Career Opportunities

Deputy State Controller, Director of Legislation – CEA Level C

Job Control – 429072

Position Title: Deputy State Controller, Director of Legislation – CEA Level C

Position #051-720-7500-006

Telework Type: Hybrid 

Monthly Salary Range: $12,699.00 - $14,418.00*
*Salary may be modified in accordance with CalHR

BULLETIN RELEASE DATE: 

04/25/2024 

FINAL FILING DATE:

05/09/2024 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The State Controller’s Office is a destination employer and is one of the few constitutional offices with responsibilities that impact various levels of state and local government; hence, anyone interested in competing for this position must be prepared to assist in the engagement and coordination of services, as well as be involved in policy-influencing activities.

POSITION SCOPE:

Under the general direction of the State Controller and Chief of Staff, the incumbent will be responsible for promoting the overall mission of the State Controller’s Office (SCO) through legislation and policy development. The Director of Legislation is required to exercise independence in daily and long-term planning for program growth and development.  The incumbent must develop and maintain exceptional working relationships with members of both the Assembly and Senate in support of the mission, goals, and objectives of the State Controller.  In addition, the incumbent will be responsible for engaging division chiefs and other senior level executive staff members, facilitating legislative policy development and implementation strategies relative to specific programmatic issues.  

Specific duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Duties and Responsibilities:
(Candidates must perform the following functions with or without reasonable accommodations.)

• Under the general direction and approval of the State Controller and Chief of Staff, set policies using independent judgment related to legislative matters; this may include promoting new programs, or expanding existing programs, or the jurisdictional control of the SCO; 
• Provide oversight of legislative issues and fiscal developments affecting the operations of the SCO; oversee the legislative needs in relationship to the various boards and commissions for which the State Controller is a member;
• Identify issues of a politically sensitive nature that may require investigative inquires, research, etc.; 
• Advance the State Controller’s legislative priorities when asked to be the representative at  various boards and commissions meetings; 
• Protect the interests and authorities of the State Controller regarding legislative issues; 
• Develop and maintain stakeholder groups as issues develop resulting from legislative changes, public policy development related to the mission of the SCO; participate in hearing/meetings with stakeholders and/or other government officials engaged in subject-matter under the jurisdiction of the Controller;
• Advocate legislative solutions related to a wide variety of issues, including budget measures; negotiate with legislative entities in support of, or in defense of, the constitutional authorities of the Controller;
• Act as a Senior advisor to the Controller and Chief of Staff on issues involving the Legislature and the perception of the SCO; develop ideas and/or concepts designed to promote the public policies of Controller when required;
• Travel to and from various locations for offsite meetings, legislative hearings, etc., when required. 

Desirable Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the organization and functions of California State Government including the organization and practices of the Legislature, the Executive Branch, and the Constitutional Offices;
• Demonstrable knowledge of state policies, rules, and standards relative to Public Administration;
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience with the California State Legislative Process; 
• Exceptional writing and/or communication skills; 
• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, or related field. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

CEA examinations are open to all applicants who possess the knowledge and abilities, and any other requirements as described in the examination bulletin. 

Eligibility to take a CEA examination does not require current permanent status in civil service.

Applicants must also satisfy the minimum qualifications as shown below:

A.    Ability to perform high administrative and policy influencing functions effectively; such overall ability requires possession of most of the following more specific knowledge and abilities:

1. Knowledge of the organization and functions of California State Government including the organization and practices of the Legislature and the Executive Branch; principles, practices, and trends of public administration, organization, and management; techniques of organizing and motivating groups; program development and evaluation; methods of administrative problem solving; principles and practices of policy formulation and development; personnel management techniques;
2. Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of multi-disciplinary professional and administrative staff; analyze administrative policies, organization, procedures and practices; integrate the activities of a diverse program to attain common goals; gain the confidence and support of top level administrators and advise them on a wide range of administrative matters; develop cooperative working relationships with representatives of all levels of government, the public, and the Legislative and Executive branches; analyze complex problems and recommend effective courses of action; prepare and review reports; and effectively contribute to the department’s Equal Opportunity Office objectives;

B.    These knowledge and abilities are expected to be obtained from the following kinds of experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies (experience may have been paid or volunteer; in State service, other government settings, or in a private organization):

1. CEA Level A: Supervisory/administrative experience in a line or staff activity, including the execution and/or evaluation of program policies;
2. CEA Level B: Broad administrative or program manager experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies;
3. CEA Level C: Extensive managerial and program administrative experience which has included substantial responsibility for a combination of management functions such as program planning, policy formulation, organization coordination and control, and fiscal personnel management. Where high technical professional qualifications are of primary importance in performing the duties of a given high-level position, then the above required experience may have been in a staff capacity exercising professional skills to influence and contribute to program, policy, and methods of providing those professional services. 

