Program Assistant

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Office Associate II

Opening Date: March 20, 2024

Closing Date: April 2, 2024

Job Class Code: 6542

Grade: 80-13 (Admin)

Salary: $ 16.80 - $23.25/ hr.

$34,944.00 - $48,360.00 / annually

Position Number: 2000-3866

Position Location: This is a full-time position located in Augusta.

The Maine CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) is looking for a Program Assistant to join Maine's efforts to prevent, detect, and eliminate lead exposures in the homes of children.

In this job, you will make a difference by being part of a team that provides case management services to families with lead-poisoned children and works to prevent children from being exposed. This important role includes organizing and processing correspondence, data, and documents related to the 300-400 cases the CLPPP handles each year. You will be a key team member in ensuring our services are provided in a timely and supportive way. You may also be the first point of contact for residents reaching out to our program so your clear communication and ability to connect residents to the right person or resource makes you central to our operations. In addition, your skills will be needed to adapt to emerging demands, handle special and time-sensitive requests, and help us create more efficient processes.

Core Responsibilities:

As a key member of the CLPPP team, your core responsibilities will include:

• Creating and sending out information families need to protect their children from lead exposure;

• Monitoring and organizing group email accounts to ensure messages get to the right person;

• Organizing case-related documents;

• Sending reminders to healthcare offices for patients that need a blood lead test;

• Monitoring inventory of print materials and ordering materials as needed;

• Limited data entry and data quality assurance;

• Routing phone calls to the appropriate team members; and

• Performing routine office functions, including scheduling meetings, maintaining office supplies, and ensuring office equipment is working.

Minimum Qualifications:

(Entry level knowledges, skills, and/or abilities may be acquired through, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO the following coursework/training and/or experience).

Training, education, or experience in office and administrative support work that demonstrates 1) competency in applying a solid knowledge of modern office practices to perform complex, varied office support tasks, and 2) the ability to use independent decision-making on the appropriate processes to follow, information to process, and actions to take in accordance with standard procedures. All positions in this classification assume the qualifications of: Office Assistant I, Office Assistant II, and Office Associate I.

Preferred candidates will also have:

• Excellent teamwork skills;

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including communicating effectively by telephone;

• Excellent document management and organizational skills;

• Customer service experience;

• Experience with data entry;

• A high level of attention to detail;

• Experience working with Microsoft Office software, including Outlook, Excel, and Word; and

• Ability to appropriately handle protected health information and confidential documents.

Thinking about applying?

Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you're currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.

Agency information:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health, safety, resilience, and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the State's population, including children, families, older Mainers, and individuals with disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health, operates two state psychiatric hospitals, and provides oversight to health care providers.

The mission for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), within which this position is located, is to develop and deliver services to preserve, protect, and promote the health and well-being of the citizens of Maine.

For additional information about this position please contact Karyn Butts, Manager, Maine CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Unit, at (207) 287-6650 or karyn.butts@maine.gov.

• To apply, please upload a resume and cover letter with your application. To request a paper application, please contact Ashley.smith@Maine.gov .

Please submit all documents or files in PDF format.

Benefits

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto-"Dirigo" or "I lead"-as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Fit

• Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.

• Health Insurance Coverage

• The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($10,523.28-$12,380.40 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.

• Health Insurance Premium Credit

• Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements.

• Dental Insurance

• The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($350.40 annual value).

• Retirement Plan

• The State of Maine contributes 13.41% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.

• Gym Membership Reimbursement

• Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.

• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.

• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness

• The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office.

• Living Resources Program

• Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.

• Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child-including fathers and adoptive parents-receive six weeks of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

• Voluntary Deferred Compensation

• Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.

• Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.

If you're looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we'd love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.