Captain (Promotional)

Alameda County; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Alameda County Sheriff's Office seeks qualified candidates for Captain promotional examination. Captains oversee major divisions, bureaus, detention facilities or contract services, providing leadership and administrative direction.

The role requires experience at the Lieutenant level, a valid California driver's license, and knowledge of laws, orders, and county operations. The process includes a structured assessment and study materials.

Qualifications

• The equivalent of one year of full time experience in the class of Lieutenant in the Alameda County classified service.
• Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
• Possession of a California Peace Officer's Standards and Training Supervisory and Management Certificates (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Captains command and administer major subdivisions, bureaus or facilities.
• Provide agency-wide oversight during off-peak hours.
• Supervise staff, set performance standards and manage budgets.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Decision making

Budget analysis

Job description

Introduction

THIS IS A PROMOTIONAL EXAM - YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY

Description

ABOUT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for its law enforcement services, its Regional Training Center, and its Dispatch Unit; the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board for its Crime Lab; the Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board for its Explosive Ordinance Unit. Additionally, the agency's health care provider, Wellpath, has experience working with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).

The Sheriff's Office has a current budget of approximately $600 million and has over 1600 authorized positions, including in excess of 1000 sworn personnel. The agency's Chief Executive Officer is Sheriff / Coroner Yesenia L. Sanchez, who is assisted in the operation of the agency by Undersheriff April Luckett-Fahimi, Assistant Sheriffs Daniel McNaughton and Pace Stokes.

The Sheriff of Alameda County is responsible for a vast array of tasks and duties, including the following:

• Providing security to the Consolidated Superior Courts
• Operating the Coroner's Bureau
• Operating full-service criminalistics laboratory
• Performing Civil Process
• Operating a County Jail (Santa Rita)
• Operating the County Office of Emergency Services
• Providing patrol and investigative services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County
• Pursuant to contractual agreements, providing patrol and investigative services to the City of Dublin, Oakland International Airport, Highland County Hospital, Social Services, and to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
• Conducting a basic academy pursuant to Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) requirements. Sheriff's Academy website
• Providing Fish and Game enforcement
• Project Director of the Narcotics Task Force
• Serving as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force

For more detailed information about the agency, visit: Alameda County's Sheriff's Office.

The Position

Captains are responsible for the command and administration of major line and staff sub-divisions. Under general direction, to command and administer a substation, bureau, detention facility, single contract law enforcement services unit or multiple contract law enforcement services units, the support services unit, the Office of Emergency Services, the Regional Training Center, Court Services, or to serve as an administrative captain assigned to the Sheriff/Undersheriff, or to provide agency-wide oversight and administration during hours and days of the week when the Sheriff, Undersheriff, Assistant Sheriff's, Commanders and Captains are not regularly scheduled to work and to do related work as required.

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit: Captain (#8625).

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

• The equivalent of one year of full time experience in the class of Lieutenant in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney's Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

License:

• Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Possession of a California Peace Officer's Standards and Training Supervisory and Management Certificates.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

Knowledge and Skills

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Federal, State and local laws as they affect the work of the Sheriff's Office (including law enforcement, labor relations, government, administration, etc.).
• Sheriff's Office orders, procedures, policies and operations.
• Structure and function of County government.
• Methods, operations and functions of an assigned division, unit, section or bureau.
• Principles and techniques of management necessary to plan, develop, organize direct and evaluate programs, administrative policies, organizational structures and law enforcement problems.
• Principles of employee supervision and personnel management including training.

Ability to:

• Communicate orally and in writing.
• Read and comprehend written materials.
• Integrate and categorize information and recall relevant data.
• Set standards of performance in order to control and optimize the productivity of the staff.
• Make decisions.
• Analyze and problem solve.
• Provide leadership.
• Plan and organize.
• Exercise management control.
• Provide budget analysis.
• Demonstrate interpersonal sensitivity.
• Be flexible.
• Adapt to stress.

Examination Components

The examination will consist of the following steps:

• Recruitment Bulletin Release: Friday, August 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM
• Filing Deadline: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 5:00 PM
• Review for Minimum Qualifications: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Applicants will be notified via email regarding the results of the application review no later than Friday, September 25, 2026.
• Assessment Center: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and Thursday, October 15, 2026
• Applicants who possess the minimum requirements for the position will be invited to participate in an assessment center; which will consist of the following:
• A writing exercise
• Role-play exercises
• A structured oral interview
• Study Materials: Applicants participating in the Captain's promotional examination process may prepare by reviewing the following information and written material which may be used in any component of the assessment center:
• Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) training bulletins
• ACSO General Orders Manual
• ACSO Rules & Regulations Manual
• Consent Decree
• Applicants must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of this examination.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness, and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the Hiring Process section of our website: https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/.

Recruitment and Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

• Deadline for Filing: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 5:00 PM
• Review for Minimum Qualifications: Friday, September 18, 2026
• Assessment Center: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and Thursday, October 15, 2026

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement no later than the recruitment filing deadline. If this is a continuous open recruitment without a filing deadline, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement within ten (10) business days of submitting your application. Unless your disability is readily apparent (for example, you use a wheelchair and need wheelchair-accessible spaces), Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

Benefits

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g., At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g., theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1st United Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

**Employees in management-designated classifications may be entitled to management paid leave. Refer to the applicable MOU or Salary Ordinance for more information.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org and [e-mail] as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page and clicking on the link 'last notice sent' for the respective recruitment.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box [e-mail] are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Elaine Lemi | Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

[phone] | [e-mail]

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.