DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICER

DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICER

Salary

$107,112.17 - $153,016.80 Annually

Location

City of Long Beach, CA

Job Type

Unclassified - Full-Time, Permanent

Job Number

HR27-007

Department

Human Resources - (UC)

Opening Date

11/05/2026

Closing Date

12/4/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

DESCRIPTION

The City of Long Beach is currently looking to fill a vacancy in the Human Resources Department

THE COMMUNITY

Ideally located on the Pacific Ocean south of Los Angeles and just west of Orange County, Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in the State of California. Offering all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city, coupled with its strong sense of community and pride, Long Beach is one of the most vibrant communities in the country. The City has been referred to as the "Most Diverse City" in the country by USA Today and one of the "Best Communities for Young People" two years in a row. With its ideal location in Southern California, year-round comfortable climate, healthy business environment, and far-ranging cultural pursuits, the City is alive with activity. Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreational options. Expansive beaches, three marinas, five golf courses, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, and the annual Grand Prix of Long Beach serve to draw 6.5 million visitors a year. The Citys full-service commercial airport has preferred flight schedules, carriers, and overall accessibility that make it the travel-friendly alternative to other Southern California airports. In addition, Los Angeles rail transit system, the most used light rail system in the country, connects the city to the entire region. Long Beach continues to make significant investments in its parks, beaches, streets, and other amenities (including a new city hall) indicative of the financial stability and health of the City.

CITY GOVERNMENT

Long Beach is a full-service Charter City governed by nine City Council members who are elected by district and a Mayor who is elected at large. Elected officials also include the City Attorney, City Auditor, and City Prosecutor. The Council Members and the Mayor are subject to a two-term limit, which allows them to serve for a maximum of eight years. The City Council appoints a City Manager and a City Clerk. The City Manager is responsible for the efficient administration of all City departments, excluding those under the direction of a separately elected official, Board, or Commission. The City of Long Beach provides all traditional public services. In addition to its traditional services, the City also maintains one of the worlds busiest seaports, which serves as a leading gateway for international trade. Long Beach also has its own full-service commercial airport and is one of only three cities in California with its own Health Department. Long Beach is supported by a total FY 2022 budget of approximately $3 billion, with the General Fund budget totaling $625 million. More than 5,900 full and part-time employees support municipal operations with the majority being represented by eleven employee associations. To learn more about the City of Long Beach, go to: www.longbeach.gov.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

The Human Resources Department provides the full range of human resources support services to 22 departments throughout the City. HRs services include labor relations, employee relations, benefits, training, salary and classification administration, HRIS administration, oversight of personnel investigations, EEO compliance, occupational health services, risk management, and safety compliance. We believe that the Citys greatest assets are its employees and take great pride in managing the systems that support a highly productive, innovative, caring, and customer-oriented workforce. Our mission is to provide leadership and operational support to City departments to enhance their ability to recruit and retain a qualified, diverse workforce and to effectively manage business risk. We are committed to being strategic partners with all departments to ensure that the City has the talent and resources needed to provide great services to the community.

THE POSITION

The Department Safety Officer is an unclassified, at-will management position that reports to the Citys Safety Manager in Human Resources. This position interfaces with field and office staff to ensure they are performing their work in a safe environment.

The Department Safety Officer administers the occupational safety programs at the Energy and Environmental Services Department within the City of Long Beach. This individual develops, communicates, and implements a comprehensive Department emergency management plan and occupational safety/health programs in accordance with Federal, State, and City requirements/policies and best industry work practices and standards.

The Department Safety Officer analyzes employee injury trends and designs and implements programs to reduce injuries and productive time lost due to injuries. The Department Safety Officer also develops cost-effective solutions for operational issues that present technical and regulatory challenges. The Department Safety Officer reviews the training needs of client departments, as well as develops and conducts training classes in-house or coordinates training classes with external vendors. This position ensures that safety and disaster training is provided for client departments as needed.

