Controller's Office Employment Policy

Preamble

The Allegheny County Controller, being the independently elected watchdog of taxpayer funds, requires employees who possess specific skills and expertise in order to faithfully discharge his constitutional and statutory functions. To further that purpose, the Controller hereby adopts and implements the following Employment Policy which shall apply to all employees of the Controller's Office.

Scope

This Employment Policy applies to all employees employed by the Allegheny County Controller's Office.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define the methodology and procedure used in the selection and placement of employees in the Allegheny County Controller's Office.

Policy

It is the policy of the Allegheny County Controller's Office to make every effort to employ the most qualified employees available.

  • All requests for new employees must be authorized by the Controller.
  • Authorized requests for new employees will generally be forwarded to the Allegheny County Department of Human Resources.
  • The Controller's Office Manager will assure that appropriate internal and external search activities are made. The Office Manager, in cooperation with the Unit Manager, is responsible for the search activity.
  • Qualified candidates will be interviewed by the Unit Manager. Recommendations will be presented for review and approval.
    • The following criteria will be considered when making a selection of the candidates. The weight assigned to each criteria will be dependent upon the specific needs of the job as described in the Position Description.
      • Level and type of formal education and training
      • Professional work experience
      • Professional certifications
      • Successful completion of standardized tests if applicable
    • Certain positions including but not limited to the executive secretary, administrative assistants, and select management positions will be filled entirely at the discretion of the Controller to assist in the implementation of policy.
  • Upon completion of interviews for a position, the interviewer will file a report of recommendations to the County Controller and a copy to the Office Manager for inclusion in the interview file.
  • Reference and background investigations will be performed by the Controller's Office Manager when deemed appropriate.
  • Offers of employment will be made by the Controller. The Office Manager, after consultation with the Controller, will inform the candidates of the decision.
  • New employees will report to the Controller's Office Manager on their first day of employment for sign-up/orientation, and are then assigned to their department.

Probation Period

Each new employee will be evaluated during the first 90 days of his/her date of hire.

Performance Evaluations

The Controller's Office will make every effort to help employees grow and develop professionally. Supervisors will work with employees and counsel them informally on a regular basis. Employees are encouraged, and in some cases required, to continue their educational pursuits outside of the office. Supervisors will conduct annual performance evaluations for each employee.

Minimum Age Requirements

Full time employees of the Controller's Office must be at least 18 years old.

Termination

Employment is "at will." Employment may be terminated by either party, at any time, and for any reason. Terminations will be subject to applicable law and Collective Bargaining Agreements. Any oral statements, promises, assurances to the contrary are not binding and should not be relied upon by the employee or job applicant, unless reaffirmed in writing.

Employment of Relatives

The Allegheny County Controller's Office shall not hire any relatives of the Controller, the Deputy Controller, or any other employee in a management or supervisory position.

  • For the purposes of this policy, "relatives" are defined to include the following: grandparent, grandparent-in-law, parent, step-parent, foster parent, mother/father-in-law, spouse, ex-spouse, common law spouse, spouse's parent, spouse's step-parent, brother/sister, brother/sister-in-law, step brother/sister, son/daughter, son/daughter-in-law, step-child, foster child, legal guardian, ward, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew.
  • No employee will supervise a relative. In the case of two employees who marry while employees of the Controller's Office, the employees will be assigned to separate departments or functions to ensure that there is no supervisory contact between the spouses.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

In the event that any aspect of this policy is in conflict with the Collective Bargaining Agreement currently in effect, the specific provision of Collective Bargaining Agreement will prevail over this policy for employees represented by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Ethics and Code of Conduct

All Employees of the Allegheny County Controller's Office are subject to the Pennsylvania State Ethics Code and the Allegheny County Code of Accountability, Conduct and Ethics. Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of the Allegheny County Controller's Office to afford equal opportunity to qualified individuals regardless of their race, color, physical disability, religion, national origin, age or sex, and to conform to applicable laws and regulations. This equal employment opportunity policy will be applied to all aspects of the employment relationship including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, termination, compensation, and training.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE
DATE ISSUED: 01/01/05
APPROVAL: Mark Patrick Flaherty