FRANCHISE TAX BOARD CAREER EXECUTIVE ASSIGNMENT EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT

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DEPARTMENT:	FRANCHISE TAX BOARD	RELEASE DATE:	Wednesday, October 15, 2014
POSITION TITLE:	Taxpayers' Rights Advocate	FINAL FILING DATE:	Thursday, November 13, 2014
CEA LEVEL:	CEA A	EXTENDED FINAL FILING DATE:
SALARY RANGE:	$ 6,296.00 - $ 9,051.00 / Month	BULLETIN ID:	10132014_1

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Under the general direction of the Executive Officer, the Advocate position was created by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights legislation. The Taxpayers' Rights Advocate will be the external face of the Franchise Tax Board for all taxpayer related issues. The incumbent will work to identify developing trends relating to departmental problems by working with taxpayer and tax practitioner groups; make recommendations for changes to departmental policies and practices to better enable taxpayers to meet their tax obligations and insure that those recommendations are implemented in the programs; identify departmental policies and practices that create a burden for taxpayers and provide recommendations to reduce the burden.

The Taxpayers' Rights Advocate will be responsible for all activities related to the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights including the preparation of the annual report to the Legislature, the annual hearing before the three member Franchise Tax Board and all follow up activities. The incumbent is expected to establish and maintain a cooperative working relationship with all external organizations including the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Enrolled Agents, the IRS, and sister tax agencies in California and other states.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Either I
Must be a current State civil service employee with permanent civil service status, as defined in Government Code Section 18546.

Or II
Must be a current or former employee of the Legislature, who resigned or was released from service within the last 12 months, and with two or more consecutive years of service as defined in Government Code Section 18990.

Or III
Must be a current or former nonelected exempt employee of the Executive Branch of government who resigned or was released from service within the last 12 months, and with two or more consecutive years of service (excluding those positions for which the salaries are set by statute) as defined by Government Code Section 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 Section 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 A Responsible for broad administrative and program activities, including the execution and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Level B Responsible for extensive managerial and program administration or broad program manager experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies.

CEA Level C Responsible for extensive highly professional influence and contributes to program, policy, and the methods to provide professional services needed to set policies, to meet the mission of the State department and often exercising technical and or professional skills that are required at this level.

1. Knowledge of the management principles for effective recruitment, selection, development and retention of competent staff; includes making appropriate assignments and managing staff performance.

2. Skill to express ideas in writing in a clear and concise manner, using concrete and specific language, so that others can understand you.

3. Skill to recognize, mediate and manage conflicts, confrontations and disagreements in a positive and constructive manner that promotes cooperation and improves productivity.

4. Skill to responsibly administer the programs(s) of the Department in a manner that reflects the mission and values of the organization and the fundamental principles of sound tax administration.

5. Skill to present oneself in an appropriate and professional manner at all times to promote a positive image of the Department and the State of California.

6. Ability to think and respond positively by being open-minded, enthusiastic, patient, trusting, approachable, available, and flexible, adjusting approaches to suit different people and situations.

7. Ability to consider problems and opportunities from a global perspective and their relevance and application to departmental operations (i.e., ability to see the “big picture”).

8. Ability to identify the symptoms of a problem and distinguish them from the root cause(s) of a problem.

9. Ability to identify team member’s strengths and weaknesses and remove obstacles that stand in the way of team success.

10. Ability to understand impacts and anticipate responses to decisions, including the relative importance of a task or issues and the need to compromise on a position.

11. Ability to recognize and value the importance of a customer-centric organization that values the role of all internal and external customers.

12. Ability to notice trends and consequences of situations and position your organization to take advantage of new opportunities or mitigate potential negative outcomes.

13. Fair: Exhibiting behavior that is free from bias, impartial, and just in dealing with all parties.

14. Results Oriented: Exhibits a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and accomplishing work.

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 Taxpayers' Rights Advocate, with the FRANCHISE TAX BOARD. 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.

The Statement of Qualifications will be used to evaluate your education and experience as it relates to the minimum qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities, 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. Therefore, it is to your advantage to invest the time and effort to completely describe your knowledge, skills and abilities. Failure to demonstrate sound organizational structure, clarity, and correct mechanics (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) will result in your Statement of Qualifications being disqualified.

All candidates will be ranked competitively and notified of examination results. Based on the screening committee's evaluation of the competitive group, interviews may be conducted as part of the examination process. (Hiring interviews may be conducted with only the most qualified candidates if it is determined necessary in order to make a selection).

FILING INSTRUCTIONS
U.S. Military veterans must attach a legible copy of his/her veteran's discharge (DD214) or other official discharge documents, showing your enlistment and discharge dates, branch of service, and character of service (i.e., Type of Discharge).

All application materials must be received by the Examination Unit by the final filing date. Faxes will be accepted [(916) 845-0515], however; the originals must be received prior to the start of the examination.

Examination materials personally delivered, received via U.S. Postal Service, or any other delivery service after the final filing date will not be accepted and cannot be returned pursuant to California Code of Regulations 174.

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, single-spaced, using a 12 - point font.
• Resumes do not take the place of the Statement of Qualifications.
• Cover letters do not take the place of the Statement of Qualifications.
• Statement of Qualifications should specifically address each of the Desirable Qualifications.
• Applicants who fail to submit the Statement of Qualifications will be eliminated from this examination process.

Applications must be submitted by the final filing date to:

FRANCHISE TAX BOARD, Examination Unit / Human Resources
P.O. Box 550, Sacramento, CA 95812
Wendy Duke | (916) 845-5979 | wendy.duke@ftb.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 FRANCHISE TAX BOARD 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:  CEA and Exempt Appointees