Job Posting: Senior Personnel Specialist

California State Auditor's Office

JC-468952
-
Senior Personnel Specialist
SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST

$5,666.00 - $7,092.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Final Filing Date: 7/16/2025

Job Description and Duties

What will you do?

Under the general direction of the Assistant Human Resources Manager, the Senior Personnel Specialist is responsible for the full range of the most difficult, complex, and sensitive personnel transactions assignments.  The incumbent has contact with a wide variety of office staff in addition to close contact with the Department of Human Resources (CalHR), State Controller’s Office (SCO), the State Personnel Board (SPB), and California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) staff, personnel staff of other State departments, and with potential employees.  The incumbent is expected to have extensive knowledge of and ability to apply relevant laws, rules, policies, and procedures. Specifically, you will:

  • Administer, review, analyze, and process all personnel/payroll transactions in accordance with civil service laws, rules, policies, and procedures for a roster of approximately 170 excluded employees.
  • Compute and request salary advances; process judgments against wages; request and release supplemental payments; coordinate with the accounting desk for salary advances, and accounts receivable activities; and balance and certify the monthly master payroll.
  • Initiate and complete transactions for Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (NDI), Industrial Disability Leave (IDL), Temporary Disability (TD), and worker’s compensation payments.
  • Process benefits offered by the State of California for excluded employees.
  • Track, collect forms, and maintain a variety of sensitive and confidential personnel files.
  • Generate pre-written reports or create ad hoc reports for employment history, payment history, employer-sponsored deductions, leave accounting and position inventory through the Management Information Retrieval System.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions

  • This position is eligible for participation in the office’s hybrid telework program. Work at the alternate work location must be conducted in a space that is ergonomically sound, private, distraction-free, and has safe working conditions to be eligible to telework.
  • Work performed in the office is in an air-conditioned high-rise building with elevator access and both natural and artificial lighting.
  • Work may require sitting for an extended period of time using a personal computer and the use of standard office equipment, such as phones, copiers or scanners.
  • Work may require periodic non-standard work hours and work during weekends to meet workload needs and demands.
Visa Sponsorship

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without the need for a visa sponsorship by the start date of employment. The California State Auditor’s Office is not an E-Verify employer.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

Position Details

Job Code #:
JC-468952
Position #(s):
339-100-1317-900
Working Title:
Senior Personnel Specialist
Classification:
SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST
$5,666.00 - $7,092.00 L
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.
PERSONNEL SPECIALIST
$4,030.00 - $5,043.00 L
$4,636.00 - $5,808.00 M
$4,797.00 - $6,010.00 N
$5,185.00 - $6,487.00 O
# of Positions:
1
Work Location:
Sacramento County
Telework:
Hybrid
Job Type:
Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

We are the independent oversight arm of the California State Legislature and the custodians of California’s Whistleblower Hotline. Our mission is to provide objective evaluations and effective solutions that enhance the transparency, accountability, and performance of California government for the people it serves. We are trusted to produce unbiased, nonpartisan reports that provide recommendations to solve some of our state’s toughest problems.

At the California State Auditor’s Office, we believe that our mission to enhance the transparency, accountability, and performance of government also improves the lives of Californians. The many people helping us achieve this mission are the backbone and heart of our organization. We aspire to create a workplace that celebrates their incredible contributions and talents, and embraces their unique perspectives, identities, and values. We seek to develop an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and inspired in their commitment to public service.

Department Website: http://www.auditor.ca.gov/

Special Requirements

Any applicant receiving a conditional job offer will be subject to a background check, fingerprinting and an inquiry to the California Department of Justice to disclose criminal records prior to appointment. State Auditor’s Office employees are excluded from collective bargaining.


Additional hires may be made from this bulletin if positions become available.

Application Instructions

Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: 7/16/2025

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

California State Auditor's Office
N/A
Attn: Human Resources
621 Capitol Mall, Ste. 1200
Sacramento, CA 95814

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

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

California State Auditor's Office
N/A
Human Resources
621 Capitol Mall, Ste. 1200
Sacramento, CA 95814
08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

  • Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
  • Resume is required and must be included.
  • Statement of Qualifications -
    • Submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) responding to the two questions below using specific examples of your education, training and experience. Your SOQ will help us determine who to interview for the position. Please limit your response for both questions to one page. We will not consider applications that do not include responses to the questions, or exceed the page limit.
    1. Describe your work experience in Human Resources, or that correlates to Human Resources roles; please include specific details how you applied personnel-related laws, rules and regulations.
    2. Describe a complex payroll, benefit or disability issue you resolved. Describe what made the issue complex and what obstacles you had to overcome to resolve the issue.
Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Desirable Qualifications

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:

Who are you?

  • You have the ability to work under pressure on multiple tasks with short deadlines.
  • You have experience processing payroll and benefits and experience with SCO's payroll system or a similar payroll system.
  • You have experience reviewing and processing transactions related to Non-Industrial Insurance, Industrial Disability Leave, Temporary Disability and worker’s compensation payments.
  • You are highly organized and have the ability to track multiple projects with competing priorities.
  • You have the ability to develop strong working relationships and interact with all levels of staff and stakeholders in a customer service focused manner.
  • You have experience working with sensitive and confidential information.
  • You have the ability to interpret and accurately apply State and Federal laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
  • You have experience in Microsoft Word/Outlook.

Why should you join us?

  • You want to be part of an agency that makes a difference for Californians and future generations.

  • You want to work in a professional environment with a team dedicated to progressive human resources practices.
  • You enjoy working in a collaborative and solution-oriented environment, and want to use your human resources knowledge to help others.
  • You desire a monthly salary range of $5,666- $7,092 with a 2% pay differential as well as a longevity bonus*.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

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.

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.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Using your CalCareer Account)
By Mail
Drop-off
Print Job