Automation Specialist

Job Description and Duties Are you passionate about leveraging technology to make a tangible difference in people’s lives? Do you thrive in an environment that values innovation, collaboration, and excellence? If you’re driven by the challenge of improving complex systems for the public good, we have an opportunity for you at Covered California. Join our Eligibility and Enrollment (E&E) Automation team as an Automation Specialist. You’ll help advance healthcare access in California through continuous improvement of the CalHEERS application. In this role, you’ll contribute to developing, enhancing, and maintaining enrollment functionalities, ensuring our systems are efficient, equitable, and responsive to Californians' needs. Apply today and help us shape the future of healthcare in California. At Covered California, we recognize our employees are our most valuable asset. We have a variety of career fields that help make a difference in the lives of Californians, and we’re looking for talented and enthusiastic individuals to join our team! Learn more about why you should join the Policy, Eligibility, and Research Division. This position is headquartered in Sacramento County, 1601 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815. Business travel may be required, and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquarters office subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. Travel expenses associated with commuting to the employee’s office headquarters location are not reimbursable, other than authorized transit subsidies. NOTE: To be considered for this job opportunity, applicants must be reachable on an employment list, have transfer eligibility, or have reinstatement eligibility. If you are new to California State service and you do not have list eligibility, you must take the exam for this classification. To gain employment list eligibility, please click here to access the exam bulletin. Possession of minimum qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications, the applicant's name may be removed from the eligibility list. Covered California does not provide visa sponsorship and is not an E-Verify employer. Effective July 1, 2025, in response to the budget deficit, the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) has implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 requires that each full-time employee working their assigned work schedule receive a 3 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 5 hours of PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 30, 2027. You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement. Working Conditions This position may be eligible for telework. In accordance with Government Code section 14200, only employees who reside in California are eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Covered California’s current telework policy. While Covered California supports telework, in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksite with minimal notification if an urgent need arises, as determined by the Department. Minimum Requirements You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• ANALYST III
• ANALYST II Additional Documents
• Job Application Package Checklist
• Duty Statement Department Information Covered California works to improve the health of all Californians by assuring their access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Our employees are the vital link that ensures that our vision, mission, and values are fully realized and are the driving force that allows us to continually provide exceptional service to those who need it most. We offer an award-winning wellness program, inclusive and diverse atmosphere, employee recognition programs, on site fitness centers at our Sacramento and Service Center locations, and free parking at all of our locations! Life can change in an instant – so can your career!

Visit our website to learn more about why Covered California is an employer of choice. Special Requirements Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions: A SOQ is required to apply. The SOQ will be used as a pre-interview screening tool. Applicants who do not follow the SOQ instructions and/or do not answer the prompt as stated below may not be considered. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the development of written responses; however, it is important to use these tools responsibly and ethically. Where assistive tools may be used, responses within the SOQ should be your own original work. Applicants must write in their own words and avoid plagiarism. Failure to comply may be cause for disqualification. Please submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) that is no more than two pages, typed in Arial 12-point font, with responses numbered to match each question below. Use specific examples and clearly describe your role, actions, and results.

• Describe how your education, experience, and professional skills qualify you for the Automation Specialist position, as described in the desirable qualifications.
• Describe a time when you led a system change discovery to launch. Explain how you set the strategy, worked with stakeholders, balanced priorities, and ensured successful delivery. Desirable Qualifications In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:
• Demonstrated experience translating complex business needs – particularly in healthcare eligibility and enrollment – into clear functional requirements, business rules, system designs, or process changes for information technology teams, vendors, or system architects.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading multiple stages of the system development life cycle for complex system changes, such as requirements development, solution design, joint application design sessions, testing or user acceptance testing, implementation, go-live support, and post-implementation analysis.
• Experience analyzing complex system defects, design gaps, workflow issues, or policy implantation challenges; identifying root causes and downstream impacts; evaluating alternatives; and recommending practical, scalable solutions.
• Experience working with a large, rules-based, or highly integrated system – such as eligibility and enrollment, health insurance exchange, public benefits, healthcare, or other enterprise system – and assessing how proposed changes affect consumers, business operations, policy compliance, and connected systems. Experience with CalHEERS or a similar system is highly desirable.
• Experience facilitating cross-functional design or requirements sessions and building alignment among policy subject matter experts, IT staff, vendors, operations teams, and other internal or external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple concurrent projects, change requests, or complex assignments; prioritize competing deadlines, document decisions and action items; and maintain quality in a fast-paced implementation environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience explaining complex systems behavior, business rules, or technical requirements to both technical and non-technical audiences and preparing concise recommendations, decision documents, executive summaries, presentations, or system guidance materials.

Benefits

The State of California offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes Health, Vision, Dental, Retirement, and an array of other options. For more information on the benefits offered by the State of California, please click below: CalHR Benefits Summary CalHR Salary and Benefits Information CalPERS Retirement Information CalPERS Employer Contributions Pre-Employment Requirements Background Check: All applicants shall be subject to a pre-employment background investigation. The investigation will consist of completion of a pre-employment questionnaire, fingerprinting, and an inquiry to the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose criminal records. Incompatible Activities: To maintain our integrity and focus on serving Californians, Covered California adheres to unique conflict of interest restrictions on the outside employment and activities of its board members and staff. If you’re considering a role with us, it’s important to know at the time of your start:

• You must not be employed by or otherwise affiliated with health insurance carriers, other insurers, agents, brokers, health care professionals, health facilities, or health clinics, or trade associations of any of these entities. This also means that you must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
• You must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
• Health care professionals are welcome to join our team, provided you do not receive payment for professional services and do not hold ownership or financial interests in a health care practice. Please email any questions or concerns you may have prior to accepting a final offer of employment to Form700@covered.ca.gov Additional Application Instructions Using the online application system as specified in the announcement is the preferred method of applying for civil service job opportunities; however, applicants may instead apply by way of U.S. mail, parcel delivery or courier service, or in person, as set forth in this announcement. All information regarding your employment history must be included on the State Employment Application STD. 678. Applications that are submitted blank or with “see resume” in place of duties performed or applications received without the following information for each job entry may be considered incomplete and may not be accepted:
• "To" and "from" dates (month/day/year)
• Hours worked per week
• Private sector job titles
• Supervisor name and phone number
• Job duties performed
• State employees must list the specific departments for which they worked and indicate the specific civil service classification titles held (not working titles).

Personally Identifiable Information:

Please do not include your Social Security Number, date of birth, veteran status, personal photos, LEAP information, or any other personally identifying information on any documents in your application package. If you have additional questions regarding this advertisement or are having issues applying through CalCareers, please contact the Employment & Classification Services Unit at 916-228-8386 or careers@covered.ca.gov.