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Putnam County

Personnel Department

SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST (SCHOOL)

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS This is professional administrative work involving responsibility for handling a variety of personnel issues for the staff of a school district, some of which may be of a routine nature, but much of which is non-routine, highly varied and confidential. Work requires a high degree of independent judgment in analyzing problems and developing solutions that conform to relevant rules and regulations. Additionally, incumbent assists with negotiation preparations, independently composes correspondence, and acts as liaison between the school district and the County personnel department. This class differs from Personnel Specialist by virtue of more difficult and complex nature of assignments and increased level of independent responsibility. Work is performed under general supervision of an Assistant Superintendent or human resources administrator. Supervision may be exercised over a small number of technical or clerical personnel. Performs related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:  (Illustrative only)

  • Oversees and manages all aspects of personnel for non‑instructional staff, or instructional staff, or both, including but not limited to: post/canvass positions, prepare personnel matters for inclusion in monthly Board of Education meeting agenda, maintains records of employment status, tracks grievances, assists in negotiation preparations;
  • Maintains a comprehensive, efficient, accurate and up-to-date personnel record-keeping system for all school employees, to accurately record all employment matters including but not limited to employment, transfer, tenure, retirement, leave, promotion, etc.
  • Advises employees on a variety of matters including, but not limited to, contract interpretations, benefits including health insurance, retirement, disability, etc.;
  • Administers employee leaves such as Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), sick bank, leaves of absence, and produces related correspondence for employees as needed;
  • Participates in special projects or studies and handles confidential matters;
  • Conducts new employee onboarding processes, orientations and exit interviews;
  • Initiates and answers correspondence, and may prepare correspondence for the signature of the Human Resources Director or Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources or Business; 
  • Coordinates with County civil service office to ensure compliance with state and local civil service law, rules and regulations;
  • Prepares support documentation and assists as needed with contract negotiations, when required;
  • Coordinates, collects and prepares EEOC and other related data for the school district;
  • Uses specialized computer programs and software such as nVision, AESOP, GCN, to manage school district employee data;
  • Responds to inquiries and requests for information from a variety of persons;
  • Reviews applications for appointment to determine sufficiency of qualifications;
  • Prepares and maintains reports;
  • Participates in meetings, conferences and special training to keep abreast of current trends in personnel management, administrative techniques and Civil Service Law, rules and regulations; 
  • May assist directly in the labor contract negotiations process, including sitting at the bargaining table representing management; 
  • Performs a variety of related activities as required.

Typical Work Activities are intended only as illustrations of possible types of work that might be appropriately assigned to an incumbent of this title. Work activities that do not appear above are not excluded as appropriate work assignments, as long as they can be reasonably understood to be within the logical limits of the job.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Thorough knowledge of general personnel and civil service practices and procedures with regard to school districts; thorough knowledge of policies and regulations relating to school district administration, protected information, labor relations; good knowledge of the provisions of the New York State Civil Service Law and Putnam County Civil Service Rules and personnel policies; good knowledge of office practices, procedures, terminology and equipment; good knowledge of techniques used in civil service appointments, promotions, terminations, etc.; good knowledge of employee interviewing and selection techniques; ability to organize and maintain ability to plan, prioritize and organize work; ability to produce thorough and accurate reports; ability to effectively use computer applications for word processing and data control; ability to identify and resolve personnel problems; ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; ability to read and interpret complex written materials; ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships; accuracy; resourcefulness; initiative; sound professional judgment; integrity; tact and courtesy.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Masters degree and one (1) year of upper-level office work experience which must have included human resources processes administration, the processing personnel transactions, employee benefits transactions, or payroll records, and/or civil service examination administration or scheduling; or
  2. Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of upper-level office work experience, one (1) year of which must have included human resources processes administration, the processing of
  3. personnel transactions, employee benefits transactions, or payroll records, and/or civil service examination administration or scheduling; or
  4. Associate degree or sixty (60) credits of post-secondary education and five (5) years of upper-level office work experience, two (2) years of which must have included human resources processes administration, the processing of personnel transactions, employee benefits transactions, or payroll records, and/or civil service examination administration or scheduling; or
  5. An equivalent combination of training and experience as indicated in a) and b) above.

TRAINEE NOTE: In the event a candidate is lacking up to one (1) year of the required upper-level work experience, the candidate may be appointed as a trainee.

PLEASE NOTE: Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT FOR APPOINTMENT IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS:

In accordance with the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) legislation, Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, and by the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, candidates for appointment in school districts must obtain clearance for employment from the State Education Department prior to employment based upon a fingerprint and criminal history background check.

 

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Competitive Class

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Mission Statement

Our mission is to administer, in a fair and equitable manner, the provisions of New York State Civil Service Law and Putnam County Civil Service Rules with respect to the offices and employments in the classified service of Putnam County and the civil divisions therein, which include the towns, villages, school districts, libraries and special districts.

It is Putnam County Personnel Department’s responsibility to ensure Putnam County taxpayers of a public workforce qualified for their jobs pursuant to the principles of selection according to merit and fitness as set forth in Article 5, §6 of the New York State Constitution.

  • Paul Eldridge

    Personnel Officer