Exam Bulletin - Supervising Structural Engineer

Department of General Services

Exam Code: EX-1915

Examination Plans Included:

  • SUPERVISING STRUCTURAL ENGINEER - Open

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

Classification Details

SUPERVISING STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: $12,550.00 - $15,716.00 per Month

View the SUPERVISING STRUCTURAL ENGINEER classification specification.

Application Instructions

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

  • 6/6/2025

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will be processed in the next group.

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):

  • SUPERVISING 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):

    1915

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

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-01915

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.

You may apply by mail to:

  • Department of General Services
    Recruitment and Examination Services
    P.O. Box 989052
    West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

  • Department of General Services
    Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
    707 3rd Street, Lobby
    West Sacramento, CA 95605
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678). All applicants must provide proof of identification. Accepted forms of identification are: 1) a photo identification card or 2) two forms of signed identification.

The following items must be submitted with your Examination/Employment Application form. Failure to submit these items may result in rejection of your application.

  • License - Valid California Structural Engineer license.

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.

00103331 - SUPERVISING 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 in the performance of increasingly complex duties, including either:

 

  1. Two years of experience equivalent in responsibility to that of a Senior Structural Engineer in the California state service in charge of the structural design of major buildings and some experience in construction work. Or

 

  1. Two years of responsible experience equivalent in responsibility to that of a Senior Structural Engineer in the California state service in the checking of building plans and some experience in field supervision of construction. 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

00103331 - SUPERVISING STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Definition
Under general direction, to assist in the supervision of the office or field structural engineering work of the Office of the State Architect; or to act as field supervisor of major projects in connection with building construction; and to do other related work.

Typical Tasks
Plans, assigns, supervises, and reviews the work involved in making examinations of important buildings to determine their ability to withstand earthquakes, fire, or wind and to carry safely such loads as may be imposed; supervises the office work involved in checking designs or in preparing drawings and specifications; personally checks designs, specifications, and drawings of public buildings, bridges, water supply works, sewage disposal plants and other public structures submitted to the Office of the State Architect for approval as to economy of design and structural strength; visits work under construction to see that adequate inspection is being maintained on the job; supervises District Structural Engineers in the field; meets with architects, structural engineers, contractors, and school authorities and others with reference to the requirements established by the State and to advise them concerning the structural engineering phases of their problems; acts as field supervisor in connection with the construction of major buildings and the investigation and approval of inspectors on construction; examines soil conditions and supervises soil load tests at the site for the purpose of determining the load-carrying capacity of the foundation soil, and the proper types of foundations and the depth to which they should be carried; supervises the preparation of structural plans and specifications for various types of public buildings and structures; assists other members of the staff of the Office of the State Architect in the preparation of designs and drawings insofar as the stability, practicability, and economy of the structures are concerned; prepares regular and special reports; in an assigned district, acts for the Principal Structural Engineer and represents him/her at various conferences and meetings.

Special Personal Characteristics:  Demonstrated supervisory ability and tact.


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

Examination Information

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1Supplemental ReportWith Application100%

Components that are due with your application will be scored and will count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items may result in disqualification or elimination from the examination.

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

Complete and submit the following items with your application. These will be scored and count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items will result in disqualification from the examination.

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, use, and properties of the materials of building construction, standard specifications, loadings, and building codes applying to building and other engineering structures.

3. Soil mechanics applying to building construction.

4. Interpretation and application of the laws and regulations governing schoolhouse construction.

5. Principles of effective supervision and planning, organizing, directing, and reviewing the work of a staff.

6. Department’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program objectives.

7. A manager's role in the EEO Program and the processes available to meet EEO objectives.

 

Ability to:

1. Review and judge the quality of office and field structural engineering work and make technical investigations on structural engineering problems.

2. Interpret and apply the laws and regulations governing schoolhouse construction.

3. Plan, organize, direct, and review the work of a staff.

4. Analyze situations accurately and take effective action.

5. Prepare technical specifications and write comprehensive but concise reports.

6. Effectively contribute to the department’s EEO objectives.

Eligible List Information

A Servicewide Open eligible list for the SUPERVISING 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 24 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.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATION

Here is a list of suggested resources to have available prior to taking the exam.

To streamline the examination process, please create a CalCareer Account with CalHR. A CalCareer Account is a one stop shop for taking civil service examinations, applying for state jobs, and provides storage and organization for your documents and communications stemming from job opportunities, all in a paperless format. To sign up for a CalCareer Account, or log in to your existing account, Click here.

Employment History: Employment dates, job titles, organization names and addresses, names of supervisors or persons who can verify your job responsibilities, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

Education: School names and addresses, degrees earned, dates attended, courses taken (verifiable on a transcript), persons or office who can verify education, and phone numbers of persons or offices listed above.

Training: Class titles, certifications received, names of persons who can verify your training, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

Cut-Off Date: 1st Friday of Every Month

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Check back periodically as cut-off dates are subject to change or can be cancelled at any time. Such changes or cancellations will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules. Additionally, applications may be processed on a flow basis prior to the cut-off date to meet the hiring needs of the Department.

Testing Departments

  • Department of General Services

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of General Services
Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
Phone: (916) 376-5400
DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov

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)
By Mail
In Person (see bulletin for details)
Alternate Application Process

While we recommend that you utilize your CalCareer Account to take advantage of all the tools available, you may choose to apply for this examination without using your account. In this case, print and complete the Exam Application Package Checklist and include it if you submit a hard copy application.

Exam Application Package Checklist

Blank Application Form (STD678)

Accommodation Request (STD679)