The Department Safety Officer is the lead person for occupational safety and health matters and works with the City Safety Manager to ensure a uniform safety program. Additionally, this position will act as a liaison with regulatory agency representatives such as Cal/OSHA, Fed/OSHA, and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) as it pertains to Department issues.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• The Department Safety Officer ensures workplace safety and compliance with California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) standards and regulations.
• The management position provides occupational safety training to employees and works closely with managers to ensure Cal/OSHA compliance.
• The Department Safety Officer develops and implements safety programs and procedures for the department as necessary, performs department hazard assessments to properly identify and evaluate job hazards, and identifies and coordinates department safety training needs and develops cost-effective strategies for implementation.
• In a leadership capacity, coordinates Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) reviews and updates with the workgroup manager, as necessary.
• Analyzes department incident data and trends, reports findings, and makes recommendations to address these trends.
• Organizes department occupational safety meetings, monitors Safety meetings and training effectiveness, and represents the department and participates in Citywide safety meetings and functions.
• Responds to serious employee incidents and is on-call for other occupational safety-related emergencies.
• Communicates orally and in writing with staff on key areas concerning occupational safety, including federal and state legislation, which may affect safety requirements and programs, and acts as the departments liaison with Cal/OSHA, Department of Transportation (DOT), and other regulatory agencies.
• Maintains department Cal/OSHA recordkeeping, promotes safety among management staff and employees through various means, including coordination of safety meetings, training updates, safety tips, and site visits.
• Establishes Cal/OSHA required occupational safety training programs for water treatment and distribution employees, sewer employees, and natural gas distribution employees; and coordinates with workgroup managers to schedule training at regular intervals.
• Develops and conducts relevant occupational safety training classes in-house, or coordinates training classes with external vendors.
• Recommends corrective actions for program improvements and works with the City Safety Manager to ensure compliance with Citywide Safety Programs and Policies.
• Interfaces with the Energy and Environmental Services Departments Personnel Division and ensures a coordinated response to employee injuries and incident reporting.
• Updates department occupational safety policies to remain in compliance with Cal/OSHA and conducts employee training as policies and programs change.
• Supports Department Managers with Occupational Safety investigations, documentation, and compliance.
• Acts as a liaison with regulatory agency representatives such as Cal/OSHA, Fed/OSHA as it pertains to Department issues.
• Communicates with other personnel, vendors, contractors, other City Departments, customers, and outside organizations to coordinate activities, facilitate projects and tasks, resolve issues and conflicts, and exchange information.
• Attends and conducts a variety of meetings.
• Provides consultation to administrators and department staff.
• Applies principles of budgeting, accounting, financial record keeping, and reporting.
• Keeps the City Safety Manager and other staff informed regularly on the status of open issues.

REQUIREMENTS TO FILE

EDUCATION

• A bachelors degree from an accredited college or university is required; however, candidates may substitute experience offering specific and substantial preparation for the duties of the position for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

EXPERIENCE

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working with safety operations and overseeing safety programs. Experience offering specific and substantial preparation for the duties of the position may be substituted for the required education.
• One (1) year of full-time experience working in a supervisory or lead capacity.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Coursework in occupational safety.
• A certification issued by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, such as Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST).

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to provide consistency and strong leadership in the safety environment and possess excellent organizational and interpersonal skills to serve as a valuable resource throughout the City. The ideal candidate will be customer service oriented with a history of building effective partnerships and a proven track record of responsiveness, problem solving, and conflict resolution. This position requires a hands-on manager who has in-depth field and technical knowledge, presentation skills, and is willing to work alongside staff at all levels to get the work done.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of the laws and regulations concerning Cal/OSHA and occupational safety programs, policies and requirements, including general industry and construction safety standards, applicable environmental regulations, and a working knowledge of the principles and methods of safety, training, incident investigation, hazard identification and correction, and the prevention of employee injury/illness.
• Understanding of Cal/OSHA procedures and practices.
• Basic understanding of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
• Principles of business letter writing and report preparation.
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and both networked and cloud-based software systems
• Principles of supervision, training, and performance evaluation.
• Pertinent federal, California, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
• Ability to conduct employee group training
• Business writing
• State and federal occupational safety rules and regulations.
• Ability to connect, coordinate and add value to occupational safety and workplace culture.
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience, and courtesy.
• Ability to connect with and train employees on new processes and procedures.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with managers and employees, at all levels of the organization including City and department management, public officials, and employees.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Excellent writing including grammar and document formatting.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

