Application Opening:  May 3, 2024

Note:  Applications not following the application procedure cannot be considered.

Application Deadline:  Apply immediately.  This announcement may close at any time after 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 24, 2024.

Amid a dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department stewards one of the premier urban park systems in America.  San Francisco recently became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. Considered by San Franciscans to be one of the City’s most popular and effective public agencies, our department manages and maintains more than 225 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces in San Francisco, including two outside of city limits: Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. Our 4,100- acre system includes 25 recreation centers, 9 swimming pools, 5 golf courses and numerous athletic facilities, including sports courts, ball diamonds, soccer fields and gymnasiums. Included in the department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the Palace of Fine Arts, and TPC Harding Park golf course.

More than 2,000 talented individuals are part of our team, from gardeners, foresters, and recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians, painters and planners and capital project managers. Our core mission, as it has been throughout our history, is to provide opportunities for San Francisco residents and visitors alike to gather, play, learn, relax, and enjoy nature in the city.

For more information about RPD, visit https://sfrecpark.org/.

Division Overview
The Capital and Planning Division is responsible for delivering a diverse portfolio of over 60 Capital improvement projects with a value of over $600M to San Francisco’s parks.  The division leads these projects through planning, design and construction phases while also working on the identification, acquisition and development of new parks and facilities.  Together with community members and park advocates, we strive to create and renovate parks that build and improve places for social life and enhance community resilience.  These objectives are achieved by aligning the delivery of new parks and park improvements with San Francisco’s goals and policies as well as residents’ needs.

Position Description
Under general direction of the Deputy Director of Planning and the Director of Capital and Planning, the Planner III plans, administers and directs the activities related to regulatory compliance for the department. This includes work pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other regional, state, or federal permitting agencies.

Essential duties include, but are not limited to: 

• Supporting EIR development and approval process for RPD projects including the Marina Improvement Project EIR and other future EIRs as needed.  
• Leading MMRP (Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program) compliance for existing projects including India Basin, Portsmouth Square and Lake Merced West.
• Leading the Department’s Environmental Review and Compliance process, procedures, and coordination around these topics, both internal and external, and serving as the authority on environmental review and compliance issues.
• Developing a holistic approach for environmental review and compliance, including capturing and implementing lessons learned from previous projects, liaising with other divisions within RPD, tracking and reporting on compliance, and right sizing the team to support these functions.
• Reviewing plans for park improvement projects to identify environmental issues relevant to the design and construction of these projects.
• Facilitating coordination with San Francisco Environmental Planning Division liaisons, other agencies, and consultants regarding identification and resolution of environmental issues related to capital improvement delivery and communicating departmental priorities.
• Reviewing and providing meaningful comments on environmental review documents, cultural landscape reports, historic resource evaluations, and similar reports prepared to support evaluation of environmental resources on RPD projects and other projects that could impact RPD facilities. Ensuring the department and project are accurately represented, potential impacts are clear, and mitigation or avoidance measures are feasible.
• Supervising environmental technical consultants and the preparation of technical analyses and documents for projects, including intra- and inter-agency coordination, public interaction, meetings with applicants, consultants, and other staff members.
• Reviewing planners’, interns’ and project managers’ work on various environmental compliance topics and ensuring compliance with Federal, State and local laws/regulations and City approaches and procedures for CEQA analysis.
• Inter-agency coordination to establish thorough and efficient implementation of capital project avoidance and mitigation measures within the bid and construction processes.
• Interpreting and explaining legal, technical, and procedural aspects of environmental review, land use, the RPD park code, and other local, State and/or Federal laws and regulations to colleagues within the department, the public, and boards and commissions (potentially in controversial situations or under a high-level of public interest).
• Preparing and directing the preparation of technical reports and correspondence.
• Performing selected administrative and technical functions such as development of procedures and process improvements.
• Reviewing and commenting on legal documents and agreements with other City, State, and Federal agencies and private and non-profit entities. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Planner IIIs may be required to attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) in various community locations. This position requires possession of a valid driver license and may require specialized experience in order to perform department specific planning duties. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

These minimum qualifications are to be used as a guide for establishing the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

1. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years (8000 hours) of verifiable full-time equivalent experience either:

A. performing environmental review functions OR

B. in a city/regional/urban planning environment preparing documents for entities such as California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

OR

2. Master's degree from an accredited college or university in city/regional/urban planning, environmental studies, architecture, law, earth sciences, geography, economics, landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban studies or public administration AND two (2) years (4000 hours) of verifiable full-time equivalent experience either:

A. performing environmental review functions OR

B. in a city/regional/urban planning environment preparing documents for entities such as California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Special Condition:  Valid CA Driver's License

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience with CEQA, particularly a leadership role in Environmental Impact Report (EIR) processes.
• Experience with other environmental policy regulations and permitting entities, such as NEPA, Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and others.
• Experience reviewing or applying the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
• Experience with inter-agency coordination of program implementation.

Verification of Experience and/or Education

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience, at any point in the application, examination or departmental selection processes. Verification of work experience typically must be on the employer’s letterhead, and must include the applicant’s name, job title, description of job duties, dates of service, and signature of the employer. San Francisco City and County employees do not need to submit verification of their City employment, but must submit verification of outside experience. San Francisco City and County employees will not receive credit for experience obtained outside of their classification unless recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Rule 110.9.1.

For information on how to verify education requirements, please visit How to Verify Education Requirements.

Appointment Type:  This is a Permanent Exempt appointment. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process, is considered “at will” and serves at the discretion of the Appointing Officer with appointment duration of up to three (3) years. 

Compensation:  $120,666 - $146,640 annually

Application Procedure:  Please include a cover letter describing why you are interested in this position, why you are interested in working at SF Recreation and Parks, and how you meet both the Minimum and Desirable Qualifications.

Note:  Applications not following the application procedure cannot be considered.

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience.  Additional screening mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidates’ qualifications.  Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement in the selection process.   Applicants selected to advance will interview Friday, June 14 and if further advanced, also on Friday, July 12.  Please be prepared to submit the required verification of qualifying education and experience.

Contact: For questions about this position or how to apply, please contact Margarita Recinos at [email protected]

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco

• Information About the Hiring Process 
• Conviction History 
• Employee Benefits Overview   
• Equal Employment Opportunity  
• Disaster Service Worker 
• ADA Accommodation 
• Right to Work 
• Copies of Application Documents 

Candidates for positions with the Recreation and Park Department may be disqualified from consideration should their conviction history not meet the standards established under California Public Resources Code 5164.

Race and Social Equity Statement
We believe that parks and open space in San Francisco provides the opportunity to model equitable access for all.  With this belief, San Francisco became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. The Recreation and Park Department’s goal is to close the gaps and improve equity and access to quality parks and open space, and recreation activities for historically marginalized communities.  

We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in its internal operations.  With a multi-disciplinary team of talented individuals - gardeners, recreation leaders, park rangers, custodians, craft shop personnel, park and recreation managers and more, the department is committed to doing its part to provide equitable access to parks and programs for all the communities we serve to enjoy, as well as foster a work environment where our differences are celebrated, and everyone has what they need to thrive regardless of their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.