Career Opportunities (2024)

Continuous; the cut-off dates for this examination are the 15th of each month.

Veterans’ Preference will be applied to those competitors who are successful in this examination and who qualify for, and have requested, Veterans’ Preference through the CA Department of Human Resources. Veterans who have achieved permanent civil service status are not eligible to receive Veterans’ Preference.

Applications (STD 678) can be submitted electronically through your CalCareers account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Login.aspx.

Paper applications (STD 678) must be postmarked or received no later than the final filing cut-off date. Applications postmarked, received via inter-office mail, or personally delivered after the final filing date will not be accepted. Applications postmarked after the cut-off date, or received via inter-office mail or personally delivered after 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date will be held for the next administration of the examination. Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted. The examination title must be indicated on the application.

*File by Mail:
State Controller’s Office
HR – Talent Management Unit
P.O. Box 942850-5877
Sacramento, CA 94250-5877
Attn: Sven Eastlund

*File in Person:
State Controller’s Office
HR – Talent Management Unit
300 Capitol Mall, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Attn: Sven Eastlund

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

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements for this examination by the established cut-off date. Your signature on the application indicates that you read, understand, and possess the minimum qualifications required, and that the information provided is true and complete to the best of your knowledge.

All applications must include: “to” and “from” dates (month/day/year), time base, civil service or private sector titles, the duties performed, and an original signature. Applications received without this information will be rejected.

Note: Qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as “Either I,” “or II,” “or III,” etc. For example: Candidates, who possess qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern I and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern II, may be admitted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirements.

One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Payroll Specialist, Range D, Personnel Specialist, Range D, or Payroll Services Specialist II.

Click on the link below to review the CA State Personnel Board class specification that contains the requirements for admittance to the exam:

https://hrnet.calhr.ca.gov/CalHRNet/SpecCrossReference.aspx?ClassID=1315

This examination will consist of an Education & Experience Evaluation weighted 100%. In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum score of 70% must be attained.

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 their application. List all experience relevant to the “Minimum Qualifications” shown on this announcement, even if that experience goes beyond the seven-year limit printed on the application. Supplementary information will be accepted, but read the “Minimum Qualifications” carefully to see what kind of information will be useful to the staff doing the evaluation.

Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. Testing is considered continuous, as new examination dates may be set at any time as departmental needs warrant. Each new cut-off date will be publicized to ensure that applicants have adequate time to complete and submit an application.

This series specification describes three classifications that perform specialized payroll duties at the State Controller's Office. Classes that perform general office or personnel transactions work have been excluded.

Incumbents in these classes are distinguished from other classes by being regularly required to apply State civil service and CSU laws, and departmental, control agency, and campus rules and regulations, and bargaining unit provisions pertaining to a variety of payroll transactions. Payroll Specialist incumbents work with a variety of payroll plans, voluntary deduction programs, retirement plans, income tax withholding requirements, and disability insurance programs. The predominant duties of positions in these classes require a thorough and detailed knowledge of appropriate laws, rules, regulations, and contract language pertaining to payroll transactions. Positions in this series are located in the Payroll Operations Unit of the State Controller's Office.

This is the expert journey level of the series. Under general direction, incumbents serve as the expert staff resource. As a staff specialist, researches critical transactions problems and recommends alternative solutions; develops and maintains specialized training programs; reviews various control agency letters, memos, and bargaining contract provisions, and develops/revises internal procedures as necessary; prepares management reports, spreadsheets, and charts; drafts correspondence; functions as a team member on payroll-related projects; are coordinators for a variety of statewide payroll programs; and may act in a lead role (i.e., training, workload, etc.) over lower-level staff.

Knowledge of:

1. Basic math principles in order to perform transaction-related calculations.
2. Current office methods and procedures in order to function in an office environment.
3. Procedures and policies of the processing of payroll transactions in order to ensure compliant and efficient transactions.
4. Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations concerning payroll transactions in order to ensure compliance with payroll program policies and procedures.
5. Bargaining contract provisions concerning payroll transactions in order to ensure compliance with payroll program policies and procedures.

