Senior Appraiser (Open and Promotional) (20708521)

The Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer of the County of San Mateo is seeking experienced Senior Appraisers to join our team, with current openings in the Residential and Commercial Appraisal Units. If you bring extensive expertise in property valuation and have a keen interest in navigating the complexities of Proposition 19 or property tax Exemptions, we encourage you to apply. Join us in ensuring accurate assessments and contributing to the dynamic and evolving landscape of property valuation.

The Assessor’s Office has launched a new cutting-edge, cloud-based property tax system, replacing its legacy system. This marks an exciting time to join our team of experienced and committed professionals as we modernize our operations and enhance how property tax services are delivered.

Ideal candidates for this position will:

• Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution of higher learning, and five years of experience appraising residential and commercial properties, 3 years of which involved appraising residential properties for tax assessment purposes

OR

• Be a high school graduate (or equivalent) and have 7 years of experience appraising residential and commercial properties, three years of which involved appraising commercial industrial properties for tax assessment purposes

 

The previous experience of an ideal candidate will include:

• Appraisal of all types of tangible and taxable property such as commercial, industrial, apartments and high value residential, possessory interest in government-owned and agricultural properties
• Extensive application of the California Revenue and Taxation Code, California Board of Equalization Property Tax Rules, and California Property Tax case law
• Analysis of appraisal reports and other information provided by external parties
• Presentations and appearances as an expert witness before the Assessment Appeals Boards on appraisal and assessment valuations
• Review of property tax assessments for possible decline in value
• Review of other assessment issues, including but not limited to, Change in Ownership, Exemptions, etc., in compliance with the Revenue and Taxation Code
• Analysis of Business Property Statements and application of the Unsecured System to resolve complex Leasehold Improvement assessment issues
• Interaction with county departments and governmental agencies
• Interacted with and engagement in discussion with property owners, and their agents
• Training of new appraisers and performance of related duties as required
• Extensive use of the computer, including extensive use of MS Office, specifically Excel and Word
• Functioning as a team player and have providing leadership   

Senior Appraisers may act as lead workers within a group of other appraisers and must be able to operate in a rapidly changing technological environment. Knowledge of personal computers in a Windows environment is highly desired.

 

The Department

 The mission of the Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer is to ensure equitable treatment of County property owners by accurate and fair valuation of land, improvements, and businesses; to create an accurate public record of recorded transactions relating to people and property within San Mateo County; and to register County citizens to vote and efficiently conduct honest elections.  

The Department is responsible for:

• The maintenance of about 235,000 assessments and around $308 billion local property tax roll
• The maintenance of County birth, death, and marriage records
• The maintenance of over 3,000,000 recorded land records
• The conduct of local elections
• The maintenance of the voter registration rolls representing over 330,000 County voters 

The Department is also responsible for a budget of about $27 million, election billing to all jurisdictions, and 15 governmental trust funds.

 

In general, Senior Appraisers:

• Apply extensive appraisal skills to seamlessly transition between diverse teams, including residential and commercial valuations, exemptions processing, and Change in Ownership assessments, ensuring valuations are conducted in accordance with relevant Revenue and Taxation codes.
• Obtain, process, and analyze data for timely completion of the valuations of the most complex and specialized residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, technological, agricultural, institutional, mixed-use, and special-use real and personal property for tax assessment purposes.
• Present appraisals before the Assessment Appeals Board.
• Perform lead work and train new workers.

Certification:  Acquisition within one year of appointment of a permanent Property Tax Appraiser Certificate issued by the California State Board of Equalization.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. 

A typical way to qualify is two years of experience performing a full range of audits and appraisals of tangible and taxable property for tax assessment purposes. Such experience is typically the same as the work of an Appraiser II in San Mateo County.

Knowledge of:

• California Property Tax laws related to property assessments, including but not limited to Change in Ownership, appraisal of real and personal property, exemptions, etc.
• State Board of Equalization Rules and guidelines
• Court decisions affecting assessment procedures
• Policies and procedures related to the department
• Technical and professional appraisal methods and procedures for real, personal, and intangible property
• Training methods, procedures, and requirements
• Basic supervisory principles and practices
• Business arithmetic and statistical measures
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Record keeping principles and procedures

Skill/Ability to:

• Appraise complex property interests
• Act as an expert witness before the Assessment Appeals Board
• Train in proper techniques and procedures of appraising property
• Direct and review the work of others
• Select and make appropriate adjustments to property
• Travel to a variety of geographic locations throughout the County according to regular schedules as well as on demand
• Read, interpret, and apply rules, policies, and procedures
• Accurately determine historic, reproduction, and replacement costs
• Accurately identify and measure depreciation and obsolescence
• Measure income producing characteristics of property and appropriately capitalize the income stream into value
• Produce for and deliver effective presentations to the Assessment Appeals Board and property owners and their agents
• Maintain complete, accurate, and uniform records
• Prepare written appraisal reports
• Operate standard office equipment, including departmental applications
• Use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted during the work

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply.  Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination. 

Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.  
   

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%) which may include a performance exam. Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.  

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Recruitment closes: Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST
Applicant Screening:  Monday, March 9, 2026
Panel Interviews: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

About the County
 San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.
  
 The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community.

 HR Analyst: Sarah Huynh (02122026) (U068 - Senior Appraiser)