C.    Strong verbal and written communication/advocacy skills.

D.    Well-developed administrative, managerial, and interpersonal skills and abilities.

FILING REQUIREMENTS:

1. Completed current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD. Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position; solely referring to the resume for information (i.e., “See Resume”) is not acceptable. The Job Control number and examination title (JC – 429072 Deputy State Controller, Director of Legislation, CEA Level C) must be indicated on the application. 
2. Resume is required and must be included. A resume may supplement your application. A Resume does not take the place of the completed STD. 678 application.
3. Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) - Please see the Statement of Qualifications Instructions section below for specific instructions.

Note: Applicants who fail to submit all the required documents as instructed may be eliminated from the examination/hiring process.

Applications (STD. 678) must be postmarked or received no later than the final filing date. Applications postmarked, personally delivered, or received via inter-office mail or electronically via CalCareer after the final filing date will not be accepted. Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted.

*File by Mail:

State Controller’s Office
HR – Talent Management Unit    
P.O. Box 942850-5877
Sacramento, CA 94250-5877
Attn: Kelli Simpkin 

*File in Person:

State Controller’s Office
HR – Talent Management Unit
300 Capitol Mall, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Attn: Kelli Simpkin

*Candidates are responsible for obtaining proof of mailing or submission of their application to the Talent Management Unit.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION: 
This examination consists of an evaluation of your Training and Experience weighted 100%.

Your Training and Experience will be evaluated based on the information indicated on your STD. 678 application. This examination will utilize an evaluation of each candidate’s experience and education/training compared to a standard developed from the class specification. For this reason, it is especially important that each candidate take special care in accurately and completely filling out his/her STD. 678 application. List all experience relevant to the minimum qualifications shown in this announcement, even if that experience goes beyond the seven-year limit printed on the application. Please read the “Minimum Qualifications” carefully to see what kind of information will be useful to the staff doing the evaluation. Supplementary information may also be accepted (e.g., a resume, etc.); however, it will not take the place of the information on your STD. 678 application. STD. 678 applications solely referring to the resume for information (i.e., “See Resume”) will be eliminated from the examination process and will not be scored.

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS INSTRUCTIONS:
The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) should include detailed and concise information specifically addressing how the candidate's education, training, experience, and competencies relate to each of the items listed; responses should be high-level, but specific enough to provide the general nature of the services provided and involvement in the oversight.

The SOQ items must be numbered and addressed in the same order as listed; do not consolidate the responses. The SOQ should be no more than three pages in length, single-spaced, with one-inch margins and a minimum font size of Arial 12. 

Applicants who fail to submit the SOQ as instructed may be eliminated from the examination/hiring process.

Your SOQ must provide responses and specific examples for each item listed below to be considered for the position. 

1. Describe your knowledge of the structure and functions of California State Government specifically the Legislature and the Executive Branch, and their interactions with the State Controller’s Office.
2. Describe your experience in reviewing legislative proposals and identifying potential impact to areas within your organization. 
3. Describe your experience in applying the principles and practices of effective communications within an organization that you have been employed. 
4. Describe your experience with writing or modifying policy documents for your employer.  Please provide specific detail concerning your involvement, the outcome, and status of the policy.   

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION:
A minimum total rating of 70% must be attained to obtain list eligibility. Hiring interviews may be conducted with the most qualified candidates. All candidates will receive written notification of their examination results. The results of this examination will be used only to fill the position of Assistant Chief, State Accounting and Reporting Division, CEA Level A with the State Controller’s Office. The eligible list will expire after twelve (12) months.

Following a selection, those individuals remaining on the eligible list may be contacted for subsequent interviews should a vacancy occur in this position within the next twelve (12) months.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
For more information regarding this examination, please contact Kelli Simpkin at 916-322-2791.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
For an examination without an advertised examination date, it is the candidate's responsibility to contact the State Controller's Office Talent Management Unit at 916-445-7748 three (3) weeks after the final filing date if he/she has not received a progress notice.

Applications are available at https://jobs.ca.gov/pdf/STD678.pdf, CA Department of Human Resources (CalHR) offices, local offices of the Employment Development Department (EDD), and the State Controller's Office.

If you meet the requirements stated in this bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described on this bulletin will be compared with the performance of others who take this test, and all candidates who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

General Qualifications: Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others.

The State Controller’s Office reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service law and rules and all competitors will be notified.

California Relay (Telephone) Service for the Deaf or Hearing Impaired: From TDD phones: (800) 735-2929, from voice phones: (800) 735-2922