Career Opportunity

Senior Real Property Appraiser - Office of the Assessor-Recorder (4265) - (123294)

Recruitment: RTF0123293-01111407

Published: October 21, 2022

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

• Application Opening: Friday, October 21, 2022
• Application Deadline: Friday, November 4, 2022 at 11:59 PM
• Compensation Range: $109,044.00-$132,522.00 annually
• Recruitment ID: RTF0123293-01111407/PBT-4265-123294

Our Office

The Office of the Assessor-Recorder is responsible for carrying out property tax-related functions governed by the State Constitution and State and local laws. Our core responsibilities include locating all taxable property in the City and County of San Francisco, identifying ownership, establishing a taxable value, and applying all legal exemptions. Property broadly includes both real property and personal property owned by businesses. The Office of the Assessor-Recorder is also responsible for recording documents and maintaining those public records. Over 400 different types of documents are recorded annually, including deeds of trust, reconveyances, liens, and public marriage licenses. The Office is also responsible for collecting any transfer tax due upon a change in property ownership. The Office of the Assessor-Recorder strives to conduct our work with the core principals of professionalism and integrity. 

What We Do

Heightened activity in the real estate and business markets means increased demand for the work of our office. Every year, property tax revenue remains the largest single source of funding for the City’s General Fund revenue, representing over $2.4 Billion in Fiscal Year 2020-21. This revenue funds crucial services like public safety, education, neighborhood improvements, and health and family support services. This past year, the dedicated work of the Assessor-Recorder staff to close the property tax roll represented a cumulative value of over $328 Billion and generating over $3.7 Billion dollars in local revenues. This is due in part to strong growth in the real estate market, additional construction across San Francisco, and our office’s efforts in increasing efficiency. In recent years, we have taken significant steps toward modernizing our operations, including kicking off a multi-organization effort aimed at modernizing City-wide Property Assessment & Taxation Systems (Project SMART).

Role description

Under general direction in an assigned area of activity, the Senior Appraiser is responsible for the appraisal of real property for tax purposes; performs complex appraisal work and may lead the activities of subordinate personnel engaged in such work; and performs related duties as required. Requires responsibility for: Assisting in coordinating, interpreting and enforcing existing evaluation methods and procedures in connection with real property appraisal activities; making regular contact with the general public, outside organizations and their representatives in furnishing and obtaining information on real property appraisals and tax assessment matters; preparing and reviewing detailed appraisal reports and records.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

1. Acts as lead worker in an assigned area by providing technical expertise, assisting with training, and reviewing the appraisal and valuation recommendations of less experienced appraisal personnel.

2. Appraise various types of complex real property, to establish values for tax assessment purposes, and to make and recommend changes in valuation.

3. Estimate property value by conducting site inspections and using standardized market and cost and income valuation approaches.

4. Gather and analyze information obtained from a variety of sources in order to maintain information on real property.

5. Investigates complaints on property assessments; makes recommendations regarding the resolution of such complaints; explains findings to property owners; performs special investigations and appraisal surveys.

6. Performs special investigations and appraisal surveys, such as rental surveys in commercial areas and specialized surveys of commercial, industrial and residential income-producing properties.

7. Prepares appeal packages for properties under assessment appeal; testify and/or present before Assessment Appeals Board; may present at other quasi-judicial bodies.

8. Prepares and maintains various records and reports, including those related to appraisals of real property.

9. Explains appraisal and assessment procedures to property owners and general public.

10. Interacts with members of the public, City staff of other department and City officials during the course of business.

11. May include additional duties as assigned.

How to qualify

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification.  Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education

Requires a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience 

Three (3) years of experience appraising real property in a County Assessor's Office, including one (1) year appraising income-producing residential, commercial and industrial properties.

License and Certification

Possession of a valid California driver license.

Eligibility for certification from the California State Board of Equalization as an appraiser for property tax purposes. In accordance with the California State Board of Equalization, appointees to this class, must possess or obtain permanent certification as an appraiser for property tax purposes, within one (1) year of appointment, and must maintain certification as a condition of continued employment.

Substitution 

Additional relevant experience in the appraisal of real property, building, cost estimating, engineering and accounting or in buying, selling or managing real estate, or in a related area defined by the State of California, may be substituted for the education on a year for year basis (up to a maximum of two (2) years). One (1) year of education is equivalent to either thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units.

Five (5) years of experience appraising real property as a fee, institutional or government appraiser, including two (2) years appraising income-producing residential, commercial and industrial properties may substitute for the required experience.

Completion of a 12 month real property appraiser trainee program equivalent to the City and County of San Francisco's 4260 Real Property Appraiser Trainee Program may substitute for one (1) year of the required professional experience.

Verification of Education and Experience:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

What else should I know?

Selection Procedures:

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ)
Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Written Multiple-Choice Examination - (Weight: 100%)
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be administered a written multiplechoice examination to determine their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to: Knowledge of real property appraisal methods, theory, practices and procedures utilized in establishing Fair Market Value for all types of real property, and the income approach to value as it relates to commercial property; Knowledge of government codes, regulations, and laws as they apply to appraisal of real property for tax assessment purposes, including California Revenue & Taxation Code; Knowledge of principles of change in ownership laws for property tax purposes; Ability to stay up to date with current economic factors relating to property values; Skill and ability to prioritize, plan, coordinate and monitor  workload; Ability to communicate effectively, tactfully and courteously with the public and members of official bodies, and all persons encountered during the course of business; Ability to establish effective and cooperative working relationships with colleagues, departmental staff and representatives of external agencies and organizations; Skill to clearly,and effectively communicate complex appraisal information as well as property tax related processes; Ability to prepare clear, concise and accurate reports, records, and other documents related to the appraisal of real property for tax assessment purposes; and, Skill and ability to use a computer to research and process information, enter appraisal data into database and prepare correspondence and reports.

The multiple-choice exam will be administered in a paper format. This is a standardized multiple-choice examination. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in this examination. A passing score must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

Candidate scores on this exam may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

Date(s) of Examination: Those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be notified of the exact date, time, and location to report to the examination.

Eligible List/Score Report:

A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and- Department-FY-2021-22.pdf.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Kimberly Gibney at kimberly.gibney@sfgov.org.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.