Under the general direction of the Attorney General and the Chief Deputy Attorney General, the Solicitor General serves as the chief appellate attorney for the California Department of Justice. The Solicitor General becomes personally involved in selected matters and manages the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). OSG participates in discretionary appellate litigation decisions, such as whether to seek review by the US or California Supreme Court; prepares or oversees the preparation of petitions, briefs, and other papers filed in the courts of last resort and other appellate courts; and takes a lead role in the briefing and argument of selected appeals in both state and federal courts, including in many of the Department’s most complex or sensitive appellate matters. The Solicitor General may determine the staffing, direct the briefing process, and make or assign the oral argument for any matter in any appellate court. Other functions include fostering consultation and consistency on important legal issues and promoting excellence in appellate practice throughout the Department. The Solicitor General also oversees the Department’s statewide Opinion Unit, which drafts formal opinions on questions of law submitted by certain public officers, manages the review of quo warranto applications and supervision of related litigation, and may provide other legal analysis and advice.
Flexible schedules and telecommuting options may be available. While the position’s location is specified as statewide, the candidate selected for appointment can be headquartered in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, or San Francisco. Regardless of the headquarter location, the candidate will be expected to travel throughout California as required, and out-of-state travel may be required.
Please note: this position supervises attorneys and therefore it is critical that the selected candidate have active status in the California State Bar.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

CEA examinations are open to all applicants who possess the knowledge and abilities, and any other requirements as described in the examination bulletin. Eligibility to take a CEA examination does not require current permanent status in civil service.

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS

State civil service employees must possess essential general qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others.
Knowledge and Abilities

Applicants must demonstrate the ability to perform high administrative and policy – influencing functions effectively. Such overall ability requires possession of most of the following more specific knowledge and abilities:

• Knowledge of the organization and functions of California State Government including the organization and practices of the Legislature and the Executive Branch; principles, practices, and trends of public administration, organization, and management; techniques of organizing and motivating groups; program development and evaluation; methods of administrative problem solving; principles and practices of policy formulation and development; and personnel management techniques; the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program objectives; and a manager’s role in the Equal Employment Opportunity Program.
• Ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of multidisciplinary professional and administrative staff; analyze administrative policies, organization, procedures and practices; integrate the activities of a diverse program to attain common goals; gain the confidence and support of top level administrators and advise them on a wide range of administrative matters; develop cooperative working relationships with representatives of all levels of government, the public, and the Legislature and Executive branches; analyze complex problems and recommend effective courses of action; and prepare and review reports; and effectively contribute to the department’s or agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity objectives.

These knowledge and abilities are expected to be obtained from the following kinds of experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation and/or evaluation of program policies (experience may have been paid or volunteer; in State service, other government settings, or in a private organization):
CEA Level A - Responsible for broad administrative and program activities, including the execution and/or evaluation of program policies.
CEA Level B - Responsible for extensive managerial and program administration or broad program manager experience with substantial participation in the formulation, operation, and/or evaluation of program policies.
CEA Level C - Responsible for extensive highly professional influence and contributes to program, policy, and the methods to provide professional services needed to set policies, to meet the mission of the State department and often exercising technical and or professional skills that are required at this level.
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:

• Experience personally arguing cases in the United States and/or California Supreme Courts.
• Experience representing government clients and/or private clients in regulatory or otherwise government-related legal matters.
• Experience with a variety of areas of the law, such as criminal law and habeas corpus, federal preemption, federal and state administrative law, complex statutory and regulatory systems, and common grounds for constitutional challenges to state laws.
• Experience with state constitutional, statutory, and decisional law cases relevant to the work of the Attorney General and other state officers and agencies.
• Practical familiarity with principles of constitutional and administrative law, rules of evidence, and the conduct of proceedings in trial and appellate courts in California and the United States and before administrative bodies.
• Demonstrated ability to foster communication among different organizational components and lead or coordinate the development of organizational positions on broadly significant or recurring legal issues.

Examination Information
The exam will consist of a Statement of Qualifications screening process. A departmental evaluation panel will review and score the Statements of Qualifications based on the Desirable Qualifications for the position, and the competitive nature of each candidate’s relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.
If you meet the requirements stated in this announcement, you may take this competitive examination. Possession of the Examination Qualifications requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination will be compared with the performance of others who take this examination, and all successful candidates will be ranked according to their scores.
A minimum rating of 70% must be attained in the Examination to obtain list eligibility for this position. All candidates will receive written notification of their examination results.
The results of this examination will only be used to fill this position. Applications will be retained for twelve months.
Hiring interviews for the Job may be conducted with the most qualified candidates.
The examining Department 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 law and rules and all competitors will be notified.
Special Testing Arrangements
If you have a disability and need special testing arrangements, answer the Reasonable Accommodations question appropriately on your Application (STD 678). You will be contacted to make specific arrangements. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this announcement.
Benefits
Please access this link for information on benefits afforded to employees who work for the State of California - https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pages/California-State-Civil-Service-Employee-Benefits-Summary.aspx
Contact Information
The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.

Please refer the Job description for details