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

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):

• HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST II - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 3 months:

Exam Code(s):

1728

For HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST II, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 3 months:

Exam Code(s):

• EX-01728

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.

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.

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

Experience applicable to one of the following patterns may be combined on a proportional basis with experience applicable to the other pattern to meet the total experience requirements. Additionally, State experience applied toward the "non-State experience" pattern must be in a class at a level of responsibility at least equivalent to that of one of the classes specified in the promotional State experience pattern.

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

This examination consists of the following component(s):

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:

1. Purposes, organization and functions of the Department of Housing and Community Development
2. General housing and economic development trends
3. Research techniques
4. Basic finance principles
5. General provisions, interpretation and application of Federal, State and local laws, Regulations and programs relating to the development of low-income housing, community and economic development, and local planning
6. General problems and planning principles in the development of low-income housing
7. The creation and retention of jobs for low-income persons
8. Public planning including real estate law and practices
9. Principles and practices of property management and housing counseling
10. Principles and practices of impact analysis
11. Economic development
12. Legal procedures and documents involved in real property transactions
13. Real property law
14. Methods of describing real property
15. Methods of determining values of real property
16. Federal and State laws and regulations pertinent to the financing of low-and moderate-income housing
17. Conventional financing and lending procedures

1. Reason logically and creatively and utilize a variety of analytical techniques to resolve complex housing community and economic development issues
2. Identify and evaluate issues related to community development
3. Analyze data and present ideas and information effectively both orally and in writing
4. Provide technical assistance and expert consultation in the fields of housing development, housing finance, economic and community development to housing authorities and various other governmental agencies and private organizations
5. Effectively formulate policies and coordinate their implementation
6. Work under tight schedules and deadlines
7. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with professional personnel, community groups, and minorities
8. Work independently
9. Plan, organize, and carry out aspects of a technical housing or community development related project of significant impact, scope, or complexity

A Departmental Open eligible list for the HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST II Classification will be established for:

• Department of Housing & Community Development

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 24 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

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.

Section 1: Task Statements

Instructions:  

Rate your experience performing specific job-related tasks.

Respond to each of the following statements by indicating how the statement applies to you. Use the options below to pick the most appropriate level of knowledge/ability you possess on each task.  

1. Respond to complex, sensitive inquiries and correspondence from various entities in order to ensure communications are complete and can be understood by all involved parties and are in accordance with statutory laws, policies and requirements.
2. Represent your organization at meetings, conferences, workshops, webinars, court, and/or legislative hearings, regarding complex, and/or sensitive matters in order to share information and present your organization in a professional manner.
3. Coordinate with staff and management from other parts of your organization to discuss status of program implementation and identify possible delays and problems.
4. Confer with legal staff and stakeholders and develop recommendations and/or responses in order to provide statutory or program interpretation or obtain approval.
5. Develop materials for meetings, conferences, and/or workshops (agenda, content brochure, training information, activities, etc.) to provide information to attendees.
6. Advise management of proposed resolutions and impacts of complex issues, necessary to make decisions.
7. Participate in development of online content such as web pages, databases, and/or data systems in order to provide information to the public.
8. Analyze proposed legislation, regulations, policies, procedures, and/or guidelines potentially impacting organizational operations, programs, and/or projects, in order to advise management.
9. Analyze proposed policy changes to determine workload impacts.
10. Respond to audit findings to ensure compliance.
11. Evaluate program/project design and implementation for the purpose of business process improvement.
12. Collect information to develop and analyze work products, projects, and/or policies.
13. Consult with managers, staff, and stakeholders to discuss barriers, issues, and/or problems with laws, regulations, policies, procedures and/or guidelines to identify needed amendments.
14. Identify issues in data systems and/or work products in order to recommend changes.
15. Lead the preparation of reports and documents that respond to federal and/or state requirements to ensure accessibility for funding.
16. Monitor program/project timelines, deadlines and milestones in order to ensure the program/project remains on schedule.
17. Develop a project plan outlining tasks, completion of timeframes, and persons responsible for accomplishing tasks, to ensure the project is completed timely.
18. Review project documents for specialized state and/or federal compliance issues (e.g., federal and state overlay compliance, fair housing, environmental, federal prevailing wage, procurement, re-location, etc.) to ensure compliance with federal, state and/or local laws, rules, guidelines and procedures.
19. Prepare briefing papers (i.e., issue, memo/white papers) to notify management and others of issues and recommendations impacting the organization or a particular project, program and/or policy.
20. Provide technical direction to staff and/or consultants when developing specific work plans, strategic plans, and required reports to ensure timely and accurate compliance with federal, state and/or local laws, rules, guidelines and procedures.
21. Review work products and provide analyses, comments, edits, and recommendations to ensure successful project/program outcomes and compliance with federal, state and local laws, rules, guidelines and procedures.
22. Conduct customer or staff trainings and workshops to implement new programs and/or projects.
23. Develop technical training materials to inform users or staff of changes in laws, regulations, policies, and/or procedures.

