Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:  CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT.   There is currently one vacancy at the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Housing Specialist supervises and assists with the preparation of the Housing Assistance Plan and Tables of the County's Housing and Community Development Application;

Develops proposals and guidelines for housing programs which are necessary to carry out the purposes of the Housing & Community Development Program;

Supervises the administration of the Community Development Program's housing rehabilitation programs;

Renders technical assistance to municipalities upon request regarding such issues as a rehabilitation housing and housing related codes, code enforcement procedures and federally-assisted housing. Provides assistance through seminars, written materials and on an individual municipal basis;

Performs and supervises research on topics related to housing, including statistical analysis;

Attends meetings, especially those conducted by or intended for municipalities, to make presentations and recommendations regarding housing programs incurred in the Housing and Community Development Program and regarding such housing related projects for which municipalities may request County technical assistance;

Assists senior staff members in the development of an information data system. Supervises and assists with the collection, analysis; and distribution of housing related information;

Carries out or supervises such field work as may be necessary to gather primary data (i.e., surveys, windshield surveys, etc.) and to provide technical counsel;

Maintains working liaison with housing and housing related agencies;

Assists the Program Director and the Deputy Commissioner for Planning, as required.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test: 

Candidates must have graduated from a recognized college or University with a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies, Political Science; Sociology, Public Administration, Economics; Geography; Landscape Architecture, or Environmental Design,  and in addition,  EITHER:

A.)  Completion of one (1) year of graduate work in Urban studies, Planning, Geography, Sociology; Environmental Design , Architecture; or closely related field, supplemented by three (3) years of satisfactory experience in public or semi-public agency or consulting firm relating specifically to housing; or

B.)  Four (4) years of satisfactory experience as indicated in (A).

Notes:

NOTES:  1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. 2.  Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices.  A grade of “D” or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed.  If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of theUnited States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.  You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.

All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Interviewing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.

2. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

3. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

4. Understanding and interpreting numerical data related to community development and housing

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret numerical data related to community development and housing. The data will be presented in formats such as tables and charts. All the information needed to answer the questions will be provided in the data presented. You may be required to perform basic mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and to calculate averages and percentages.

You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone or other electronic devices.

5. Understanding, interpreting and applying housing and community development laws, rules and regulations

These questions test for the ability to understand, interpret, and apply a variety of federal and State housing and community development laws, rules, and regulations. You will be provided with a brief reading selection based on or extracted from a passage of legal text. You must read the selection and then answer one or more questions based on that selection. All the information needed to answer the questions will be provided in the reading selections.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.