About the Department

WHAT WE OFFER

The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package that includes:

Educational Incentive: An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate degree.
Bilingual Incentive: Incumbents may also be eligible for a bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill. Proficiency levels by exam are $.69 per hour (Level I); $1.00 per hour (Level II); or $1.32 per hour (Level III).
Vacation Accrual: New regular, full-time employees shall accrue approximately 14 days of vacation a year for the first 10,400 hours or 5 years of service; vacation accruals increase at 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 20 years of service topping out at 26 days a year and 400 hours of vacation hours banked.
Flexible Workweek/Telework Schedule: We support a work/life balance by offering compressed work (e.g., 9/80 or 4/10 workweek) and remote hybrid telework schedules for some positions subject to organizational needs and satisfactory performance.
Annual Leave Redemption: After 14,560 hours of continuous service an employee may elect to "cash in" or redeem up to 80 hours of vacation accrued in the same year after using 80 hours of vacation in the preceding 12 months.
Sick Leave: Full-time Regular employees accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave per pay period with an advance at hire of 40.04 hours which will be balanced at the completion of 13 bi-weekly pay periods.
Deferred Compensation: Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
Health Plans: Full-time employees are given a flexible credit allowance of up to $26,626.98 annually to offset the purchase of medical insurance for you and your dependents. Employee only - $463.99 per biweekly pay period; Employee plus one dependent - $834.32 per biweekly pay period; and Employee plus family - $1,024.11 per biweekly pay period.
Flexible Spending Accounts: Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts which increase spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS approved dependent care and health care expenses.
Pension Plan: Both the County and employees contribute to the County's Retirement Plan and to Social Security. If eligible, reciprocity may be established with other public retirement systems such as PERS.
Holidays: 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
Additional Benefits: Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Plans, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance and Wellness Program.

THE POSITION
Under general direction performs progressively complex and varied work in the practice of Real Estate as it relates to the appraisal, acquisition, management, leasing, relocation assistance and disposal of real property for public use. Identifies utilities in conflict with proposed public projects and coordinates their timely relocation, including determination of prior rights and preparation of relocation agreements. Depending upon assignment, may administer the County service area and franchise administration functions. May serve as a lead to lower-level Real Property Agents. Senior Real Property Agent is the advanced journey/lead classification in the Real Property Agent series.

Position Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Negotiates terms of property acquisitions and lease agreements for public use.
Prepares permits, licenses, deeds, agreements, leases, contracts, conveyances and other legal documents.
Coordinates proposals and other legal aspects of transactions with County Counsel’s Office.
Conducts the more sensitive, complex and difficult negotiations with officials and representatives of other governmental agencies.
Prepares and/or reviews narrative appraisals for purposes of acquisitions.
Checks title to real property.
Relates project proposals and goals to property owners or their representatives.
Prepares Board letters and reports on current acquisitions and condemnations. May be required to present information before the Board of Supervisors.
Maintains records on project assignments.
Appraises property and property improvements in order to prepare cost estimates and for acquisitions.
Provides escrow functions for completing the recording of deeds, clearing title and disbursing funds.
Serves as a lead to lower-level Real Property Agents.
Conducts investigations to determine the location of utility lines which may conflict with proposed construction.
Coordinates with utility companies in relocating utility facilities.
Performs other related duties as required.

Senior Real Property Agent is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is not eligible for overtime compensation.

Minimum Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING and EXPERIENCE
Extensive experience in appraisal, acquisition, management, leasing, relocation assistance service and disposal of real property for a public entity. The required knowledge, skills and abilities can also be obtained by:

Possession of a Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, economics, public administration or a related field; AND
One (1) year of experience performing duties equivalent to the classification of Real Property Agent II at the County of Ventura; AND
Successful completion and passage of four (4) discipline exams in areas such as Appraisal, Asset Management, Negotiation/Acquisition, Relocation Assistance, Environmental, Law, Engineering, Uniform Act offered by the International Right of Way Association OR successful completion of the Capstone Comprehensive Exam.

Substitution: The Bachelor’s degree may be substituted with year-for-year related work experience in appraisal, acquisition, property management, property leasing and relocation assistance service with a public agency, consulting firm or private company.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Must possess and maintain a valid California driver's license;
Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Skills must be demonstrated in the completion of the employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

DESIRED

Member of the Appraisal Institute or possession of any designation recognized by the Appraisal Institute; and
Senior Right of Way Professional (SR/WA) designation issued by the International Right of Way Association (IRWA).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES
Thorough knowledge of: the principles and practices of real estate acquisitions, appraisal and property management for public entities; the laws, legal codes, governmental regulations applicable to real estate and eminent domain.

