TECHNICAL MANAGER IV - DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM SPECIALIST - IPR#46175

Job Responsibilities

This position is accountable for providing advice and guidance regarding the administration of the department’s drug and alcohol testing program. The incumbent ensures compliance with state and federal regulations governing drug and alcohol testing and travels to operations maintenance yards for oversight of vendor-provided drug and alcohol testing and contract monitoring. 

Drug/alcohol tests:                   +/- 3,600 annually
Pre-employment physicals:      +/- 1,500 annually
Vendor contract expenses:      $250,000 annually
Employment verifications:        +/- 350 annually
Training classes:                      5-10 annually
Contract monitoring:                 Quarterly

This position reports to the Employee Services Section Manager. There are no subordinates reporting to this position. 

This position operates in an ever-changing drug and alcohol testing regulatory environment and must comply with the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 as well as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and US Coast Guard (USCG) rules as they relate to department employees who are subject to drug/alcohol testing. The incumbent should be organized and well-versed in specifics of vendor contract requirements. The incumbent should be able to maintain confidentiality, professionalism, and communicate appropriately with all levels of department employees. The incumbent may work independently while in the field for random drug and alcohol testing.   

Typical problems facing the incumbent include keeping up with changes to 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 40 and applicable United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations and how they affect the department and its employees. The greatest challenge of this position is to meet the high volume and demand for expedient seasonal hiring for post-offer drug/alcohol testing during September through November when the department has an influx of temporary highway maintainers for the winter season and must provide timely approval or denial to district administrative staff.  

The incumbent assists with the application and interpretation of the department drug and alcohol policy and procedures. The incumbent answers questions regarding Part 40 to department staff and administrative personnel statewide in the absence of the Employment Screening Services Program Manager. The incumbent assists with onsite visits to IDOT's operational/maintenance yards for vendor-provided drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees as part of enforcing the agency's drug and alcohol testing policy and for contract monitoring purposes. S/He completes quarterly drug and alcohol testing contract monitoring checklists to ensure the vendor is complying with specific drug and alcohol testing contract services.  This includes an overall compliance summary and recommendations for improvement or to rectify deficiencies.

(Job Responsibilities continued)

The incumbent works with a medical vendor regarding logistics of scheduling drug/alcohol testing with individual district offices. The incumbent processes and maintains employee medical records ensuring confidentiality, professionalism, employee privacy as provided under the CFR standards as well as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as applicable.  The incumbent maintains the department-wide drug and alcohol training calendar and develops, implements, and maintains drug and alcohol training materials and programs to ensure departmental compliance with the USDOT regulations.  This includes the materials for safety sensitive employees and non-safety sensitive employees in a supervisory capacity/position regarding reasonable suspicious and post-accident testing. The incumbent assists the Employment Screening Services Program Manager with interpretation of drug and alcohol related regulations, laws, and policies for the department. For applicant’s who are in a safety-sensitive position (regulated by an USDOT agency or the USCG), the incumbent verifies the applicant’s prior DOT drug and alcohol testing history by checking with any USDOT-regulated company that employed the person during the previous three years (FMCSA) or five years (FAA). The incumbent assists the Employment Screening Services Program Manager during the USDOT or USCG audits, inspections, investigations, and compliance reviews.  The incumbent assists with record collection for court cases, unemployment hearings, arbitration hearings, and other appeal system cases. 

The incumbent is given general latitude to work independently to accomplish routine accountabilities.  Matters of a sensitive or non-routine nature are referred to the Employee Services Section Manager with recommendations for resolution.  The incumbent should demonstrate sound judgment and independent actions because of the numbers of situations that can develop resulting in or contributing to the immediate danger to safety, health, life, injury, and death of departmental employees. The incumbent will consult with the Employee Services Section Manager to resolve complicated or unusual circumstances/situations during random drug and alcohol testing at department operations/maintenances yards. 

The incumbent has internal contact with representatives from all departmental offices and divisions. Externally, the incumbent works with the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) and numerous vendors and subcontracted medical professionals (medical review officers [MRO], medical examiners, breath alcohol technicians, etc.).  Additionally, the incumbent may have contact with federal and state agencies including the USDOT and transportation departments from other states as well as personnel from professional associations, business firms, and councils.  Frequent statewide travel with overnight stays is required. Occasional overtime before and after-hours (response for coordination of reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident drug/alcohol testing, etc.) is required.  

The effectiveness of this position is evaluated by the timely response to district office staff regarding post-offer drug and alcohol testing approvals while reducing non-negative test results and implementation of the department drug and alcohol policy. 

Principal Accountabilities

1.    Assists the Employment Screening Services Program Manager with the administration of the department's drug/alcohol programs.
2.    Reviews drug and alcohol test results and communicates results to departmental administrative staff and advises accordingly.
3.    Prepares documentation for the USDOT or USCG external and internal audits, inspections, unemployment hearings, investigations, and compliance reviews, and other appeal system hearings relevant to the administration of drug and alcohol related issues.
4.    Assists with statewide random drug and alcohol testing as well as completes vendor contract monitoring.
5.    Processes and maintains employee medical records ensuring confidentiality, professionalism, employee privacy as provided under the CFR standards as well as HIPAA as applicable.
6.    Maintains the departmental drug and training calendar and develops and conducts statewide drug and alcohol training.
7.    Keeps informed of current and new drug- and alcohol-related laws, regulations, rules, and assists with drafting/revising department policies as indicated by identified need or updates to laws, regulations, and/or rules.
8.    Performs duties in compliance with departmental safety rules.  Performs all duties in a manner conducive to the fair and equitable treatment of all employees.
9.    Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Position Requirements

•    Education/Experience

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree majoring in public administration, business, management, human resources, public health administration, or social science PLUS two years of experience in providing drug and alcohol program administration, working with federal rules/regulations as applied to drug and alcohol testing, or a combination thereof; OR
• Eight years of experience in providing drug and alcohol program administration, working with federal rules/regulations as applied to drug and alcohol testing, or a combination thereof

•    Valid driver’s license
•    Occasional overtime before and after-hours
•    Frequent statewide travel with overnight stays

Position Desirables

•    Proficiency with Microsoft Office software and database management software
•    Ability to maintain professional and harmonious relationships while maintaining confidentiality with employees and agency officials
•    Ability to demonstrate sound judgment
•    Detail oriented and strong organizational skills
•    Ability to work independently