Senior Management Analyst - Probation Department (Open and Promotional)

The Senior Management Analyst will be responsible for planning, overseeing, and delivering diverse administrative, analytical, and workflow support. These responsibilities include evaluating current practices and procedures, proposing enhancements to organizational, operational, policy, and procedural aspects, conducting needs analysis, feasibility studies, and program evaluations for designated projects. Additionally, the position involves developing, summarizing, and maintaining administrative and fiscal records, fostering collaborative relationships among County departments, and serving as a liaison with various community, public, and regulatory entities. The Senior Analyst will receive direction from assigned supervisory or management personnel, and the role may involve the direct and general supervision of professional, technical, and office support staff.
 
Senior Management Analysts support Department management staff, and they also serve as a professional-level resource for organizational, budgetary, managerial, legislative, and operational analyses and studies. The successful candidate will play a critical role in the Department’s performance management, including enhancing the use of performance data to effectively manage programs and services, implementation of Countywide administrative/fiscal improvements, and the mechanism for providing transparency to the residents of San Mateo County.

The Senior Management Analyst will direct and participate in advanced administrative and operational activities related to assigned work section or program area specialty. The role requires the use of independent judgment and the application of extensive knowledge of government finances, accounting, and Department programs and organizations in meeting a wide variety of complex problems involving continual public, intergovernmental, and interdepartmental relations.
 
The Ideal Candidate will possess: 

• A bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, economics, planning, finance, or a related field.
• Five years of increasingly responsible professional administrative and analytical experience in municipal government, including experience in budget, strategic planning, policy analysis, and organizational development.
• Proven expertise in utilizing systems such as Power BI and Microsoft Office.

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Develops and implements goals, objectives, policies, procedures, work standards, and administrative control systems.
• Plans, designs, coordinates, implements, promotes, and oversees the complex programs, projects, and initiatives, including legal and regulatory compliance; coordinates with private businesses and governmental agencies regarding the program as needed.
• Coordinates, oversees, and performs professional-level administrative work in such areas as budget development, financial administration and reporting, human resources, grants, purchasing, loan and contract administration, management, regulatory and legislative analysis, public information, and program evaluation.
• Develops and standardizes procedures and methods to improve and continuously monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of operations and service delivery methods and procedures in order to maximize funding and minimize costs; assesses and monitors workload and administrative and support systems; identifies opportunities for improvement and develops related recommendations.
• Develops and administers program budgets, including cost containment and grant funds disbursement.
• Conducts a variety of analytical and operational studies regarding departmental and program activities; evaluates alternatives, makes recommendations, and assists with the implementation of procedural, administrative, and/or operational changes after approval.
• Provides responsible and complex staff assistance, technical and administrative support, and professional and highly technical expertise to Agency staff, boards, committees, and member agencies; researches, prepares, and presents comprehensive professional, technical, fiscal, and administrative studies, surveys, and reports; develops agenda items for board(s) and committee meetings; reviews agenda items prepared by others as assigned; presents information to the board(s).
• Serves as a liaison with employees, public, and private organizations, community groups, and other organizations; provides information and assistance to the public regarding the assigned programs and services; receives and responds to complaints and questions relating to assigned area of responsibility; reviews problems and recommends corrective actions.
• Directs, monitors, and evaluates the work of assigned consultants, contractors, and/or grantees according to Agency's standards and pertinent agreements/contracts; develops appropriate contract language; provides clear, concise, and consistent direction; acts as the primary resource and representative to consultant, contractor, and/or grantee regarding administrative and operational policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Participates in the development and reporting of alternate funding sources and ensures that County, state, federal, and funding agency, County accounting and reporting requirements, and applicable laws, regulations, and professional accounting practices are met.
• May participate in the selecting, training, motivating, and evaluating assigned staff; provides or coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies.
• Directs the work activities of assigned personnel; prioritizes and coordinates work assignments; reviews work for accuracy; recommends improvements in workflow, procedures, and use of equipment and forms.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: 
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of county government management.
• Organizational and management practices as applied to the analysis, evaluation, development, and implementation of programs, policies, and procedures.
• Principles and practices of public administration as applied to operational unit and program administration.
• Principles, practices, and procedures of funding sources and grant funds disbursement.
• Principles and practices of employee supervision, including work planning, assignment, review and evaluation, and the training of staff in work procedures.
• Research and reporting methods, techniques, and procedures.
• Sources of information related to a broad range of municipal programs, services, and administration.
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
• Public relations techniques.
• Principles and practices of public agency budget development and administration and sound financial management policies and procedures.
• Principles and practices of contract administration and evaluation.
• Recent and on-going developments, current literature, and sources of information related to the operations of the assigned department.
• Record keeping principles and procedures.
• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation.
• Techniques for dealing effectively with the public, vendors, contractors, and County staff, in person and over the telephone.
• Techniques for effectively representing the County in contacts with governmental agencies, community groups, and various business, professional, educational, regulatory, and legislative organizations.

Ability to:

• Assist in the development of goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards for the department.
• Coordinate and oversee programmatic administrative, budgeting, and fiscal reporting activities. 
• Plan and conduct effective management, administrative, and operational studies.
• Train staff in work procedures.
• Conduct complex research projects, evaluate alternatives, make sound recommendations, and prepare effective technical staff reports.
• Analyze, interpret, summarize, and present administrative and technical information and data in an effective manner.
• Evaluate and develop improvements in operations, procedures, policies, or methods.
• Research, analyze, and evaluate new service delivery methods, procedures, and techniques.
• Prepare clear and concise reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, and other written materials.
• Interpret, explain, and ensure compliance with County policies and procedures, complex laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances.
• Effectively represent the department and the County in meetings with governmental agencies, community groups, and various businesses, professional, and regulatory organizations, and in meetings with individuals.
• Operate modern office equipment including computer equipment and specialized software applications programs.
• Exercise good judgment, flexibility, creativity, and sensitivity in response to changing situations and needs.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score.

Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

The examination process will consist of an application screening based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions (weight: pass/fail). Candidates who pass the application screening may be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations, or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California, and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org to apply.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 11:59 PM PST
Application Screening: November 30 - December 4, 2026
In-Person Civil Service Panel Interviews: December 16 and/or 17, 2026

About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.