Section 2: Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Statements (KSAs)

Instructions:  

Rate your experience in relation to specific job-related KSAs.

Respond to each of the following statements by indicating how the statement applies to you. Use the options below to pick the most appropriate level of education, training, and/or experience you possess in relation to each KSA statement.  

24. Knowledge of research techniques to conduct effective research related to housing policies, rules, regulations, etc.
25. Knowledge of project management principles and techniques to plan and manage a variety of administrative programs and project activities, including identifying project scope and needed resources, allocating resources, establishing and maintaining timelines, etc.
26. Knowledge of planning and development principles, practices, and issues in order to conduct a variety of housing, community, and/or economic development activities.
27. Knowledge of current concepts in one or more specialized areas (e.g., infrastructure/disaster recovery, climate change, environmental, equity/inclusion, housing planning and land use, transportation, and community development policies and programs, etc.) in order to conduct a variety of housing, community, and/or economic development activities.
28. Knowledge of basic real estate law, housing planning law, community development, and/or related terminology in order to conduct a variety of housing, community, and/or economic development activities.
29. Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
30. Ability to work independently in assigned tasks to attain identified goals.
31. Ability to translate technical data and documents related to housing, community, and/or economic development programs into constructive and usable formats to ensure the documents and data can be used by others.
32. Ability to reason logically and creatively and utilize a variety of analytical techniques to resolve complex housing, community, and/or economic development issues.
33. Ability to prioritize tasks to allow a smooth flow of work and ensure timelines are met.
34. Ability to perform a wide variety of research and technical tasks related to housing, community, and/or economic development to help ensure successful project/program outcomes.
35. Ability to organize and prepare meetings to facilitate communication and exchange of information.
36. Ability to operate basic computer programs (e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) in order to perform duties related to the job (i.e., create documents, send/receive email, analyze data, etc.).
37. Ability to lead teams in assigned tasks or specific projects to attain identified goals.
38. Ability to interpret and apply federal, state and/or local laws, regulations and programs pertaining to the following: financing and development of housing or community and economic development, or local planning.
39. Ability to identify the most pertinent information from a large body of information and data to ensure relevant information is collected/documented.
40. Ability to identify issues related to housing, community, and/or economic development to resolve the issues and/or elevate to management, if needed.
41. Ability to foster effective relationships with others and maintain professional demeanor to help ensure successful project/program outcomes.
42. Ability to facilitate meetings with internal and external stakeholders to understand differing viewpoints and achieve consensus, in a manner that ensures the needs of disparate stakeholder groups are met and program/project objectives are achieved.
43. Ability to compose comprehensive and highly technical reports covering laws, regulations, and housing programs and projects, pertaining to the planning, financing, and development of housing, community, and/or economic development to document information accurately and thoroughly.
44. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with local, state, and/or federal staff on a variety of housing policy issues in order to conduct a variety of housing, community, and/or economic development activities.
45. Ability to analyze data and present ideas and information related to that analysis effectively both orally and in writing to ensure the information is relayed clearly and accurately.

• Department of Housing & Community Development

Technical questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Administrative questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

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.

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 Housing & Community Development 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.