Closing Date: 11th December, 2025
Description:
Job Description and Duties:This classification is authorized to receive a starting salary rate of $12,046 under Pay Scales Section 5.
From heart health and mental wellness to food safety and the prevention of infectious and chronic diseases, our programs and services touch the lives of every Californian, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Office of Legal Services (OLS) is seeking an attorney to support and represent the Department's programs on a variety of matters. This is a permanent, full-time Attorney III position on the Public Health Programs (PHP) house counsel team, located in Sacramento.
The Attorney who fills this unique position will have a diverse and challenging case load. The attorney will advise public health programs within CDPH on complex legal issues involving public health laws, matters of Departmental and programmatic authority, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements for the conduct of state business, including those for contracting, information management, public records disclosure, open meeting laws, privacy laws, administrative hearing processes, litigation support, and such other legal issues as may arise. The Attorney will also research, develop, and draft legislative language, regulations, and transactional documents and advise the Department, and potentially the California Health and Human Services Agency and the Governor's Office, on Public Health-related legal matters pertaining to his/her assigned Centers, Divisions, Offices, and/or programs.
In July 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program (PLP) 2025. This program temporarily reduces employees' monthly base pay in exchange for paid leave credits. This position is subject to PLP 2025 and will have a monthly base pay reduction of 4.62% in exchange for 8 hours of leave credits through October 2026. The salary ranges shown on this job posting do not reflect the salary reduction.
Please let us know how you heard about our position by taking this brief survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDPHRecruitment
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement. (https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/FileDownload.aspx?aid=29995660&name=PHP.140.AttorneyIII.001.Aug25.pdf)
Working Conditions:
Telework Information
This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework permitted is at the discretion of the Department and is subject to change, consistent with CDPH's Telework Program. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.
Travel may be required for this position. Reimbursement for travel takes into consideration an employee's designated headquarters, as reflected in the duty statement, and is subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the designated headquarters office will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.
The headquarters office location for this position is identified in the attached duty statement.
Minimum Requirements:
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.
Attorney III (https://hrnet.calhr.ca.gov/CalHRNet/SpecCrossReference.aspx?ClassID=5795)
Additional Documents
Department Information:
At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.
The Office of Legal Services (OLS) provides comprehensive legal support and services to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) programs and leadership. Together, we promote CDPH's mission to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities. OLS is comprised of four legal teams: the Operations and Administrative Litigation (OPAL) team; the Public Health Programs (PHP) team; the Center for Health Care Quality (CHCQ) team; and the Regulations, Privacy and Special Projects team.
This position is for the Public Health Programs (PHP) Team, which provides in-house legal advice and representation to over 200 public health programs spanning multiple subject areas, including such topics as infectious disease surveillance and control, chronic disease and injury prevention, food, drug, and radiation safety, genetic disease screening, the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, and the licensing of numerous health facilities, from clinics to general acute care hospitals. These programs work on cutting edge health-related issues, including pandemic response and response to outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as measles, food safety warnings, and illegal tobacco sales to children.
“The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year.”
“CDPH is an E-Verify Employer”
Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov
Special Requirements:
For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678) and/or Resume, including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week, and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY). Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.
A completed State application (STD. 678) and any other relevant documents (e.g. unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers Account. Please reference Job Control # (499973) and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application. Please remove any confidential information (i.e. social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareers Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing. Please submit only one application.
If you are unable to submit your application electronically through your CalCareers account, please email apply@cdph.ca.gov for assistance and a CDPH Human Resources Division staff member will contact you to assist with the online application process or, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method as explained in the How to Apply section below. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.
Application Instructions:
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 12/11/2025
Who May Apply:
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).
Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).
How to Apply:
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to ap
Attorney III (https://hrnet.calhr.ca.gov/CalHRNet/SpecCrossReference.aspx?ClassID=5795)
Additional Documents
- Job Application Package Checklist (http://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobApplicationPackageChecklist.aspx?JobControlId=499973)
- Duty Statement (https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/FileDownload.aspx?aid=29995660&name=PHP.140.AttorneyIII.001.Aug25.pdf)
Department Information:
At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.
The Office of Legal Services (OLS) provides comprehensive legal support and services to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) programs and leadership. Together, we promote CDPH's mission to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities. OLS is comprised of four legal teams: the Operations and Administrative Litigation (OPAL) team; the Public Health Programs (PHP) team; the Center for Health Care Quality (CHCQ) team; and the Regulations, Privacy and Special Projects team.
This position is for the Public Health Programs (PHP) Team, which provides in-house legal advice and representation to over 200 public health programs spanning multiple subject areas, including such topics as infectious disease surveillance and control, chronic disease and injury prevention, food, drug, and radiation safety, genetic disease screening, the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, and the licensing of numerous health facilities, from clinics to general acute care hospitals. These programs work on cutting edge health-related issues, including pandemic response and response to outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as measles, food safety warnings, and illegal tobacco sales to children.
“The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year.”
“CDPH is an E-Verify Employer”
Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov
Special Requirements:
For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678) and/or Resume, including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week, and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY). Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.
A completed State application (STD. 678) and any other relevant documents (e.g. unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers Account. Please reference Job Control # (499973) and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application. Please remove any confidential information (i.e. social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareers Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing. Please submit only one application.
If you are unable to submit your application electronically through your CalCareers account, please email apply@cdph.ca.gov for assistance and a CDPH Human Resources Division staff member will contact you to assist with the online application process or, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method as explained in the How to Apply section below. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.
Application Instructions:
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 12/11/2025
Who May Apply:
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).
Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).
How to Apply:
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to ap
