Job Details

Shasta County Treasurer/Tax Collector/Public Administrator

The current vacancy is in the Shasta County Treasurer/Tax Collector/Public Administrator's Office. Oral exam is tentatively scheduled for November 2025. See "Special Requirement" section regarding possession of a valid driver's license. Responses to supplemental questions required. Final filing date: November 12, 2025, at 5:00 PM. Salary information: $5,110 $6,523 approximate monthly / $29.48 - $37.63 approximate hourly. Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future salary increases. About Shasta County: Shasta County offers all the amenities of the big city while retaining a comfortable small-town atmosphere. With its natural beauty, affordable housing, excellent educational system, abundance of recreational opportunities, and excellent quality of life, Shasta County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

About the Department: The Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator office collects property and other tax revenue for County government, County school districts, and various special districts. It is responsible for managing the County's investment program to ensure maximum interest income and adequate cash flow. The Treasurer-Tax Collector also acts as the Public Administrator for the estates of deceased persons for which there is no available or qualified administrator.

About the Position: Under general supervision, investigates and administers the more routine summary estates of decedents that are referred to and fall within the jurisdiction of the Public Administrator. Provides direct supervision of extra-help personal property custodians while in the field.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The incumbent in this single-position class reports to and receives technical direction from the Supervising Deputy Public Administrator. Incumbents receive on-the-job supervised training and are expected to show an increasing amount of responsibility, independence, and sound judgement in the performance of the more routine duties in connection with less complicated estate administration or real/personal property management activities. Incumbents investigate the estate of deceased persons to determine whether eligible and within the jurisdiction of the Public Administrator for probate administration, when no executor is available, and provide for the management of estates during probate involving protection, collection, inventory, appraisal, and lawful distribution of estates necessary to satisfy claims of creditors, heirs, or other parties who may have a claim to the property of deceased persons. In addition, incumbents manage real and personal property assets of the estates of decedents under the care and jurisdiction of the Public Administrator. Incumbent provides direct supervision of personal property custodians while in the field. Incumbents must follow general guidelines and procedures, apply basic provisions of applicable department and California Probate Codes and deal effectively with the public.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in a related field. The candidate would be familiar with searching for heirs, posting ads on the internet, preparing legal documents, and bookkeeping or accounting background. The candidate must also be able to meet the physical demands of the position. Additionally, the candidate would be able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, be organized and detail-oriented with strong time management and follow-through skills. They must demonstrate strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, exercise sound judgment and common sense in decision making, work independently and proactively, managing multiple responsibilities with minimal supervision, and maintain a high level of professionalism, discretion, and empathy when handling sensitive situations.

Examples of Essential Duties

Performs a variety of professional duties in the coordination and oversight of less complicated estate administration and real/personal property management activities; receives instruction on the laws, court decisions and departmental procedures governing the administration of estates under the jurisdiction of the Public Administrator as delineated in the California Probate Code and procedures of the court; assists in investigating referrals for decedent estate administration including interviewing relatives and others to locate surviving heirs, and to determine existence of a will, assets and jurisdiction over the deceased person's estate; assists in searching for, locating, and arranging for the safekeeping of real and personal property and records of estate holdings of decedents; inventories, collects, estimates value and arranges for the sale of personal property; locates and arranges for the withdrawal of bank, savings and loan and stock trading accounts or the inspection and removal of contents of safe deposit boxes; develops information on real property and related assets and liabilities such as oil and gas leases and notes receivable and payable through search and review of such documents as title reports, insurance records, tax records, trust deeds and other liens; locates and contacts creditors and debtors to arrange payment on outstanding obligations; participates in the sale of real and personal property; develops financial resources for payment to estates of decedents; assures payments in the correct amounts are made to the estate; locates heirs and learns to determine heirships and disposition of assets; confers with attorneys, heirs, claimants and others on the status of estates and priority of claims.

Qualifications

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below. Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following:

Knowledge of: General public administration principles, practices and procedures; basic governmental practices and procedures; probate law; basic uses and limitations of data processing applications to accounting and probate operations; office procedures, practices and equipment.

Ability to: Prepare a wide variety of financial reports and statements for decedent estate assignments; understand, interpret and apply provisions of Federal, State and local regulations and departmental policies and procedures pertinent to decedent estate matters; analyze and evaluate real and personal property assets and recommend appropriate liquidation or heirship transfers; maintain custody and control of less complex decedent estates; express oneself clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, business administration, accounting, or a closely related field. Experience in a responsible capacity involving extensive public contact work in any combination of estate or trust administration, real property management, real property sales or property appraisal or related experience involving the investigation and management of assets in such fields as banking, insurance securities or real estate, or in social casework, may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

Special Requirements: Must pass a medical respirator physical upon employment and every 24 months thereafter; must pass a qualitative fit test upon employment and annually thereafter. Some positions in this classification may require possession of a valid California driver's license. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver's license for the class of vehicle driven and meet automobile insurability requirements of the County. Compliance with continuing education requirements as established by the California State Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators, per California Probate Code Sections 2923 and 7605.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee is required to stand and/or walk most of the day; repeatedly required to climb and/or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, and/or crawl; use of hands/fingers the majority of the day; frequently required to reach with hands and arms; may be required to sit at a desk for long periods of time. Intermittently twist or reach equipment, perform simple grasping and fine manipulation. The employee will occasionally be required to work in confined areas, such as a crawl space, small rooms, under decks, etc. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds, regularly lift and/or move up to 25, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. WORK ENVIRONMENT: The employee is regularly exposed to fumes or airborne particles and bloodborne pathogens. The employee has occasional contact with individuals with communicable diseases such as AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, etc. The employee will work in mild to extreme indoor and outdoor environments/conditions such as heat, cold, wet, humid, and mold. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Other Considerations: All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account. Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position. As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered