Employment Opportunities
For COUNTY APPOINTMENTS please see Volunteer Opportunities.
See current job postings for Dukes County below.
If you are interested please fill out the Employment Application and submit with any additional documents to the Dukes County Manager at Manager@dukescounty.org unless otherwise specified below. Dukes County is an equal opportunity employer. If you have any questions feel free to call 508-696-3840.
We are currently seeking applicants for the following positions:
- Director of Health and Human Services
- Health Access Specialist
Director of Health and Human Services - Starting June 1st
Professional, administrative, and managerial duties, including planning, organizing, and coordinating programs and services that enhance the overall delivery of health and human services throughout Dukes County, all other related work as required.
Essential Functions:
(The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.)
Manages and directs county departments, programs, and initiatives, including Health Care Access, Public Benefits Access, and Veterans Services. Required to understand complex systems, independently evaluate new information, events and circumstances and apply and direct the successful application of varied resources.
Develops the strategic plans, departmental budgets, administers the budget, and ensures that personnel and resources are effectively used.
Is responsible to make sure that the community is provided with adequate services to address the health insurance needs of the community and the elderly, access to public benefits and related other health and human services in collaboration with partnering organizations; provides strategic advice and technical assistance to towns, human services providers, regional coalitions, funds, and others in building capacity and/or strengthening human service programs.
Works to resolve difficult customer service requests.
Oversees public outreach efforts, engages in public relations and interagency coordination of numerous health and human service providers to develop support at the local level; provides education and information to the public regarding health and human service’s needs.
Serves as County representative on the Dukes County Health Council and other local and regional health and human services related organizations as required.
Seeks funding for programs by writing grants and engaging in development of service contracts and subgrantee agreements, ensures that funded programs are managed effectively, prepares reports as required.
Articulates the health and human service needs of the County to state, county and local policymakers and residents of the County and local government officials.
Advises the County Manager and the County Commissioners, Board of Health and Town leadership on current trends, problems and activities affecting the departments’ responsibility to facilitate health and human service policy making, recommends policy guidelines and operational strategies relating to the departments.
Manages, hires with the approval of County Manager, measures performance, supervises and assures adequate training of all the staff of the departments and programs that they supervise.
Performs similar or related work as required, directed or as situation dictates
Education, Training and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in public administration, public health, social work, or related field or equivalent required, master’s degree preferred. Five to seven (5 - 7) years of experience in program management, working with state and federal health programs, community organizations. Three years’ experience in managing staff budgets and setting strategic goals. Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that enables performance of all essential functions of the position.
Special Requirements: A valid Massachusetts driver’s license.
Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of state and federal laws pertaining to health care, public health, public benefits, and related human services. Working knowledge of state benefits for health insurance programs Mass Health, Health Connector plans, federal and state Medicare, and related Medicare Savings programs; other public benefits including SNAP and Fuel Assistance; and Veteran’s benefits preferred. Thorough knowledge of grant writing, grant management, and grant reporting required. Thorough knowledge of web-based research. Knowledge of management and supervision to manage the department and staff, budget preparation and management. Knowledge of Dukes County policies and procedures, especially those concerning spending, personnel, and administrative functions
Ability: Ability to exercise diplomacy and act as a mediator, remain calm, concentrate, and perform all responsibilities in a competent manner at all times. Ability to treat individuals with dignity, fairness, sensitivity, and compassion. Ability to patiently listen, advise, counsel, and assist staff, clients, peers, and community members. Able to communicate effectively and efficiently verbally, in person, and in writing. Ability to direct and supervise staff, and manage departmental budgets, record information into a database and generate reports. Ability to work effectively under time constraints to meet deadlines. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with community groups and other agencies. Ability to establish and manage the goals for department and staff. Ability to interpret rules, regulations, and policies. Ability to implement and uphold client confidentiality and privacy policies and practices. Ability to influence behavior of personnel in multiple departments.
Skills: Leadership and consensus building skills, negotiation skills, skills as an advocate. Must be persuasive and resourceful. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, Skill to operate Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive and similar software applications.... Excellent customer service skills.
Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This position is frequently required to sit, talk, and hear; occasionally required to walk, and stand. Uses hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls, and reach with hands and arms as in physically picking up files, papers, and other common office objects. This position must occasionally lift and/or move objects weighing up to 10 pounds such as books, supplies, etc. This position requires the ability to operate a keyboard. Vision and hearing at or correctable to normal ranges. This position requires the ability to operate a motor vehicle or have available transportation to transact business throughout the county and occasionally off island.
Supervision Scope: Uses a thorough knowledge of state and federal health insurances and public benefits and procedures to direct and manage the Department. Exercise considerable judgment to independently perform duties. Analyzes the facts or circumstances surrounding issues not clearly defined by established procedures and makes decisions on the facts.
Supervision Received: Works under the general guidance of the County Manager. Work is largely self-directed. Regular communication is required with the County Manager and County Treasurer to assure effective delivery of services.
Performs duties requiring independent judgment in organizing and coordinating programs. Assumes direct accountability for departmental results, makes policy and procedure decisions for departmental operations, consults with the County Manager to clarify, interpret, or make exceptions to county-wide policies.
Supervision Given: Supervises at least seven full-time and part-time employees. This position sets departmental goals and objectives for the departments and staff under their supervision, evaluates employees, is responsible for developing programs, assigns projects and coordination of work with others and reports on project results.
Work Environment: Work is performed under typical office conditions with moderate noise from office equipment, telephones, and light traffic; occasionally may be required to participate in evening meetings. Demand for service can be planned, but may fluctuate, and employee must react to changing circumstances and emergency service demands.
There may be some outside of office meetings and site visits requiring travel and exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
Interacts frequently with health and human services staff, service providers, the general public, other agency staff, as well as with local, state and federal agencies, organizations and officials, media. Contacts are made in person, via telephone, in email, and in writing, requiring patience, tact, and discretion. Contacts also require a moderate level of communications knowledge, patience, and resourcefulness.
The employee has access to confidential and/or sensitive information related to public health, including client’s information, policy formulation materials, and department-related personnel files.
Errors in judgment could result in delay of services, confusion, loss of grant funds, legal repercussions related to privacy and public information laws.
Health Access Specialist
Statement of Duties: The Health Access Specialist provides direct client services of the Health Care Access Program, including client casework, applications and enrollments, outreach, and networking and special projects resulting in effective client assistance and efficient program operations; the employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.
Supervision Required: Under the general supervision of the Director, the employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently with specific instruction. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee is expected to recognize instances which are out of the ordinary and which do not fall within existing instructions; the employee is then expected to seek advice and further instructions. Reviews and checks of the employee’s work are applied to an extent sufficient to keep the supervisor aware of progress, and to insure that completed work and methods used are technically accurate and that instructions are being followed.
Supervisory Responsibility: The employee does not have any regular supervisory responsibilities.
Confidentiality: The employee has regular access at the departmental level to a wide variety of confidential information, including personnel records, client records and financial records in accordance with the State Public Records Law.
Accountability: Consequences of errors, missed deadlines or poor judgment may include adverse customer relations, and significant time loss caused by back checking by others and slowdowns in the processing of the work.
Judgment: Numerous standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and in some cases, may require additional interpretation. Judgment is needed to locate, select and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation or guideline.
Complexity: The work consists of a variety of duties which generally follow standardized practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines. The sequence of work and/or the procedures followed vary according to the nature of the transaction and/or the information involved, or sought, in a particular situation.
Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of a public office, subject to frequent interruptions. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.
Nature and Purpose of Public Contact: Relationships with co-workers and the public involving frequent explanation, discussion or interpretation of practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines in order to render service, plan or coordinate work efforts, or resolve operating problems. Other regular contacts are with service recipients and employees of outside organizations such as vendors, banks and/or developers/ contractors. More than ordinary courtesy, tact, and diplomacy may be required to resolve complaints or deal with hostile, uncooperative or uninformed persons.
Occupational Risk: Duties of the job present little potential for injury. Risk exposure is similar to that found in typical office settings.
Essential Functions:
The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
Conducts intake and assessment on clients for health and human service needs.
Submits applications for and enrolls clients in public health insurance programs including MassHealth, Health Connector and related programs using computers and specialized software programs and provides follow up and retention services as needed for clients who are enrolled in these programs.
Provides client advocacy services, including telephone intake and referral, home visits as needed, and linking clients to appropriate health and human services such as primary and specialty medical care; transitional assistance; housing; WIC; elder services and more.
Conducts outreach to identified target groups including young adults, seasonal workers and recently arrived immigrants.
Participates in community health networking efforts and groups as appropriate.
Disseminates program materials in locations throughout Dukes County.
Attends mandatory grantor meetings and/or training as required/needed.
Enters data on client services in HCA database.
Assists with the provision and analysis of program data as required/needed.
Recommended Minimum Qualifications:
Education and Experience: College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in health or human services; a minimum of three to five (3-5) years of health or human services experience demonstrating progressively increased responsibility for program development and client casework; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Special Requirements: Massachusetts Certified Navigator – within 3 months from starting employment. May also be required to obtain SHINE certification.
Knowledge, Abilities and Skill
Knowledge: Knowledge of local and regional health and human service resources preferred; working knowledge of IBM-based computer programs required; some understanding of bilingual/bicultural and other minority communities, especially Brazilian.
Abilities: Ability to interact effectively and appropriately with the public and other personnel, perform multiple tasks and maintain confidential information; ability to acquire and exercise detailed working knowledge of public health insurance programs and related programs and services; ability to analyze survey data, report program activity to grantors and review institutions’ decisions regarding client applications and respond appropriately.
Skills: Must possess excellent organization and interpersonal skills; manual skills must include use of computer and other office equipment; Portuguese/Spanish bilingual communication skills preferred.
Physical and Mental Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.
Physical Demands: Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper.
Motor Skills: Duties may involve assignments requiring application of hand and eye coordination with finger dexterity and motor coordination. Examples include operating a motor vehicle or using a personal computer.
Visual Demands: Position requires the routine reading of documents and reports for understanding and analytical purposes. The employee is not required to regularly determine color differences.
This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and is subject to change by the employer, as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.