1203 - Career Executive Assignments (CEA)

Category

Appointments

Audience List

• Agency Secretaries
• Agency Undersecretaries
• Department Deputy Directors
• Department Directors
• Examination Officers
• Personnel Officers

Synopsis

This policy

• Provides the process for establishing or significantly revising a Career Executive Assignment concept.
• Provides the Career Executive Assignment levels and salary ranges.
• Provides the eligibility requirements for a Career Executive Assignment appointment.

Introduction

Government Code section 19889 charges the California State Personnel Board (SPB) with establishing a system of merit personnel administration specifically suited to the selection and placement of executive personnel, commonly known as Career Executive Assignments (CEA). The Board designates positions of a high administrative and policy influencing character for inclusion in or removal from the CEA category.

Statement

Establishing and Revising CEA Assignment Allocations

California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 548.5, provides a delegated process for departments to establish or revise CEA concepts. This includes a 30-calendar day public review period for CEA requests.

The regulations for establishing and revising CEA concepts do not change any authority or procedures associated with CalHR’s delegation of CEA levels or salaries as determined by departmental signed CEA Delegation Agreements. Departments must continue to document actions taken under their delegated authority using the CalHR 881 form.

CEA Levels and Salary Ranges

Effective July 31, 2013, CalHR consolidated CEA levels from five to three:

• Levels 1 and 2 became Level A.
• Levels 3 and 4 became Level B.
• Level 5 became Level C.

The Civil Service Pay Scales designate a single salary range for all CEA levels, currently $10,048 - $20,748. To provide departments that have a valid, signed CEA Delegation Agreement the flexibility to establish salaries above the specified maximum salary range of the approved CEA level, departments may increase a CEA salary above the approved level. However, the department’s agreed-upon CEA salary cap may not be exceeded.

The current monthly salary ranges for these three levels are as follows:

• Level A           $10,048 - $12,161
• Level B           $11,778 - $14,032
• Level C          $13,080 - $14,851

Departments that have a valid, signed CEA Delegation Agreement have discretion to pay and provide increases to a CEA above the max of Level C (into what has historically been considered the “restricted zone”) if the department can accommodate the increase without exceeding its PMD-established salary cap and sufficient justification is documented to support the increase. The “restricted zone” is currently $14,852 - $20,748 per month.

Departments that have a valid, signed CEA Delegation Agreement with high-level positions requiring licensure as a physician, attorney, engineer, or scientist may approve a salary into the restricted zone, only when the CEA carries the same technical/professional responsibility, including the possession of the required licensure/certifications, as the position reporting directly to them. CEAs providing administrative support shall not be adjusted for compaction. CalHR has no authority to grant salary exceptions beyond the maximum of the restricted zone.

Eligibility

The minimum qualifications to take a CEA exam are as follows:

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must possess the knowledge and abilities, and any other requirements, described in this bulletin.

Note: Eligibility to take a CEA examination does not require current permanent status in the civil service.

While eligibility to take a CEA examination is not restricted to persons with current permanent status in the civil service, the basis of a person’s CEA eligibility impacts their employment rights when and if their CEA position is terminated:

• Employees who at the time of the CEA appointment were not employed by the state but who had previously worked for the state and had gained permanent civil service status have reinstatement rights under Article 5 (commencing with section 19140) of the Government Code, as specified in section 19889.4.
• Employees whose eligibility was based upon a legislative or nonelected exempt executive branch position are able to compete in their appointing power’s promotional examinations for which they meet the minimum qualifications of the class to which they seek appointment. These employees may request a deferred examination, as specified in Government Code section 18993.
• Employees who at the time of their appointment to a CEA were from outside state civil service have the right to take a deferred examination for any open eligible list in existence at the time of the termination of the CEA for which they meet the minimum qualifications of the class to which the appointment is sought, as specified in Government Code section 19889.4.

