State of California

M E M O R A N D U M


                                                         Date:  March 10, 1993
                                               Reference Code:  93-15


To:        PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT LIAISONS

           THIS MEMORANDUM SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO:

                Personnel Officers


From:      Department of Personnel Administration
           Office of the Director


Subject:   Revised Career Executive Assignment Position Approval Procedures



Since the Career Executive Assignment (CEA) position approval process was
revised, effective June 1992, concerns have been expressed about the timeli-
ness of the new procedures.  Several suggestions have been made by departmen-
tal personnel offices to reduce any duplication and facilitate an expedited
Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) and State Personnel Board (SPB)
review process.

The focus of a review of a CEA request is to ensure that any position assigned
to the CEA category meets the following Government Code definition of a career
executive assignment:

     18547.  Career executive assignment means an appointment to a high
     administrative and policy-influencing position within the State civil
     service in which the incumbent's primary responsibility is the managing
     of a function or the rendering of management advice to top-level
     administrative authority.

To assist SPB and DPA in determining whether a position is appropriate for
inclusion in the CEA category, the following revisions are being made to the
CAREER EXECUTIVE POSITION APPROVAL PROCEDURES:

1.  SPB is to be included in early discussions or meetings with DPA and
    departmental staff if there are questions or concerns about the position's
    designation to the CEA category.

2.  The A. CEA POSITION CONCEPT form has been revised to include questions
    that emphasize the "high administrative and policy-influencing role" of
    the proposed CEA position.

3.  The B. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS form has also been revised.  Question 1, which
    was a quantitative analysis of existing CEA positions, has been moved to
    form E. CEA LEVEL ANALYSIS.  SPB has requested that departments provide a
    written qualitative analysis describing how the proposed CEA position
    compares with similar existing CEA positions.

4.  A Key Position Description, which was used in the prior CEA Board Item
    Process, is again required and is added as item 5 on D. ATTACHMENTS form.

5.  As CEA position proposals are received by SPB (after approval by DPA),
    they are calendared for the next available scheduled Board meeting and
    then are shown as CEA proposals "Under Consideration".  Departments are
    reminded that new CEAs continue to be effective the date of SPB Executive
    Officer's approval.  The earliest date approval could occur is the date of
    the Board meeting in which the CEA item is listed "Under Consideration".

The changes listed above are the only changes being made to the new CEA
approval procedures.  The Transmittal Form and processing procedures described
in the Personnel Management Liaison Memo dated June 26, 1992 (Reference
Code 92-74) are to remain the same.  The revised forms will take effect
April 1, 1993.

If you have any questions regarding this memo, please contact your DPA
Classification and Compensation Division Analyst or Jerry Donel of SPB at
(916) 653-1397.




David J. Tirapelle                         Gloria Harmon
Director                                   Executive Officer
Department of Personnel Administration     State Personnel Board


(PLEASE NOTE:  THE ATTACHMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE CLASSIFICATION AND
COMPENSATION GUIDE IN EACH DEPT PERSONNEL OFFICE OR DPA CLASSIFICA-
TION AND COMPENSATION DIVISION)