Personnel Specialist

Job Description and Duties

THIS IS A LIMITED TERM POSITION WHICH MAY BE EXTENDED OR BECOME PERMANENT.

THIS POSITION MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A HYBRID WORK SCHEDULE. THE AMOUNT OF TELEWORK IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS BUSINESS NEEDS ARISE.

THESE POSITIONS WILL RUN UNTIL FILLED. APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED ON THE 15TH OF EVERY MONTH.

Are you a detail-oriented professional looking for challenging and meaningful work in a fast-paced

environment? Join our team and play a vital role in ensuring employees pay, benefits, and other
personnel transactions are processed accurately and timely.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties but not limited to:

• Accurately process payroll and benefit transactions while navigating multiple personnel systems.
• Research, interpret, and apply Personnel State laws, rules, regulations, bargaining unit provisions, as well as departmental policies and procedures.
• Maintain, manage, and reconcile attendance and payroll records for an assigned roster of employees, adapting quickly to changes.
• Serve as a liaison between employees, attendance units, and state control agencies.
• Research and resolve personnel discrepancies, keeping supervisor proactively informed of progress.
• Promptly respond to payroll and benefit related inquiries, providing clear explanations and relevant resources.

In addition to the regular salary, this classification is eligible for an annual recruitment and retention
bonus as follows:

$2,400 after 12 or more qualifying months
$3,000 after 24 or more qualifying months
$3,600 after 36 or more qualifying months
$4,800 after 48 or more qualifying months

Position located at 1416 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

This position is headquartered at the New Labor Agency Building (NLAB), a newly remodeled high-rise building. Located in the heart of Downtown Sacramento and in close proximity of the State Capitol and the Golden1 Center, this beautiful and modern building provides the following amenities: Break areas, wellness/lactation rooms, coffee points, a fitness center with private showers, a Career Center for EDD Employees, a micro market, building-wide WiFi, an outdoor terrace, bike storage, nearby public transit options, and much more.

Apply today for the opportunity to work in this state-of-the-art building!

Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) per month. For more details, please click  here to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Visa Sponsorship
This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

Office atmosphere
Subject to hybrid schedule (office and telework). This role requires incumbent to work in the office full time for the first four to eight weeks prior to the start of an approved hybrid teleworking schedule.

Special Requirements

It is strongly encouraged to apply through your CalCareer Account at  .

Please only submit ONE application.  Electronic applications submitted through your CalCareer Account are highly recommended and will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing.

If you are unable to apply electronically through your CalCareer account, please mail a completed and signed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 and application package to the mailing address provided in the “Application Instructions’ section below and ensure the following:

• Clearly indicate the Job Code #, Position Number and the Classification Title of this position in the “Examination or Job Title(s) For Which You Are Applying” section located on Page 3 of your State Examination/Employment STD Form 678.

• Clearly indicate the basis of your eligibility (list, transfer, reinstatement, etc.) in the “Explanations” section located on Page 3 of your State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678.

• Remove and do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (Page 10) with your completed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678.  This page is for examination use only.

• Do not include your full Social Security Number on your documents and/or do not provide any LEAP information.

Examination/Assessment 

If selected for hire , you must obtain list eligibility by taking and passing the examination. If you already have list eligibility for this classification, you do not need to retake the examination unless your list eligibility has expired.

Click the examination link for more information and to take the exam:  Personnel Specialist Bulletin

For more information about the State hiring process,  click here . To watch tutorials on how to apply for a State job,  click here .

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:

• Ability to take initiative, organize and prioritize work to meet established deadlines.
• Detail oriented with the ability to multi-task and handle shifting priorities.
• Punctual and dependable.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to understand and apply procedures.
• Ability to learn new automation systems and software to perform tasks.
• Strong skills with Microsoft programs (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.)

Benefits

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

Statement of Qualifications Requirements

A  Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is Required . The SOQ serves as documentation of each candidate’s ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing.  The SOQ is not a resume or cover letter. 

Each question must be numbered and addressed in the same order as the questions below. The SOQ must be typed and no more than two pages in length.

1. Describe the extent of your knowledge and/or experience with payroll, attendance/record-keeping, and employee benefits administration.
2. Describe a specific example of a time when you helped resolve a negative experience for an unhappy or dissatisfied customer. Please explain the steps you took, any resources you used, and the final outcome.

Resumes and/or cover letters DO NOT take the place of the SOQ. Applications received without an SOQ or SOQs that do not include a response to both statements as instructed above may not receive further consideration in the hiring process.

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 - A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is Required.  Please see “Statement of Qualifications Requirements” section for more information about the SOQ.