Job Posting: Product Engineer

CA Privacy Protection Agency

JC-527873
-
Product Engineer
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST I

$6,513.00 - $10,537.00 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: 8/24/2026

Job Description and Duties

Effective July 1, 2025, The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). For more details, please click here to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.

Telework is available for this position; however, changes to the telework program are at the Agency’s discretion. Remote-centered employees may be required to report in person to one of the agency's multiple reporting locations, as determined by management, and may be required to utilize a shared workspace or “hotel” when working in the office. The successful candidate must reside in California upon appointment.

Under the direction of the Information Technology Manager I, the Information Technology Specialist I serves as the Product Engineer for the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP). DROP is California's first-of-its-kind privacy platform helping Californians exercise deletion and opt-out rights at scale. The Product Engineer turns complex product, program, and operational needs into reliable software and carries technical work from discovery through production. The role works closely with the Product Manager and Senior Technical Delivery Lead to shape product behavior, system architecture, user experience, and delivery. The Product Engineer contributes deep application engineering expertise, challenges assumptions, develops practical solutions, and remains accountable for the quality of the engineering result. The work spans application design, code, data, database models, processing pipelines, APIs, integrations, testing, cloud services, deployment, and production operations. Success requires deep understanding of the product as a system, strong engineering judgment, curiosity, comfort with ambiguity, and ownership of results. Modern engineering practices and approved AI-assisted tools are used to increase capability and improve quality. Sensitive information must remain protected, generated work must be critically reviewed, and final results must be proven correct, secure, accessible, maintainable, and appropriate for production.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship. CalPrivacy participates in E-Verify for employment authorization purposes.

The headquarters for this position may be:
San Francisco – One Sansome Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94104
Sacramento – 400 R Street, Ste. 350, Sacramento, CA 95811

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

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

Position Details

Job Code #:
JC-527873
Position #(s):
411-180-1402-xxx
Working Title:
Product Engineer
Classification:
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST I
$6,513.00 - $8,729.00 A
$7,163.00 - $9,599.00 B
$7,864.00 - $10,537.00 C
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.
# of Positions:
1
Work Location:
United States
Telework:
Hybrid
Job Type:
Permanent, Full Time
Work Shift:
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Work Week:
Monday – Friday

Department Information

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy)’s mission is to protect Californians’ consumer privacy. The Agency implements and enforces the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Its responsibilities include: 1) rulemaking in a highly complicated, technical, sometimes contested, and nuanced area; 2) supporting awareness across California’s diverse population on issues related to privacy and data security, including the new rights provided to them by the law; and 3) administrative enforcement of those rights. 

Department Website: https://cppa.ca.gov

Special Requirements

Employment History on the STD 678 (State Application) must be complete and include employment dates, accurate hours per week, total time worked, duties and responsibilities performed, and contact names and phone numbers of supervisors. License and Certification numbers included on the STD 678 must include issue date and expiration date. Failure to indicate issue and expiration dates will result in disqualification.Resumes or other documents cannot substitute the STD 678 (State Application). Applicants who fail to submit a completed STD 678 (State Application) may be disqualified. Only the most qualified candidates will be invited to an interview. 

Applicants who completed their education outside of the United States (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of US course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at

NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

Individuals who are new to state service must have list eligibility in order to gain employment with any state agency. Click here to learn more about examinations administered by DGS and examinations available online.  

The State of California is an eligible employer for the purposes of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. To learn more, visit https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

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: 8/24/2026

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.

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:

CA Privacy Protection Agency
OHR - MAILING
Attn: Classification & Pay
PO Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

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

CA Privacy Protection Agency
OHR - DROP OFF
Classification & Pay Unit
707 3rd Street, Lobby
West Sacramento, CA 95605
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 optional. It may be included, but is not required.
  • Statement of Qualifications - REQUIRED – Statement of Qualifications. Please see the Statement of Qualifications section on the job advertisement for details and instructions. 
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:
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals and experience building, improving, or sustaining production software.
  • Ability to understand an unfamiliar system and turn complex or incomplete needs into practical technical solutions.
  • Experience across application code, databases, APIs, data processing, integrations, automated testing, cloud services, delivery pipelines, and production operations.
  • Ability to investigate difficult problems through direct evidence such as code, SQL, logs, API traffic, metrics, traces, and test results.
  • Sound judgment involving architecture, privacy, security, accessibility, reliability, maintainability, and technical tradeoffs.
  • Ability to challenge assumptions, avoid unnecessary complexity, and improve an existing product over time.
  • Ability to use AI-assisted engineering tools effectively while remaining accountable for context, review, verification, security, and final results.
  • Ability to explain technical reasoning, risks, and results clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
  • Familiarity with Azure, .NET, Terraform, CI/CD, or comparable cloud-native tools is desirable.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to work effectively in fast-paced / high-stress situations.
  • Comfortable teleworking / working remotely.

Benefits

There are many benefits to joining our team! The State of California has a generous benefits package, some benefits include:

  • Medical Benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Paid Holidays and leave
  • Defined benefit retirement program
  • Savings Plus Program (401(k), 457)
  • Commute Program
  • Employee Wellness Program
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Medical/Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
Click here to view all the benefits available to state employees!

Contact Information

The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.

Department Website: https://cppa.ca.gov
Hiring Unit Contact:
Irene Regalado
(916) 572-2900
HR@cppa.ca.gov

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
EEO Main line
(916) 376-5127
DGSEEO@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.

Additional Information

The headquarters for this position may be: 

San Francisco – One Sansome Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94104 

Sacramento – 400 R Street, Ste. 350, Sacramento, CA  95811 

Please specify RPA #31016 and JC-527873 on your state application.

Examination Information:

Those interested in obtaining employment with any state agency must apply and compete in the state’s merit-based recruitment and hiring process.  To apply for the examination for this position, click on the link below to search for the examination and follow the “How to Apply” instructions in the examination announcement:

CalCareers Exam/Assessment Search:
Successful examination applicants are placed on a hiring eligibility list.  If you already have list eligibility for this classification, you do not need to retake the examination.  Applicants should refer to their examination results or check their CalCareers account for specific list eligibility expiration dates and/or to re-take the examination when necessary.  

For questions regarding the examination process, please contact the DGS Examinations Unit at DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov.

Statement of Qualifications

A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. A SOQ is a discussion of how an applicant’s education, training, experience, and skills meet the criteria in the desirable qualifications. Applicants who fail to submit an SOQ or do not follow instructions as required may be screened out from the selection process. Resumes, cover letters, and other materials WILL NOT be evaluated or considered as a response to the SOQ.

Please provide a Statement of Qualifications describing how your education, training, experience, and skills qualify you for this position. Address each of the following areas and provide specific examples. Limit your response to two pages total, using 1.5 line spacing and 11-point font or larger.

Focus on clarity and specificity rather than length. Strong responses should provide concise, authentic examples that demonstrate your actual experience, judgment, working style, and communication ability. Generic responses or responses that read like unedited AI-generated text may be rated lower. Be prepared to discuss and substantiate every example during the interview.

  1. Describe what interests you about this position and how this role connects to the engineering work and impact you want to have.
  2. Describe one product, application, integration, data process, or technical capability that you personally built or significantly improved. Explain the problem, what you needed to understand, the key technical decisions you made, what you personally did, how you validated the result, and what changed because of your work
  3. Describe one difficult defect, production issue, architecture decision, data problem, or integration challenge that required you to investigate evidence or reconsider assumptions. Explain what you examined, what changed your understanding, what action you took, and how you verified the outcome. Include how you use modern engineering tools, including AI-assisted tools where relevant, while remaining responsible for review, security, and final results.

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