Changes to the Career Executive Assignment (CEA) Program
Policy Memo Reference: 2013-027
Date Issued: 8/16/2013
From: Department of Human Resources, Labor Relations Division
Contact: Personnel Management Division, 916-323-8495, fax 916-327-1886
Revision History:Previous Career Executive Assignment Program memos
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide notification of changes to the State’s Career Executive Assignment (CEA) program. These changes will consolidate the existing CEA levels and salary ranges to provide departments more flexibility in managing their CEA program.
Effective July 31, 2013, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) will institute the new CEA levels and salary ranges detailed in this PML.
Salary Ranges
The current CEA levels will be consolidated from five levels to three with a minimum monthly salary of $6,173 and a maximum monthly salary of $10,836. The salary range is extended to $13,782 for a few high-level positions requiring licensure as a physician, attorney, or engineer.
Old and New Salary Ranges for Career Executive Appointments
| Old Level | Old Salary Range | New Level | New Salary Range |
|---|
Level 1 Level 2 | $6,173 to $8,073 $7,815 to $8,874 | Level A | $6,173 to $8,874 |
Level 3 Level 4 | $8,594 to $9,760 $9,018 to $10, 237 | Level B | $8,594 to $10,237 |
| Level 5 | $9,544 to $10,836 | Level C | $9,544 to $10,836 |
CEAs currently allocated to Levels 1 and 2 will be amended and assigned to the new Level A; CEAs currently allocated to Levels 3 and 4 will be amended and assigned to the new Level B; and CEAs currently allocated to Level 5 will be amended and assigned to the new Level C.
The Civil Service Pay Scales will continue to designate a single salary range for all CEA levels, $6,173–$13,782, to provide departments the flexibility, and CalHR the discretion, to establish salaries above the specified maximum salary range of the approved CEA level when exceptions to the salary range are approved.
CEAs Not to Exceed Salary Range Without CalHR Approval
Each of the new CEA levels has a defined salary range that shall not be exceeded without the prior approval of CalHR. Departments are only authorized to provide a salary within the established salary range of the approved CEA level. Salaries may only exceed the salary range of the approved CEA level with the prior approval of CalHR.
Thus, a CEA A shall not be assigned a salary more than $8,874; a CEA B shall not be assigned a salary more than $10,237; and a CEA C shall not be assigned a salary more than $10,836, without prior CalHR approval.
After the initial appointment and the first twelve (12) months of service in a CEA position, a CEA may be granted a five percent (5%) salary increase up to the maximum of the salary range. The annual salary movement for CEAs shall not exceed a maximum of five percent (5%) in any twelve (12) months up to the maximum of the range (which is consistent with rank and file classifications having the ability to move via a Merit Salary Adjustment). All exceptions to exceed the five percent (5%) salary movement in any twelve (12) months shall be submitted to CalHR for prior approval.
CalHR anticipates that this consolidation will create instances where a CEA is reporting to another CEA (previously allocated at a higher level) at the same level (e.g., a CEA 3 reporting to a CEA 4 will result in a CEA B reporting to a CEA B). In this instance, departments are expected to monitor the salary relationships and ensure that any and all compaction issues are avoided.
CEA Level Criteria and Guidelines Worksheet
CEA Level Guidelines
The attached CEA Level Guidelines have been created to assist departments when planning to establish a new CEA or making changes to existing CEAs. At this time, departments shall continue to submit all requests for new and changes to existing CEAs to CalHR for review and approval to
CEA@CalHR.ca.gov using the existing CEA Position Request form.
Consistent with this PML, the Civil Service Pay Scales, Section 8 (Variable Compensation), have been revised to reflect the consolidated CEA program discussed herein.
Contact Us
Departments should contact their PMD Analyst with questions related to this PML.
/s/ Rosemary E. Sidley
Personnel Management Division
