Project Assistant (Wic Vendor Program Assistant - PCN 061697)

This position is open to Alaskan Residents only.

Please check out the residency definition to determine if you qualify.

The position may be in Anchorage or Juneau, depending upon the location of the most qualified candidate.

What you will be doing:

You will be responsible for coordinating WIC (Women, Infants & Children) vendor compliance, overseeing routine vendor monitoring, resolving complaints, detecting and investigating fraud, analyzing WIC benefit redemption, and reporting on compliance activities to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. You will also oversee the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (S/FMNP), including developing farmers' agreements, providing training and technical assistance, and ensuring compliance with federal regulations. Additionally, you will conduct research to support cost containment, price competitiveness, peer group assignments, detection of vendors at high risk for fraud, contract development and special projects, and draft policies and procedures for management review under the direction of the Vendor Unit Manager.

Our organization, mission, and culture:

WIC is a public health program that provides nutrition and breastfeeding education, counseling, support, referrals to needed services, and nutritious food to eligible women, infants, and children up to the age of five. We embrace the values of excellence, innovation, continuous improvement, integrity, and inclusiveness.

The benefits of joining our team:

We are a dynamic problem-solving team. No workday is typical, as our duties and responsibilities are very broad, and change is a constant in our work.

Every team member takes the lead on some projects and assists with others. This is a work environment that values your strengths and allows you to build your knowledge and skills for future advancement.

The working environment you can expect:

The working hours are between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, with some flexibility upon approval from the WIC Vendor Manager.

The role requires frequent travel to remote communities, which may include transportation by small aircraft, as a passenger on snow machines, four-wheelers, and/or small boats, and occasional out-of-state travel.

Who we are looking for:

To be successful in this position we are looking for someone with the following competencies in addition to the Minimum Qualifications:

• Compliance: Knowledge of the guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with compliance inquiries, including application of compliance rules and criteria and ability to make appropriate decisions and issue citations, fines, or orders.

• Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

• Manages and Organizes Information: Identifies a need; gathers, organizes, and maintains information; determines its importance and accuracy, and communicates it by a variety of methods.

Additional Information:

• Requires travel to remote communities, including transportation by small aircraft, as a passenger on snow machines, four-wheelers, and/or small boats. Occasional out-of-state travel.

Additional preferred experience:

• Experience with SPIRIT or other management information systems used by WIC programs and Microsoft Excel.

A cover letter is NOT required for this position. Your complete application, including supplemental questions, will be used to determine which applicants will advance to the interview phase of the recruitment and selection process. 

To view the general description and example of duties for this job class, please go to the following link and search for Project Assistant:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Alaska/classspecs.

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 meet the competency successfully, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, volunteer work, etc.) supports/demonstrates that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. 

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.

At time of application, applicant is requested to submit: 

• A copy of academic transcripts (unofficial are okay; please ensure that the institution name/URL is listed on the transcripts) is used to support that you meet the minimum qualification competencies.

• Last two (2) years of performance evaluations, if available.

• Three (3) professional references whom we may contact by phone, one (1) of whom must be your current or most recent supervisor, if not already provided in the application. 

Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions.

The State of Alaska uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant's level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task.  The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

EDUCATION

To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, 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 used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application. (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts). Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

If education is completed in a foreign college or university, it 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 the 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.  The omission of the required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application, and you will not receive further consideration.

WORK EXPERIENCE

When using work experience not already documented in your application, please provide the employer's name, your job title, employment dates, and whether you were working full-time or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and if minimum qualifications are met.

Work experience needed to meet the minimum qualifications must be documented in the application.  If the application does not support minimum qualifications, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.  A resume will not be used to determine that minimum qualifications have been met for the position you are applying for.

If you have currently or previously been appointed to a flexibly staffed position, please ensure your work experience within a flexibly staffed position indicates the actual dates employed at each level.  Ensure your time and any subsequent flex promotion(s) are documented as a separate position.

 This is required as minimum qualifications require experience at a particular level in which the lower level may not be considered. If this information is not accurately reflected in your application, this may cause the processing of your application for consideration to be delayed.

NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application. 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.

The State of Alaska does not provide VISA Employer sponsorships.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS:

The location of this position is currently in Juneau. The position may be located in Juneau or Anchorage depending upon the location of the most qualified candidate.

Please select the location(s) you are willing to be considered for. There is one position to be filled.

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 apply successfully. 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/

NOTICE

Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465- 4095. 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 at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword.

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 1-800-587-4095 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.

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 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.    

For specific information in reference to the position please contact the hiring manager at:

Name: Sarah Slater

Title: WIC Vendor Manager

Phone: 907-465-3100

Email: sarah.slater@alaska.gov