Deputy Director - Family & Children's Services

Job Description:

Deputy Director - Family & Children's Services

Description

Position Description

COUNTY OF MONTEREY
Invites applicants for the position of:
Deputy Director Social Services -
Family & Children’s Services
An Equal Opportunity Employer & Drug-Free Workplace

SALARY: $145,920 - $199,191

OPENING DATE: 08/15/2025

CLOSING DATE: Continuous

First review of resumes: Monday, September 8, 2025

The County of Monterey invites your interest for the position of Deputy Director Social Services - Family and Children’s Services. This is a unique opportunity for an enthusiastic dedicated social services professional ready to take the next step in their career and lend their experience and management abilities to help improve the quality of life for the residents of Monterey County.

County of Monterey Department of Social Services seeks a highly qualified professional for the Deputy Director - Family and Children’s Services position responsible for monitoring and evaluating operations

THE COMMUNITY
Located on California’s picturesque Pacific Coast, the County of Monterey enjoys mild weather year-round and is home to miles of beautiful beaches, spectacular mountain ranges, groves of redwoods, low-rolling foothills, and a bountiful valley. With a population exceeding 450,000, the County is proud of its vibrant citizenry, great traditions, educational opportunities, and multicultural lifestyles. Monterey County is known to the world for its majestic coastlines including Big Sur, California State Route 1, and 17-mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula as well as the agriculturally rich Salinas Valley, also known as the “salad bowl of the world”. It is also home to Pinnacles National Park near the City of Soledad, and the site of a Monarch butterfly preserve in the City of Pacific Grove. It’s easy to see why an estimated 4.3 million visitors a year make Monterey County their destination of choice.

California’s 16th largest County also provides many educational opportunities for its residents, including California State University at Monterey Bay, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, the Defense Language Institute (DLI), Presidio of Monterey, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Hartnell College, Salinas, and Monterey Peninsula College. All these factors combine to make Monterey County a healthy and economically diverse region eager to foster and sustain an enriching lifestyle for its residents.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT
The County is a general law county comprised of ten elected officials including a five-member Board of Supervisors, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Auditor-Controller, District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, and Treasurer-Tax-Collector. All 10 officers are elected to four-year terms. A County Administrative Officer is appointed by the Board and functions as the chief executive officer.

The Board adopts policies, establishes programs, appoints non-elected department heads, and adopts annual budgets for County departments. The Board also serves as the governing body for various special districts and agencies. The County is supported by a FY 2025-26 total budget of 2.3 billion and approximately 5,780 employees.
THE DEPARTMENT
The County of Monterey Department of Social Services administers more than seventy programs that serve an estimated 100,000 resident of the Monterey County daily. Department programs include Community Benefits (Public Assistance Eligibility), Family and Children’s Services (Child Welfare Services), Aging and Adult Services (Adult Protective Services, IHSS and Area Agency on Aging), CalWORKS Employment Services, Military & Veterans Affairs and the Community Action Partnership.

The Department of Social Services Mission and Values are to promote the social and economic self-reliance of each individual and family we serve though:

• Employment Services
• Temporary financial assistance
• Social support services
• Protective services to children, department adults, and seniors
• Partnerships with the community to develop and support social change, highlighting personal responsibility and self-sufficiency

VALUES

We value:

• Leadership that demonstrates vision, knowledge, dedication, competence, compassion and results
• Self-sufficiency as a measurement of our community’s economic and social health
• Quality services that are delivered with integrity, innovation, and that respects cultural diversity
• Full participation by persons we serve in making decisions that affect their lives
• Lifelong learning and the development of job skills and
• Internal and external client and customer satisfaction as one of the most important measures of our success

VALUES IN ACTION

We Will

• Lead by example
  
• Encourage active participation of all community members in addressing social concerns
  
• Assist and support the persons we serve to better meet the challenges of their lives
  
• Encourage personal and professional development in realizing one's potential, and
  
• Promote collaboration throughout our community
  

THE POSITION
Under general direction, this position will provide leadership and management to the Family and Children’s Services Branch through a management team that includes second level managers within the department of Social Services which includes Community Benefits, Family and Children’s Services, Aging and Adult Services, CalWORKs Employment Services, or Administrative Services. Incumbents will develop, recommend, and implement program services, policies, and procedures while creating and maintaining a positive Branch culture, motivating and empowering staff, and ensuring quality service to all clients.

