Telephone Operator - Relief

Job Title: Telephone Operators

The Information Services Department of the County of San Mateo seeks Telephone Operators. Note: The job announcement was amended on February 17, 2026 to remove the English and Spanish language fluency from the ideal candidate. The department is in the San Mateo Medical Center located at 222 West 39th Avenue in the city of San Mateo, CA. Telephone Operators, under general supervision, operate a centralized soft telephone with an online directory that connects a high volume of incoming calls to the appropriate individuals, County staff and departments. Relief Telephone Operators will be required to work all shifts, including evening, weekend, overnight, and holiday shifts, provide off-hours support to co-workers, and perform other related duties as assigned. Relief will be expected to work to fill shifts for vacations and sick calls, which will include weekday evening shifts, and 8-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday including overnight shifts. These positions should expect to work overnight 11p-7am shifts. Training for these positions will consist of 2 months of training: initially, after hours training from Wednesday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and additionally, 1 month of business hours training: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Example of duties:

• Provide factual information to the public regarding County functions and activities
• Place authorized long-distance calls: maintain records of assisted and long-distance calls
• Take emergency telephone calls and locate appropriate staff
• Locate and notify appropriate individuals of fires, disasters, and similar emergencies
• Monitor County intrusion and fire alarms and notify the appropriate agencies
• Notify appropriate staff who are on-call and responsible for issues occurring after normal business hours involving the County Coroner, Sheriff's Office, Probation Department, and other County departments
• Maintain logs of specific types of calls
• Operate standard office equipment and perform minimal typing and clerical duties

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• 1 year office support work experience involving considerable contact with the public, primarily by extensive use of telephones;
• Experience with a soft phone call routing application and basic computer skills desired;
• Ability to multitask and have flexibility in a busy work environment;
• Ability to maintain focus and calmness with emergency calls;
• Ability to work well as a team with co-workers;
• Availability to work evening, weekend, holiday, overnight, and other shifts;
• Ability to sit for long periods of time; and
• Possession of excellent hearing and manipulative skills to operate a soft phone application.

Note: This is a relief/extra help, at-will assignment, paid on an hourly basis. Extra-help hours are dependent on the business needs of the department and therefore work hours may vary from week to week. Extra help employees shall not exceed 1,040 hours of work per fiscal year. Some extra help positions are eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Extra help employees are not guaranteed permanent status at the end of the assignment.

About the County: San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.