DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES CAREER EXECUTIVE ASSIGNMENT EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT

California State Government supports equal opportunity to all regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, medical condition or pregnancy. It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

DEPARTMENT:	DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES	RELEASE DATE:	Wednesday, July 1, 2009
POSITION TITLE:	BRANCH CHIEF, CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION	FINAL FILING DATE:	Wednesday, July 15, 2009
CEA LEVEL:	CEA 2	EXTENDED FINAL FILING DATE:
SALARY RANGE:	$ 7,815.00 - $ 8,616.00 / Month	BULLETIN ID:	07012009_1

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Under the general direction of the Deputy Director of the Children and Family Services Division (CFSD), the Branch Chief of the Children's Services Operations and Evaluation Branch (CSOEB) is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and evaluating the activities of CSOEB which have statewide, inter-governmental and direct public impact. The Branch Chief provides management direction and leadership for the policy, procedures, technical assistance and systems development for three Bureaus within CSOEB.

The Branch Chief is responsible for developing and presenting recommendations to Department management concerning statewide policies, operation and legislation regarding the administration of the California Child Welfare Services program. The Branch Chief provides statewide oversight of the county Child Welfare Services programs through administration of the Child Welfare Services Outcome and Accountability System and onsite case reviews. The Branch Chief ensures the statewide policies are consistent with State/Federal statute and regulations and that the program meets safety, permanence and well-being goals for at-risk children and families in California.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Either I
Must be a State civil service employee with permanent civil service status or who previously had permanent status in the State civil service.

Or II
Must be a current or former employee of the Legislature, with two or more consecutive years as defined in Government code § 18990.

Or III
Must be a current or former non-elected exempt employee of the Executive Branch with two or more consecutive years (excluding those positions for which salaries are set by statute) as defined in Government Code § 18992.

Or IV
Must be a person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty as defined in Government Code § 18991.

(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; and personnel management techniques; the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program objectives; and a manager’s role in the Equal Employment Opportunity Program.

(2) Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of multidisciplinary 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 Legislature and Executive branches; analyze complex problems and recommend effective courses of action; and prepare and review reports; and effectively contribute to the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity objectives.

CEA Level 1. Supervisory/administrative experience in a line or staff activity, including the execution and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Levels 2 and 3. Broad administrative or program manager experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Levels 4 and 5. 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 and personnel management. Where high technical professional qualifications are of primary importance in performing the duties of a given CEA 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. Primary examples are medical doctors and attorneys.

b. Knowledge of how the Children’s Services Operations and Evaluation Branch operates.

c. Administrative experience in dealing/negotiating with officials at the Federal, State, County and local levels.

d. Ability to exercise judgement in all aspects of the work performed by the Children’s Services Operations and Evaluation Branch.

e. Experience in developing strategies to smoothly and effectively implement program changes as a result of law or regulation changes.

f. Experience dealing with management on budget expenditures, fiscal controls, performance evaluations, contract monitoring and personnel resources.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION
A minimum 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 result of this examination will be used only to fill the position of BRANCH CHIEF, CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION, with the DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES. Applications will be retained for twelve months.

The Results of this examination will be used only to fill this position and may be used to fill subsequent vacancies for this position for a period of up to twelve months.

FILING INSTRUCTIONS

Interested applicants must submit:

• A completed Standard State Application (Form 678).
• A "Statement of Qualifications". The Statement is a narrative discussion of how the candidate's education, training, experience, and skills meet the minimum and desirable qualifications and qualify them for the position. The Statement of Qualifications serves as a documentation of each candidate's ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing and should be typed and no more than two pages in length.
• Resumes do not take the place of the Statement of Qualifications.

Applications must be submitted by the final filing date to:

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, EXAMINATION UNIT
744 P STREET, MS 8-15-59, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814
ESTELA HERNANDEZ | (916) 654-9563 | ESTELA.HERNANDEZ@DSS.CA.GOV

SPECIAL TESTING
If you have a disability and need special testing arrangements, mark the appropriate box in Part 2 of the "Examination Application." You will be contacted to make specific arrangements.

GENERAL INFORMATION
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.

The DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES 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.

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

Class specs:  http://www.dpa.ca.gov/textdocs/specs/s7/s7500.txt