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.

Either I

One year of experience in the California state service performing office duties at a level of responsibility equivalent to an Office Assistant, Range B.

Or II

Two years of office experience. [Academic education above the twelfth grade may be substituted for one year of the required general experience on the basis of either (a) one year of general education being equivalent to three months of experience; or (b) one year of education of a business nature being equivalent to six months of experience.]

(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, II, or III, etc. For example, candidates possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50 percent of the required time of Pattern I, and additional experience amounting to 50 percent of the required time of Pattern II, may be admitted to an examination as meeting 100 percent of the overall experience requirement.)

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=1311

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 a multirange level class, spanning entry through advanced journey levels. Incumbents assigned to Range A perform the least difficult transactions duties. Based upon the appropriate alternate range criteria, incumbents advance to Ranges B, C, and D. Under close supervision at the entry level, and under general supervision at the journey and advanced levels, and in accordance with established procedures, incumbents are assigned progressively more complex and difficult transactions duties in a variety of payroll transactions areas. Experienced incumbents in this class may provide functional guidance to lower-level staff.

Knowledge of:

1. Personnel/payroll procedures in order to ensure that personnel/payroll actions are in compliance with departmental procedures and policies, and State and Federal laws and regulations.
2. Basic math principles in order to conduct personnel/payroll operations.
3. Current office methods, procedures, and equipment in order to ensure the efficient operation of personnel/payroll services.
4. The structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar, in order to communicate effectively.
5. Research techniques used in collecting, tabulating, evaluating and presenting information in order to perform personnel/payroll functions.

Ability to:

1. Prioritize work in order manage workload and comply with mandated deadlines.
2. Think logically in order to resolve personnel/payroll-related problems.
3. Follow written directions in order to complete workload and assist internal and external customers.
4. Follow verbal directions in order to complete workload and assist internal and external customers.
5. Organize work in order to complete assignments thoroughly and efficiently.
6. Communicate clearly in order to exchange information on personnel/payroll matters both verbally and in writing.
7. Maintain current and completed electronic files of daily work for auditing purposes.
8. Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships in order to assist internal and external customers.
9. Research critical transactions in order to resolve issues and recommend alternative solutions.
10. Gather information in order identify and resolve transaction errors and other problems.
11. Edit electronic documents in order to complete assigned workloads.
12. Independently interpret reference materials in order to comply with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
13. Interpret and explain policies, procedures, rules and/or regulations to departmental employees, control agencies, and other State agencies in order to assist internal and external customers.
14. Operate computer hardware and software in order to access and retrieve information, and produce personnel/payroll related transactions.
15. Research various personnel/payroll matters in order to recommend effective, appropriate courses of action.
16. Coordinate a variety of personnel/payroll transactions in order to complete assigned workloads.
17. Initiate work improvements and take action independently, identifying and correcting errors, initiating work activities.
18. Draft and edit correspondence in order to share or clarify information, and assist internal or external customers.
19. Analyze work processes and evaluate suggestions in order to develop effective courses of action.
20. Assist departments, campuses, and employees with technical matters and sensitive issues in order to resolve problems and concerns.
21. Input data into tables, spreadsheets, and charts in order to provide information on personnel/payroll matters.
22. Present ideas and recommendations in the course of work in order to complete assignments effectively and assist internal and external customers.

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.