Hearing Officer - Tax Assessment Appeals

The Position:
Under general direction to hear assessment appeals, Hearing Officers conduct hearings on any assessment protest in which the issue is whether or not property has been subject to a change in ownership as defined in Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 60 Et seq., or has been newly constructed, as defined in Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 70 et seq; appeals/claims for refund relating to property tax exemptions or exclusions, penalty assessments, escape assessments or supplemental assessments; determines procedural issues related to assessment appeals, including, but not limited to the disclosure and exchange of information and the timeliness of appeals; hears and decides all claims for refund pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 5096 et seq., claims for excess proceeds from the sale of tax-defaulted property upon the recommendation of county counsel, regardless of the amount of the claim; claims for refunds of fees, taxes, penalties and interest pursuant to the business license tax ordinance; claims for refunds pursuant to Chapter 2.04 of the Alameda County General Ordinance Code relating to real property transfer taxes, where the amount of the taxes in dispute does not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00).  

The hearing officer has no jurisdiction to equalize the valuation of any taxable property in the County which jurisdiction over such matters shall remain exclusively within the Alameda County Assessment Appeals Board. The Hearing Officer sets hearings through the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors at the convenience of all concerned parties; hears whether property should be re-appraised; renders a decision after hearing the evidence and presents written findings on the protest to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.     
 

The Ideal Candidate:
In addition to meeting the requirements below, successful candidates will have experience in the field of property assessment and taxation, must possess good listening skills, demonstrated ability to think critically and draft well-written hearing decisions and reports; extensive knowledge of property appraisal procedures, methods, and techniques; considerable knowledge of building design, construction, materials, cost and depreciation, and County land values, uses, zoning and considerable knowledge of existing assessment laws and regulations as they apply to appraisal techniques and valuations; ability to translate/apply laws and regulations to property assessment is essential.  

Desired Skills and Experience:

Current membership in the California State Bar;

AND

Five (5) years of professional experience in the State of California as a licensed attorney and knowledge in the field of property tax assessments and taxation.

The interview process will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of candidates applications to verify possession of minimum requirements.
2. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to an oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates final score.  

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced interview process.

Selection Process:
Interested candidates are to submit a cover letter, resume, and a Boards and Commissions Application, which can be located online at http://www.acgov.org/clerk/forms.htm.  

Please email all documents to samson.gee@acgov.org before the filing deadline of December 30, 2016      

Please include the following information in your cover letter:

• What experiences, skills and traits qualify you for this position?
• Why does the County of Alameda’s mission and service to the community appeal to you?
• Why is the Hearing Officer position the next right step for you in your career?

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer