Job Description

Job Description and Duties

Under general direction of a Deputy Chief Counsel, the Assistant Chief Counsel is responsible for supervising a group of attorneys involved in a variety of litigation and other legal activities. The incumbent may also coordinate more complex and/or major specialized areas in the Legal Division and/or have statewide responsibility for the Department's legislative program.

The Caltrans Legal Division is comprised of five offices statewide, including its headquarters office near the State Capitol in Sacramento and offices in Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Fresno.

Our overall environment is both supportive and challenging where staff are given substantial responsibility at every stage.

As an employee of the State of California, the total compensation and benefits are excellent. This includes holidays, vacation, and sick leave (or annual leave), health, dental, vision and pension benefits.

While in the office, the incumbent will work in a climate-controlled office building under artificial lighting. There may be occasional fluctuations in building temperature. Position occasionally requires travel to Division's Legal Offices and elsewhere for training and working related purposes.

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

PARF# 42-6-084 / JC- 501826 Eligibility for hire may be determined by your score on the Attorney, Assistant Chief Counsel Exam. For those who do not have current eligibility (e.g., transfer, permissive reinstatement, or voluntary demotions) and/or who will be new to state civil services employment, you must be on the state examination list to be eligible for these positions.  To apply for the exam, please click here and search by typing in the classification title.
The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Please take this 1-minute Caltrans Recruitment survey to tell us how you found out about this job. 

Apply today to join our team!  We especially encourage applicants to check out our Caltrans Career Compass tool!  The Caltrans Career Compass is a tool to assist and help candidates understand and succeed in applying to Caltrans positions.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Position located at 111 Grand Avenue, Suite 11-100, Oakland, Alameda County.

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Caltrans' evolving telework policy. Caltrans supports telework, recognizing that in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksites with minimum notification if an urgent need arises. The selected candidate will be required to commute to the headquartered location as needed to meet operational needs. Business travel may be required, and reimbursement considers an employee's designated headquartered location, primary residence, and may be subject to CalHR regulations or applicable bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Special Requirements

• State Bar of California License
• Possession of a valid driver’s license is required when operating a state owned or leased vehicle.
  

• Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) required.

SOQ should be no more than three (3) pages and address the following:

• Proficient knowledge of civil litigation laws, regulations, trends, practices, and the California Code of Civil Procedure, California Evidence Code, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California Government Code, and the California Insurance Code.

• Knowledge of law relating to public transportation issues. Federal Aid statutes relating to transportation; California law relating to acquisition, financing, administration, and risk management.

• Sufficient knowledge of the organization, mission, and statutory environment of the State Department of Transportation in order to function effectively in a position that works closely with and supports top management of the Department of Transportation.

• Experience at a supervisory and/or management level in the Department of Transportation or comparable agency or organization or law firm practice including knowledge of transportation, civil litigation, current management principles and practices, and demonstrated ability to plan, direct, coordinate and review the work of a program consisting of professional legal staff.

• Breadth and variety of experience as an attorney, attorney supervisor and/or contractor of attorneys, in the research and analysis of transportation and business-related issues, and in defending, pursuing and resolving civil and administrative cases in administrative forums, in the California Superior Courts, Appellate Courts, Supreme Court, Federal District Courts and Courts of Appeal, or the California state Legislature.

• Ability to act as legal advisor to top management, including the ability to formulate legal policy and to initiate and recommend strategic changes impacting the Department of Transportation programs and the organization as a whole, in order to meet competitive demands and corporate objectives and values.

• Ability to identify and defend the Department of Transportation against abusive and fraudulent activities. All methods of appointment will be considered (e.g., list appointment, transfer, reinstatement, surplus, SROA, reemployment, etc.). All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for the classification in order to be eligible for appointment to the position.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are basing your eligibility on education, you must include your unofficial transcript(s)/diploma for verification. Unofficial, original, or official sealed transcripts will be accepted and may be required upon appointment. Applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees must provide a transcript/degree U.S. equivalency report evaluation that indicates the number of units and degree to which the foreign coursework is equivalent. Please visit either of the following two websites for a list of evaluation agencies: or . Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

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:

As a Assistant Chief Counsel, the incumbent is expected to become proficient in the following competencies as described in the Duty Statement in order to successfully perform the essential functions of the job, while adhering to and promoting the Department's Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals.

Benefits

to view the Benefits Summary for Civil Service Employees in the State of California.

Important Application Instructions:

The State application (STD. 678) is required, and each section must be filled out completely and thoroughly. For mailed or hand delivered applications to be considered for this position, the Job Control number (JC-501826), PARF# 42-6-084 and title of the position (Attorney, Assistant Chief Counsel) must be included on the STD. 678 form.

Electronic applications through your CalCareers account are highly recommended and encouraged.

Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications based on possession of EDUCATION, LICENSE, OR CERTIFICATE must include a copy of your DEGREE/TRANSCRIPTS, LICENSE, or CERTIFICATE, along with your State application (STD. 678), to be considered for this position.

NOTE: Do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (page 5) with your completed State application (STD. 678). This page is for examination use only. Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for this job vacancy, such as your state application, resume, or educational transcripts.  Confidential information that should be  excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number, birth date, driver’s license number, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age.  The job application packet checklist is not required to apply for this position.  Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application not being considered for this position.

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 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 -

  • Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. Please see the Special Requirements section for SOQ instructions.

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Full time, Contract work, For contractors, Work at office, Remote work,

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