This recruitment will close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Friday, December 4, 2026. To be considered, please submit an online application, including a cover letter, resume, and proof of education in PDF format. Applications that fail to include all necessary documents will be considered incomplete and will not be taken into consideration.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION

The City of Long Beach is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are. Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers. To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners. We are committed to promoting transparency by publishing updated demographic information for employees, including workforce diversity data and pay by race and gender.

The City of Long Beach will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer. If the City of Long Beach has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act

The City of Long Beach is committed to maintaining fairness and transparency in our hiring practices. We believe in providing equal opportunities to all applicants and ensuring that every applicant is evaluated based on their qualifications and merit. If you believe that you have been unjustly disqualified based on minimum qualifications for an unclassified job opportunity, you have the right to appeal the decision. Find out more about the Unclassified Applicant Appeal Process by visiting the Applicant Appeal Process (longbeach.g ov).

The City of Long Beach intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please call (562) 570-7008. In support of the Citys Language Access Policy, bilingual skills (Spanish, Khmer, and/or Tagalog) are desirable for positions interacting with the public.

The City of Long Beach offers its employees opportunities to grow personally and professionally. As a permanent employee, you are eligible to receive fringe benefits that include:

Retirement: California Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) defined benefit retirement plan, which is coordinated with Social Security. The benefit is 2.5% or 2.7% (depending on hire date) @55 for "Classic" members and 2% @62 for new members as defined by PEPRA, subject to the compensation limitations set by PERS. Both the City and the employee contributes toward CalPERS retirement contributions. The city also participates in Social Security.

Health and Dental Insurance: The City offers the choice of HMO and PPO plans. The city pays major portion of the premium for employee and dependents depending on the health/ dental plan selected.

Life Insurance: City-paid term life insurance policy equal to three (3) times annual salary to a maximum of $500,000.

Disability Insurance: City-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.

Management Physical: Annual City-paid physical examination.

Vacation: Twelve (12) vacation days after the first year of service; 15 days after four years, six months of service; 20 days after 19 years, six months of service.

Executive Leave: Forty (40) hours Executive Leave per year. The City Manager has discretion to grant an additional 40 hours each year.

Sick Leave: One day earned per month; unlimited accumulation; conversion upon retirement to cash credit toward health and/or dental insurance premiums, or to pension credits.

Holidays: Eleven (11) designated holidays per year, plus four personal holidays to be used at the employees discretion.

Transportation Allowance: Monthly allowance is allocated by classifications below;

• Department Head $650.00
• Deputy Director/Manager/Director (Harbor/Utilities) $550.00
• Division Officer/Superintendent/ Chief of Staff / Administrator / Principal DCA $450.00
• Assistant to Executive / Executive Assistant / Executive Secretary/ Executive Support Staff $300.00

Deferred Compensation Plan: Optional for employee contribution to a supplementary retirement savings program available through Mission Square Retirement formerly ICMA-RC Retirement Corporation).

• Classic CalPERS Members: The City will contribute a maximum of up to two percent (2%) of base salary* for all qualified Classic CalPERS members.
• Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) CalPERS Members: Effective the second full pay period following City Council adoption, the City contribution will increase from two percent (2%) to three percent (3%) of base salary* for all qualified PEPRA CalPERS members.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Optional election for employees to reduce taxable income for payment of allowable childcare or medical expenses.

