CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
CAREER EXECUTIVE ASSIGNMENT
EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation. 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: CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES RELEASE DATE: Wednesday, August 20, 2014
POSITION TITLE: Chief Counsel I, CEA FINAL FILING DATE: Wednesday, September 3, 2014
CEA LEVEL: Chief Counsel I, C.E.A. (5872) EXTENDED FINAL FILING DATE: Monday, September 8, 2014
SALARY RANGE: $ 9,366.00 - $10,850.00 / Month BULLETIN ID: 08192014_1

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office is responsible for directing, organizing, and coordinating statewide policy development and accountability for the 112 community colleges within the system. Under the general direction of the Chancellor and the Deputy Chancellor, the Chief Counsel I acts as the top legal advisor to the Chancellor and the Chancellor’s Office staff and participates as a member of top management in the development and implementation of Agency policy. The position interprets and evaluates existing legal policy; formulates new legal policy and represents the Agency in legal proceedings involving the Agency and community colleges. The Chief Counsel I, CEA will function under the title of General Counsel to provide legal leadership and assistance to the 72 community college districts and the 112 community colleges throughout the State. The General Counsel also acts as the Agency’s primary liaison to the Attorney General’s Office, interprets and drafts legislation and regulations, and supervises the drafting and processing of regulations to the Office of Administrative Law for adoption.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications.

Membership in The State Bar of California. (Applicants must have active membership in The State Bar before they will be eligible for appointment.) and

Either I
Two years of experience in the California state service performing legal duties* at a level of responsibility equivalent to Staff Counsel, Range D. (Applicants who have completed 18 months of the required experience will be admitted to the examination, but must complete two years of such experience before they will be eligible for appointment.)

Or II
Broad and extensive experience (more than five years) in the practice of law*. Experience in California state service applied toward this requirement must include the same number of years of qualifying experience as required in Pattern I above performing the duties of a class at a level of responsibility equivalent to that described in Pattern I.)

*Experience in the "practice of law" or "performing legal duties" is defined as only that legal experience acquired after admission to The Bar.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of: Legal principles and their applications; legal research methods, court procedures, rules of evidence and procedure; administrative law and the conduct of proceedings before administrative bodies; provisions of laws and Government Code sections administered or enforced; principles of public administration, personnel management and supervision; the department's equal employment opportunity objectives; a manager's role n the affirmative action program and the processes available to meet equal employment opportunity objectives.

Ability to: Analyze legal principles and precedents and apply them to complex legal and administrative problems; present statements of fact, law and argument clearly and logically in written and oral form; draft opinions, pleadings, rulings, regulations and legislation; hold hearings and independently present difficult and complex cases in court; plan, organize and direct the work of a staff of attorneys; effectively contribute to the department's equal employment opportunity objectives.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION(S)
In addition to evaluating each candidate’s relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Knowledge of the agency’s organization, mission, and statutory framework.
• Demonstrated understanding of the complex role of the agency in overseeing, supporting, collaborating with, and advocating for community college districts.
• Demonstrated experience in high-level, administration, legal, and policy development expertise in the area of higher education.
• Direct experience working on community college or higher education legal issues at the local (community college or community college district) and/or state level.
• Knowledge of legal principles and their applications, legal research methods, court procedures, rules of evidence and procedure, administrative law and conduct before administrative bodies.
• Experience with rules and regulations pertaining to state agencies and state government.

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 Chief Counsel I, CEA , with the CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES. Applications will be retained for twelve months.

The Results of this examination will be used only to fill this position.

The examination process will consist of an application, resume, and Statement of Qualifications evaluation. The Statement of Qualifications will be used to evaluate your education and experience as it relates to the “Desirable Qualifications”, and may also serve as documentation of each candidate’s ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing since this is a critical factor to successful job performance. The Statement of Qualifications may be the only basis for your final score and rank on the eligible list. To obtain list eligibility, a passing score of 70% must be obtained. All applicants will be notified of the results.

Interviews may be conducted as part of the examination process. (Hiring interviews may be conducted with only the most qualified candidates if is determined necessary in order to make a selection.)

FILING INSTRUCTIONS
Applications must be hand delivered or postmarked by the final filing date of September 3, 2014.

Applications will not be accepted via fax or email.

Interested applicants must submit:

Applications must be submitted by the final filing date to:

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES, Human Resources Office
1102 Q Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
Lynne Cervinka | 916.323.0165 | lcervinka@cccco.edu

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 CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES 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.

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

Class specs:  http://www.calhr.ca.gov/state-hr-professionals/pages/5871.aspx