Probation Officer I Trainee (Spanish Speaking)

EXAMINATION DATE: June 28, 2025 ­ LAST FILING DATE: May 7, 2025­ FILING FEE:  $45

ONLY EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED ONLINE Will Be Accepted 

TO APPLY: 1. Go to www.putnamcountyny.gov/personnel/ & click APPLY FOR EXAMINATIONS 

2. View exam information & click APPLY 3. Complete & submit online application. 4. Mail or deliver to drop box outside Personnel Department or pay filing fee online within five (5) business days

*Applications cannot be submitted after the above Last Filing Date*

• Filing fees must be RECEIVED by Putnam County Personnel Dept. within FIVE (5) BUSINESS DAYS following application submission. 
• Exam filing fees are NOT REFUNDABLE for any reason, including disqualification.  As per Putnam County Resolution #305 of 2005.
• If your filing fee is not received within the time permitted, your application will be disqualified without review.

Make CHECK or MONEY ORDER payable to “Putnam County Personnel Department” – NO CASH

**Returned checks are subject to a $15 fee as per Putnam County Resolution #247 of 1998**

Administration of This Examination Does Not Imply That a Vacancy Exists

** Please read the back of this notice carefully for Important Civil Service Information **

VACANCY: The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be utilized where appropriate for filling any current or future vacancies in the above-named title in the Putnam County Probation Department.

SALARY: $65,573-$84,489 (2025 salary)

DUTIES: This is a one-year traineeship position used to appoint individuals to an entry-level Probation Officer, Probation Officer (Spanish-Speaking) or Probation Officer (Community Liaison) position in a probation department responsible for the care of adults and juveniles subject to probation supervision or intake services which require them to meet certain standards of conduct and whose primary language is not the English language thereby requiring the probation investigation, supervision, or intake services to be communicated in Spanish. A Probation Officer Trainee (Spanish Speaking) is responsible for participating in a continuous in-service training program regarding the investigative, supervision, counseling and coaching duties and responsibilities of a Probation Officer and, under close and on-going supervision, performs such duties and exercises such responsibilities in a limited nature; however, he/she does so using Spanish. When a Probation Officer Trainee (Spanish Speaking) participates in a traineeship for a Probation Officer (Spanish-Speaking) or a Probation Officer (Community Liaison) position, he/she is required to satisfy the additional requirements for these positions and be capable to learn the specialized work they perform. Probation Officer Trainee (Spanish Speaking) work is performed under the direct supervision of a probation professional. Upon successful completion of the one-year traineeship the incumbent is appointed to the position of Probation Officer or specified parenthetical without further examination. A Probation Officer Trainee (Spanish Speaking) is a Peace Officer pursuant to Criminal Procedure Law, section 2.10 and may be authorized to carry a firearm in the performance of his/her duties. Performs related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:*

Bachelor’s degree or higher with at least thirty (30) credit hours in the social or behavioral sciences. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT for Probation Officer (Spanish Speaking) Traineeship: When considered for appointment a candidate must be able to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish at the level deemed appropriate for the department worked in. The Spanish language proficiency of the permanent appointees will be further evaluated during the post-appointment probationary term.

PLEASE NOTE: Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education.

PLEASE NOTE: You must provide a legible copy of your college transcript(s) for each college attended.  Transcript(s) must show your name; your student identification number; the name of the issuing school; the type of degree received, if any; the date the degree, if any, was conferred; full course names; credit hours; grade earned for each course; and a cumulative Grade Point Average (G.P.A).  Transcripts can be submitted in person, by email to PutnamPersonnel@putnamcountyny.gov or by postal mail to Putnam County Personnel Department 110 Old Route 6, Building 3, Carmel, NY 10512.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a valid, unrestricted, appropriate level driver’s license, and acceptable driving record are required at time of appointment and must be maintained throughout employment.

NOTE:* Social science includes areas of study concerned with humans living in relation to other humans in a social environment and such as anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology. 

Behavioral science is a subset of social science characterized by observation of the behavior of living organisms and focused on human social behavior such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling, criminal justice, gerontology, human behavior, social work/social welfare and vocational rehabilitation.

NOTE: Individuals whose duties and responsibilities include the use of a firearm must also complete training pursuant to Criminal Procedures Law, Section 2.30(3).

NOTE: The class specifications including the minimum qualifications for positions in Probation Departments are established by rule and regulations of the Division of Criminal Justice Services. These class specifications are found in Title 9 NYCRR Part 347, Appendix H-10, Standard Specifications for Professional Probation Positions.

NOTE: This position is allocated to the competitive class pursuant to the Executive Law Section 257(1).

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: The examination will consist of two (2) parts:

PART 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1.Advising and interacting with others. These questions test for the ability to interact with other people in order to gather and present information and to provide assistance and advice in a courteous and professional manner.

2. Preparing written material. These questions test for the ability to write the kinds of reports and correspondence required in criminal justice settings such as probation and parole. Some questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately. Others test for the ability to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly.

3. Evaluating conclusions in light of known facts. These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field. 

4. Applying written information. These questions evaluate a candidate's ability to read, interpret and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. You will be required to read a set of information and to appropriately apply the information to situations in various settings. All information needed to answer the questions is contained in the rules, regulations, etc. which are cited.    

PART 2: Qualifying Spanish Language Oral Performance Test:  To be scheduled at a later date after passing the written exam.

The Spanish language oral test is designed to evaluate the candidate’s oral proficiency in the Spanish language. A Level 2 proficiency in Spanish is required for this exam.  This is equivalent to having a working oral language proficiency with understandable, smooth expression at a conversational level of communication.  Only candidates that have passed the written test will be called to the performance test. Candidates must pass all parts of this examination in order to be eligible to be considered for appointment.

Use of calculators is RECOMMENDED.

TEST GUIDE: A Guide for the Written Test for Probation is available at the New York State website: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Candidates not having access to a computer, or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.