Flexible/Hybrid Work Schedule: Available (subject to City Manager approval).

Paid Parental Leave: The City provides one hundred and sixty (160) hours of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of salary, for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child, regardless of the gender, marital status or sexual orientation of the parent.

01

INSTRUCTIONS: The purpose of these supplemental questions is to derive more specific information about your qualifications for this position. Applicants must clearly demonstrate their qualifying experience. These questions will serve as the basis for qualifying candidates for advancement into the selection process. Do you understand the instructions for completing and submitting the application, supplemental questionnaire, and required documents for this job that you are applying?

• Yes
• No

02

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS Do you possess a Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Human Resource Management or a related field?

• Yes, I possess a Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Human Resource Management or a related field. (Must attach proof at the time of filing)
• No, I do not possess a Bachelors degree, but I can substitute experience offering specific and substantial preparation for the duties of the position for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
• I do not possess a Bachelors degree and I cannot substitute with experience.

03

Please indicate if you possess three (3) years of full-time, increasingly responsible, professional experience in safety operations and overseeing safety programs.

• Yes, I have at least five (5) years of full-time, increasingly responsible, professional experience in safety operations and overseeing safety programs.
• No, I do not have at least five (5) years of full-time, increasingly responsible, professional experience in safety operations and overseeing safety programs.
• I do not have a bachelors degree and I do not have relevant experience (at least nine years) to offset the Bachelors Degree requirement.

04

Please indicate if you have at least one (1) year of full-time experience working in a supervisory or lead capacity.

• Yes, I have at least one (1) year of full-time experience working in a supervisory or lead capacity.
• No, I do not have at least one (1) year of full-time experience working in a supervisory or lead capacity.

05

DESIRAEABLE QUALIFICATIONS Please respond to the following question. What is the most difficult safety problem you have had to overcome? Describe step by step how you identified the problem, developed a solution, and implemented it.

06

Please respond to the following question. Describe your involvement in developing and implementing safety and emergency management programs. If you have experience developing and implementing safety programs specifically for field operation employees, please describe that as well.

07

Please respond to the following question. Describe your experience working with a team or as a team leader and how you directed each team member. Describe how you dealt with difficult team members, and how your approach to the team motivated and assisted individual members to grow.

08

Do you have experience developing and implementing safety programs for field staff and/or operations?

• Yes
• No

09

Please describe where and when you obtained experience developing and implementing safety programs for field staff and/or operations. If you do not have experience, indicate with NONE.

10

Do you have experience working in a government agency?

• Yes
• No

11

Please describe where and when you obtained experience working in a government agency. If you do not have experience, indicate with NONE.

12

Do you have experience working in a large organization of at least 200 employees?

• Yes
• No

13

Please describe where and when you obtained experience working in a large organization of at least 200 employees. If you do not have experience, indicate with NONE.

14

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Do you have any relatives employed by the City of Long Beach?

• Yes
• No

15

If you have any relatives that work for the City of Long Beach, please indicate their name, department, position title and relationship.

16

REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS NOTICE: I understand that required documents, such as resumes, cover letters, degrees, or transcripts, must be uploaded to my online application in PDF format at the time of filing. I also understand that any proofs submitted must contain either my name or other identifying characteristics on the form, that proof of education for academic degrees must indicate degree conferral, and that proof of education for degrees or units outside the United States must include proof of educational equivalency.

• Yes
• No

17

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT: I hereby certify that all information provided in my online application, including the Supplemental Questionnaire, is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I acknowledge that the department may contact my current and past employers or educators to verify the information that I have provided in my application. I understand that any falsification or omission of material facts disqualifies me from further consideration for this recruitment.

To certify the above statement, please type your full name below.

Required Question

Employer City of Long Beach

Department Human Resources - (UC) Address 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 10th Fl

Long Beach, California, 90802

Phone (562) 570-6372

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/longbeach