IDEAL CANDIDATE
Will have a thorough knowledge of accepted principles, techniques and practices of local government administration, including analyzing data an developing recommendations on budget, program and policy activities; presents recommendations to department and County leadership in written and oral form; building exceptional relationships, prepared to meet the Agency’s goals; a personable leader who treats employee with respect and enjoys mentoring staff; determines qualifications, skills and training needs of the agency’s multidisciplinary staff, demonstrates a can-do mindset and is resourceful and open to ideas that will maintain solutions-oriented culture; is a strategic thinker who uses analytical thinking and appropriate research, provides informed policy and programmatic recommendations to the Board of Supervisors; an excellent communicator who can successfully convey information to technical and non-technical staff, board members, and community stakeholders. The most successful candidate will have the skill and ability to plan, organize and direct the work of subordinate staff; analyze problems, select alternatives, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations for departmental objectives; understand, interpret, and apply laws, rules and regulations as they relate to the assigned area of responsibility; collect, interpret, and evaluate narrative and statistical data pertaining to service levels, program management and financial/administrative operations; communicate effectively in writing in order to prepare a variety of reports, correspondence, and memoranda; communicate effectively orally in order to present findings, recommendations and policies before boards, commissions and/or committees, and the public; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted through the course of work.

Examples of Experience/Education/Training

EXAMPLES OF EDUCATION TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Any combination of training, education and/or experience which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities and required conditions of employment listed above is qualifying. An example of a way these requirements might be acquired is:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, health, social sciences, or a related field. A Master’s degree in human services; social work, business administration; or a related field is highly desirable.

Experience: Four (4) years progressively responsible work in program administration, planning and evaluations preferably with a public agency, including two (2) years of management experience in the delivery of human services, social welfare or health services that demonstrates the possession of the required knowledge and abilities.

REQUIRED CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
As a condition of employment, the incumbent will be required to:

• Successfully pass a thorough background investigation to include fingerprinting.
• Possess a valid California Class C Driver's License at the time of appointment and possess and maintain a satisfactory driving record or produce evidence of suitable transportation, which is approved by the appointing authority.
• Be available to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and during times of disaster and/or emergency; travel out of the county to attend meetings.
• Possess a Master's degree in social work or related field in humanities.

Additional Information

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This is an At-Will position. The salary range for the Deputy Director Social Services is $145,920 to $199,191 and placement within the range is dependent on the qualifications and experience of the individual selected. The County also offers a competitive benefits package, including:

• Health Insurance (medical, dental, and vision)
• Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care, and Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement: Enrollment in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
  • Classic CalPERS Member: 2% @ 55, 7% employee contribution
  • New CalPERS Member: 2% @ 62, 7% employee contribution
• Paid Leave: 23 Days of annual leave in the first year up to 37 days after 25 years, 13 holidays, 1 floating holiday; 10 days professional leave per year non-accruable
• Stipends: $375/month automobile allowance, $450/year professional development, $75/month management expense allowance
• Life insurance, short and long-term disability insurance
• Deferred compensation voluntary plan

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for this exciting opportunity, submit a complete resume and cover letter by the priority screening date of Monday, September 8, 2025, via e-mail to hernandezte@countyofmonterey.gov or by mail:

County of Monterey - Department of Social Services

Attention: Tracyann Hernandez, Human Resources Technician

1000 South Main Street, Suite 308

Salinas, CA 93901

Contact Tracyann Hernandez, Human Resources Technician at (831) 796-1587 for additional information.

Priority Screening Date: Monday, September 8, 2025.

http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/human-resources/human-resources/benefits/benefit-summary-sheet

Salary:

$145,920.00 - $199,191.00 Annually