Some knowledge of: the basic principles of civil engineering as they relate to the acquisition of right-of-way for public projects.

Skill in: time management; complex problem solving; active listening; judgment and decision making; negotiating/reconciling differences; and effective written and verbal communication.

Ability to: read and interpret plans, specifications and construction drawings as they relate to the acquisition of right-of-way for public projects or utility relocation; develop and maintain constructive and cooperative working relationships with others; resolve conflicts; interact effectively with the public; and make decisions and solve problems.

Other Qualifications

FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested in it. Your application must be received by the County of Ventura, Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.

To apply online, please refer to our website at www.venturacounty.gov/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura, Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualification. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application; however, it/they may not be substituted in lieu of the application.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam at the time of filing. This questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Applicants meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the recruitment process.

TRAINING and EXPERIENCE EVALUATION: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Examination, which may be preceded by or replaced with a score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

ORAL EXAMINATION – 100%: A job-related oral examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating candidates' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBLE LIST: Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year. The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill present and future Regular (including Temporary, and Fixed-term), Extra Help and Intermittent vacancies. There are currently two (2) Regular vacancies.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: The selected candidate may be subjected to a thorough post-offer, pre-employment background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Kelli Fitzgerald by email at [email protected].

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Benefits

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)

(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
Retirement FAQ's
Memorandum of Agreement

Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ, UPT, UWS

Supplemental Questions

Do you possess or have the ability to obtain and maintain a valid California driver's license?

Please select the check box(es) to indicate which of the items below you possess, if any. You may check more than one.

Bachelor's degree in real estate
Bachelor's degree in business
Bachelor's degree in economics
Bachelor's degree in public administration
Bachelor's degree in a related field
Successful completion and passage of four (4) discipline exams (Appraisal, Asset Management, Negotiation/Acquisition, Relocation Assistance, Environmental, Law, Engineering, Uniform Act) by the IRWA or successful completion of the Capstone Exam
Member of the Appraisal Institute or possession of any designation recognized by the Appraisal Institute
Senior Right of Way Professional (SR/WA) designation issued by the IRWA
None of the above

If you marked "Bachelor's degree in a related field" in the question above, please indicate the field of study for your highest level of educational achievement AND how it relates to this position.

Which option below best describes your full-time progressively responsible, professional experience in appraisal, acquisition, management, leasing, relocation assistance service and disposal of real property for a public entity?

(NOTE: Full-time is considered 40 hours per week; anything less than that must be prorated.)

No experience
Some to less than 1 year
1 year to less than 2 years
2 years to less than 3 years
3 years to less than 4 years
4 years to less than 5 years
5 years to less than 6 years
6 years to less than 7 years
7 years to less than 8 years
8 years to less than 9 years
9 or more years

Describe your experience in performing professional real estate work for a public entity in each of the following areas:

1. Appraisal;

2. Acquisition;

3. Management;

4. Leasing;

5. Relocation assistance service; AND

6. Disposal of real property.

Be thorough and clear in your response and include the following for each item:

A. Employer(s);

B. Job title(s);

C. Time frame(s) (start and end dates in month/year format);

D. Detailed description of your role(s) and responsibilities; AND

E. Any experience interpreting and applying laws, legal codes, government regulations or eminent domain requirements related to these activities.

Respond "no experience" if you do not have this type of experience.

Describe your experience relating to the acquisition of right-of-way for public projects. Include any related experience reading and interpreting plans, specifications and construction drawings for public projects and utility relocation.

If you do not have this type of experience, please include your level of knowledge of right-of-way for public projects.

Respond "no experience" if you do not have this type of experience (or N/A if you do not have this type of knowledge).

Describe your experience managing multiple complex real property assignments simultaneously and how you prioritized competing deadlines and workload demands. Include a specific example of a complex problem you encountered that demonstrates your decision-making skills and the outcome of the situation.

Respond "no experience" if you do not have this type of experience.

Describe your experience negotiating and/or reconciling differences relating to real estate acquisitions. Include your skills utilized to resolve conflicts and develop and maintain constructive and cooperative working relationships. Include the following:

A. Your role;

B. The parties involved; AND

C. The outcome.

Respond "no experience" if you do not have this type of experience.

Required Question

Agency Information

Employer: Ventura County
Address: 800 S. Victoria Avenue

LOC. #1970

Ventura, California, 93009
Phone: (805) 654-5129
Website: http://hr.venturacounty.gov