workforce development/training programs to unemployed, underemployed, low income or disabled individuals;
• Managing contracts and related budgets for workforce development/training and/or temporary assistance programs, including contract development, negotiation and execution, and fiscal management, monitoring or program review; and
• Planning, developing, managing, or administering programs that provide care and service to adults, children, and/or families in need of assistance, including childcare, foster care, medical assistance and adult residential care, aid to the refugee and/or immigrant population, or child and adult protective care.

Substitution: A Juris Doctor, master's or higher degree in a related field can substitute for one year of specialized experience.

For the Full Performance Level, you must have a bachelor's or higher degree; AND two years of professional experience performing one or more of the following:

• Administering temporary assistance programs and initiatives to assess applicant/recipient needs, determine eligibility and/or provide services or benefits to low-income individuals or families. Such initiatives may include, but are not limited to, the development of systems applications for determining eligibility and benefit levels for temporary assistance programs;
• Planning, implementing, assessing, monitoring and/or evaluating programs to deliver effective temporary assistance and/or workforce development/training programs to unemployed, underemployed, low income or disabled individuals;
• Managing contracts and related budgets for workforce development/training and/or temporary assistance programs, including contract development, negotiation and execution, and fiscal management, monitoring or program review; and
• Planning, developing, managing, or administering programs that provide care and service to adults, children, and/or families in need of assistance, including childcare, foster care, medical assistance and adult residential care, aid to the refugee and/or immigrant population, or child and adult protective care.

Substitution: A Juris Doctor, master's or higher degree in a related field can substitute for one year of specialized experience.

Note: experience limited to clerical screening of applications, data entry, distribution of forms/brochures to prospective social services applicants, administrative duties in support of temporary assistance programs and any function in which the major responsibility of the position does NOT entail the direct planning, oversight, or provision of assistance is not considered qualifying. In addition, experience in staff development activities internal to an organization or auditing of employment and training programs, is NOT qualifying experience for this examination.

Temporary Assistance Programs are: Family Assistance (FA), Jobs Program, Safety Net Assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SSI State Supplement Program, Emergency Assistance to Families or Adults (EAF,EAA), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps), Employment Services for Recipients of Public Assistance or SNAP, Energy Assistance, Low Income Housing Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), Emergency Rental Assistance Program/Landlord Rental Assistance Program (ERAP/LRAP, Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Benefits (P-EBT), Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Benefits (Summer EBT), and Medicaid.

OR

55 b/c: These positions are eligible for 55b/c appointment, and candidates with 55b/c eligibility are encouraged to apply. To be eligible for a 55b/c appointment, candidate must be currently enrolled in the Civil Service 55b/c program and possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. For appointment to the Temporary Assistance Specialist 1, G-18, candidates must also meet the qualifications listed above. Information about the 55b/c program can be found here: https://www.cs.ny.gov/rp55/

COMPETITIVE QUALIFICATIONS

Eligible for a lateral transfer or eligible for transfer under Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law by having one
year of permanent competitive service in an appropriate title. Information regarding transfer eligibility is
available on the Civil Service Career Mobility Office website at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

OR

Reachable on the appropriate eligible list in Albany.

Duties Description These three (3) full-time Temporary Assistance Specialist 1, G-18 positions will be located in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Bureau (ERAP), within the Division of Employment and Income Support Programs (EISP), but will receive oversight from the Division of Audit and Quality Improvement (A&QI).

The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) provides significant economic relief to help low and moderate-income households at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by providing rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance.

The incumbents will work with the many different divisions and bureaus within the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), including EISP; Housing, Refugee Services and Disability Determinations; Audit and Quality Improvement; Budget, Finance and Data Management; Legal Affairs; and the Bureau of Contract Management. The incumbents will also work with two large commercial contracts for the administration of the program, one for the provision of an on-line application processing system and staffing for eligibility determinations, and the other for a Customer Contact Center to respond to inquiries regarding the program and applications.

The duties of these positions will include, but are not limited to:

•Work with contractors on transitioning the program to OTDA;

•Participate in regular status meetings with internal and external stakeholders;

•Responding to client inquiries that come in to OTDA by phone, email, or postal mail;

•Make eligibility determinations, conducting appeals for households that express disagreement with eligibility determinations; and

•Work with Information Technology Services (ITS) on the functioning of the eligibility system, and make necessary modifications; and

•Provide technical assistance to the contract staff that operate the call center to address questions received from the pubic and/or applicants.

Additional Comments Full-time permanent or contingent-permanent appointments will be made. If certified by Civil Service, mandatory reemployment list candidates must be considered first for appointment to this title. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position may require less than 30% travel.

Your resume must indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for this position. Non-specific submissions may be disqualified from further consideration if the information you provide does not meet the minimum qualifications.

Remarks:

Interested applicants should send an email with their resume attached to jobpostings@otda.ny.gov and put "Posting #24232SNY" in the subject line. DO NOT USE THE VACANCY ID NUMBER.

NYS OTDA seeks to promote a diverse workforce that is a representation of the various cultures, voices, backgrounds, ideas, and talents of the citizens and communities that we serve. We actively solicit and encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (“BIPOC”); LGBTQIA+ individuals; women; people with disabilities; and military veterans.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Contact Information

Name Recruitment Unit

Telephone

Fax (518) 474-9374

Email Address jobpostings@otda.ny.gov

Address

Street 40 North Pearl Street, 12B

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12243

 

Notes on ApplyingTo apply, please send a cover letter and resume. Include a current, Civil Service title and grade level and clearly state how you meet the minimum qualifications.

Interested applicants should send an email with their resume attached to jobpostings@otda.ny.gov and put "Posting #24232NY" in the subject line. DO NOT USE THE VACANCY ID NUMBER

You may be required to provide acceptable proof of education, experience, credential and/or license to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications for appointment to this position.

Applicants will be required to prove their eligibility for employment based upon acceptance of a position in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

If you are a retiree currently receiving benefits, indicate this and the name of the retirement system in your response.

In accordance with state law, Governor’s Executive Order No. 6 and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance does not discriminate against disabled individuals. If you are disabled and require reasonable accommodation at the time of the interview, please contact OTDA's designee for reasonable accommodation at (518) 474-7284.