Ability to:

1. Operate a computer in order to complete assignments and function in an office environment.
2. Think logically in order to diagnose payroll-related issues, identify potential solutions, and implement solutions.
3. Multitask in order to complete work in a timely and accurate manner.
4. Apply Federal and State laws, rules and regulations concerning payroll transactions in order to ensure compliance with payroll program policies and procedures.
5. Independently use reference material in order to implement appropriate solutions to payroll-related issues.
6. Provide and follow directions in order to ensure that work is completed in a timely and accurate manner.
7. Gather data in order to research and evaluate payroll-related issues, provide recommendations, and implement solutions.
8. Prioritize work in order to ensure the timely and accurate completion of assignments.
9. Apply bargaining contract provisions concerning payroll transactions in order to ensure compliance with payroll program policies and procedures.
10. Independently interpret reference material in order to identify appropriate solutions to payroll issues.
11. Communicate effectively in order to provide accurate information and function in an office environment.
12. Organize work in order to ensure the timely and accurate completion of assignments.
13. Work with departments, campuses, and employees on technical matters and sensitive issues in order effectively assist internal and external customers.
14. Establish cooperative working relationships in order to effectively assist internal and external customers.
15. Maintain cooperative working relationships in order to effectively assist internal and external customers.
16. Research complex transactions in order to provide appropriate recommendations and implement solutions.
17. Recommend alternative solutions in order to resolve payroll-related issues.
18. Draft correspondence in order to communicate information to internal and external customers.
19. Coordinate a variety of personnel/payroll transactions in order to ensure the timely and accurate completion of work.
20. Provide technical assistance to staff in order to ensure the timely and accurate completion of assignments.

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 916-324-0811 three (3) weeks after the cut-off date if they have not received a progress notice.

Examination Locations: Examinations will be administered in locations deemed appropriate for the examination type and in accordance with the candidate pool and departmental resources. Examinations may not be administered in all areas. Candidates may be asked to travel to the nearest examination location at their own expense.

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

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) Sub-Divisional Promotional, 2) Departmental Promotional, 3) Multi-Departmental Promotional, 4) Servicewide Promotional, 5) Departmental Open, and 6) Open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older list must be used first. Eligible lists will expire 12 months after established unless the needs of service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

General Qualifications: Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others; and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Veterans’ Preference: Pursuant to Assembly Bill 372, Veterans’ Preference will be awarded as follows, starting January 1, 2014:

1. Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an open examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list.
2. Any veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for Veterans’ Preference.
3. Veterans’ Preference is not granted once a person achieves permanent civil service status (Permanent State civil service status means the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in their position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This includes permanent intermittent, part-time, and full-time appointments. In addition, individuals who at any time achieved permanent State civil service status and subsequently resigned or were dismissed from State civil service are not eligible to receive Veterans’ Preference).

Veteran status is verified by the CA Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans’ Preference are on the Veterans’ Preference Application (CalHR Form 1093) which is available at https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Landing/Jobs/VeteransInformation.aspx or from the CA Department of Human Resources, 1515 S Street, North Building, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95811 and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits: In Open Non-Promotional examinations, Career Credits are granted to:

1. State employees with permanent civil service status,
2. Full-time employees of the state who are exempt from State civil service pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution, and who meet all qualification requirement specified by the Board and have 12 consecutive months of service in an exempt position, and
3. Individuals who have served one full year in, or are graduates of, the California Conservation Corps (eligibility shall expire 24 months after graduation from the California Conservation Corps).

Three points are added to the final test score of those candidates who meet the above criteria, and who are successful in the examination. Such examinations cannot be for managerial positions described in Government Code Section 3513. Competitors not currently employed in State civil service who have mandatory reinstatement rights may also be eligible for career credits, but they must explain their service status in the appropriate section of the application Form 100-678. (Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution is posted at the State Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall and Sacramento).

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