Exam Bulletin - District Structural Engineer

Department of General Services

Exam Code: EX-1664

Examination Plans Included:

  • DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Classification Details

DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: $11,957.00 - $14,967.00 per Month

View the DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER classification specification.

Application Instructions

This is not a timed exam. If you request a Reasonable Accommodation your account will be locked and you will not be able to proceed with the exam until the request is processed.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

    1664

For DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-01664

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

00103332 - DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Possession of a valid certificate to use the title of "Structural Engineer" under the statutes regulating the practice of civil engineering in California. and

Experience: Five years of structural engineering experience involving the performance of increasingly complex duties, including one or a combination of the following:
  1. One year of experience equivalent in responsibility to that of a Senior Structural Engineer in charge of major structural design, which shall have included experience in construction work. or
  2. One year of responsible experience equivalent in responsibility to that of a Senior Structural Engineer in checking of plans for schools, hospitals, or public District buildings which shall have included experience as a field supervisor of school, hospital, or public building construction work.
and 

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college with major work in civil or architectural engineering. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year- for-year basis.)

Position Description

00103332 - DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

In an assigned district, has charge of field supervision of important structures or groups of structures under construction; checks for compliance with State requirements and makes inspections to detect structural deficiencies; examines buildings to determine their ability to withstand earthquakes, fire and wind and to carry safely such loads as may be imposed; consults with and advises architects, engineers, contractors, public officials, enforcement officers, and others with reference to the structural engineering requirements and problems; conducts investigations and holds conferences on enforcement problems relating to State regulations; effectively resolves differences or carries through the necessary enforcement measures; examines soil conditions and supervises soil load tests to determine the load carrying capacity of the foundation soil and proper types of foundation and depth to which they should be carried; checks specifications for various types of public buildings and structures; and prepares reports.

Special Personal Characteristics
Willingness to travel; tact.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for optimal performance when accessing the examination.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1CalHR Online ExamN/A100%

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:
  1. Graphostatics and stress analysis
  2. Strength, properties, and uses of the materials of building construction
  3. Specifications, loadings, and building codes applying to buildings and other structures 
  4. Soil mechanics applying to building construction 
  5. Department's Affirmative Action Program objectives
  6. A manager's role in the Affirmative Action Program and the processes available to meet affirmative action objectives
Skill in:
  1. Reviewing and judging the quality of office and field structural engineering work.
Ability to:
  1. Make technical investigations of and recommendations on structural engineering problems 
  2. Meet and deal effectively with and win the confidence and respect of public officials, architects, engineers, contractors, and others contacted in connection with the enforcement of regulations relating to structural design of schools, hospitals, and public buildings 
  3. Analyze situations and adopt an effective course of action 
  4. Prepare technical specifications and write comprehensive but concise reports 
  5. Effectively contribute to the department's affirmative action objectives

Eligible List Information

A Departmental Open eligible list for the DISTRICT STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Classification will be established for:

  • Department of General Services

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

Testing Departments

  • Department of General Services

Contact Information

Technical questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Department of Human Resources
CalCareer Service Center
1810 16th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (866) 844-8671
CalCareer@CalHR.CA.GOV

Administrative questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of General Services
Department of General Services - OHR
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
Phone: (916) 376-5400

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State 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.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination 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 in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of General 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 laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the 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.

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) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)