Application

Departments that wish to establish a new CEA position or significantly revise the concept of an existing CEA position will complete the CEA Position Request Form (CalHR 881) and submit the form to CalHR's Personnel Management Division (PMD) CEA email mailbox (CEA@calhr.ca.gov). Departments must use the current version of the CalHR 881 form. In addition to the CalHR 881 form, departments must submit additional documentation including current and proposed organizational charts, including an executive level overview, and current (if applicable) and proposed duty statement(s). Departments should obtain letter(s) of support to be kept on file for audit purposes.

To streamline the publishing of departmental CEA Action Proposals in a timely, complete and efficient manner, PMD requires the necessary CEA concept information must fit within the space provided on the form. Additional attachments are not accepted. Departments must submit the saved CalHR 881 form in a live fill-and-print portable document format (PDF). Departments should also submit a signed, static PDF version of the form. Both versions should be submitted to the CEA email mailbox (CEA@calhr.ca.gov).

In accordance with California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 548.5, PMD will place the department's submitted CEA Action Proposal information on our public website for the required 30-calendar day public notice period without review. Departments with a signed CEA Delegation Agreement have the primary delegated responsibility for ensuring each CEA concept submitted for the 30-day public posting both initially and continuously meets the requirements of Government Code 18547. During this 30-calendar day period the CEA Action Proposal is subject to opposition from any interested party.

Departments with a signed CEA Delegation Agreement have authority to advertise and recruit for the CEA position proposal during the 30-day public posting period, only after the CEA proposal is published. However, departments shall not fill a proposed CEA position during the 30-day public posting period.

If no opposition is filed during the 30-calendar day period, the proposed CEA concept will be established without a hearing by the five-member SPB. If the submitting department has a valid, signed CEA Delegation Agreement, PMD will also work with the department to revise the CEA salary cap to include the new CEA concept.

If a valid opposition as determined by PMD is submitted within the 30-calendar day period, PMD staff may request departments submit additional substantiation and documents. After careful review and analysis, PMD staff may either disapprove the proposal or recommend for SPB approval and schedule it for hearing by the five-member SPB.

PMD will conduct routine CEA concept audits after position establishment to monitor departments’ adherence to the established statutory requirements and guidelines for use of the CEA category. If a violation of delegated authority is discovered, CalHR will take necessary action including mandating a Corrective Action Plan, training, and restricting or revoking delegation indefinitely.

Presence of a departmental CEA Action Proposal on CalHR's public website is not an indication of CalHR's endorsement of the request.

For guidance in determining an appropriate CEA Level, refer to the CalHR 881, page 6 of 16, the CEA Level Guidelines Worksheet.

Authorities

• California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 548.5
• Government Code section 18546, Definitions
• Government Code section 18800, Classification
• Government Code section 19140, Reinstatement
• Government Code section 19144
• Government Code sections 18990 to 18993, Exempt Employees
• Government Code sections 19889 to 19889.4, CEA Government Codes

Resources

FAQs

• CalHR: Frequently Asked Questions
• Delegation Project: Delegation Project: Frequently Asked Questions

Forms

• CalHR 881: CEA Position Request

PML

• PML 2013-027: PML 2013-027 - 8/16/2013 - Changes to the Career Executive Assignment (CEA) Program
• PML 2015-031: PML 2015-031 - 10/15/2015 - Career Executive Assignment Minimum Qualifications and Reinstatement and Examination Rights
• PML 2015-038: PML 2015-038 - 12/23/2015 - New Process for Establishing and Revising Career Executive Assignment Allocations

Web Pages

• Pay Letter 16-20: Summary of Revisions to the California State Civil Service Pay Scales
• Pay Scales: State of California Pay Scales

Authorized By

Melissa Russell
Chief
Personnel Management Division

Contact Person

Personnel Management Division
Personnel Program Consultant , Personnel Management Division
Phone: 916-909-3295
Email: pmd@calhr.ca.gov

Superseded Policies

History

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