This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

• Application Opening: Monday, June 29, 2026
• Application Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through 5:00 PM (PDT) on Monday, July 6, 2026, and may close any time thereafter.
• Compensation: $ 77,974 to $ 94,874 Annually
• Recruitment ID: PBT-3522-161510

Working at SFO:

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the most dynamic and consequential airports in the world, serving as the primary international gateway to Northern California and Silicon Valley. As an enterprise department of the City and County of San Francisco, SFO welcomes over 54 million guests annually and offers nonstop service to more than 140 destinations worldwide on 50+ airlines.

SFO is far more than a transportation hub. It is a recognized leader in environmental sustainability, equity, arts and culture, and forward-thinking infrastructure. With approximately 1,900 City employees and a broader community of more than 25,000 workers across airlines, concessionaires, and partners, SFO generates significant economic vitality across the Bay Area region.

Our mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first. Our core values of Safety and Security, Teamwork, Excellence, Care, and Equity guide everything we do as we build a supportive, purpose-driven workplace where all employees can thrive.

SFO is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. Applicants are considered regardless of race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under applicable law.

Learn more about careers at SFO at flysfo.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads.

Established in 1980 by the Airport Commission, SFO Museum’s mission is to delight, engage, and inspire a global audience with programming on a broad range of subjects; to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the history of commercial aviation; and to enrich the public experience at San Francisco International Airport. The Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1999 and retains the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. The Museum operates more than twenty-five sites throughout the Airport terminals, including fourteen galleries that exhibit a rotating schedule of art, history, photography, science, and cultural exhibitions. Among the sites is the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 150,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation. For additional information about SFO Museum, please visit www.sfomuseum.org.

The Senior Museum Preparator engages the Airport’s audiences by creating exceptional exhibitions. Under general supervision and working as part of a team of senior preparators and on-call preparators, Senior Museum Preparators perform moderately difficult work requiring the exercise of independent judgment in the preparation of exhibitions, and perform and oversee a wide variety of skilled duties in the preparation, installation, and care of museum exhibits and works of art. Job duties require a high level of manual dexterity and skill for the handling and preparation of valuable art objects, as well as considerable skill in the use and care of hand and power tools, brazing, and carpentry.

SFO Museum is the only accredited museum at an airport and exhibition production methods differ from traditional museums in that exhibitions are designed, built, and tested in out-of-gallery workspaces; disassembled and transported to the Airport terminals; and installed over the course of a few days.

The Senior Museum Preparators work with all levels of Museum staff; coordinate with various departments within the Airport; and may communicate with outside individuals and organizations.  The positions report to the Exhibition Production Supervisor, work in partnership with each other and colleagues across the Museum, and may oversee the work of TEX 3520 Museum Preparators, as assigned.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Collaborate in a fast-paced team environment that creates, installs, and deinstalls 30-40 exhibitions annually;

2. Confer with preparation, curatorial, registration, and conservation staff in the planning and construction of exhibitions and accessory materials, acting as lead preparator when assigned;

3. Design and construct exhibition furniture such as cases, pedestals, mannequins, steel, brass, plexiglass, and/or wooden mounts, partitions, walls and special exhibition effects;

4. Paint gallery walls and furniture;

5. Cut and assemble mats and frames for prints, photographs, and drawings;

6. Install, adjust, and remove exhibition lighting fixtures;

7. Install and remove objects within gallery cases and on walls;

8. Install exhibition labels, didactics, and graphics;

9. Utilize manual dexterity and standard museum techniques in the care and handling of irreplaceable and valuable objects;

10. Pack, receive, and unpack art objects;

11. Re-house permanent collection artwork; create box and storage mount construction;

12. Maintain, clean, and upkeep assigned shop area(s);

13. Monitor supply and equipment inventory; report low inventory levels to supervisor;

14. Restock exhibition brochures throughout the Airport terminals;

15. Operate museum trucks, vans, and cars, forklifts (training provided), and pallet jacks;

16. Uphold and enforce safety and security as first priority;

17. Uphold and enforce values of teamwork, mutual respect, open communication, and ready assistance to colleagues;

18. Uphold and enforce values of excellence, innovation, and pride in accomplishment;

19. Use a variety of hand and power tools;

20. Use a variety of brazing and MIG/TIG welding equipment;

21. Use an application of various materials, such as paint, MDF, plywood, steel, brass, plexiglass, and archival materials.

22. Utilize sketches, drawings, diagrams, written, and/or verbal instructions;

23. Perform other duties as outlined in the 3522 Senior Museum Preparator.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

Education: Possession of an Associate degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Art, Fine Arts, Museum Studies or a related field. AND

Experience: Two (2) years of verifiable experience in the preparation, fabrication, installation and the care and handling of valuable art objects; making museum mounts for objects; building exhibition furniture and working closely with museum staff at a museum, gallery, or traveling exhibition program. AND

Special Condition: Ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 lbs.

Substitution: Additional qualifying full time work experience (2000 hours equal one year) as described above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis. One year of work experience equals thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units.

One year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

The above minimum qualifications reflect special conditions associated with the position(s) to be filled.  They may differ from the standard minimum qualifications associated with this classification.

Desirable Qualifications

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred to hiring.

1. Experience working in a fast-moving and dynamic environment;
2. Excellent oral communication skills.

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at Verification of Experience and/or Education.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Oral Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in an oral examination designed to measure their relative knowledge, ability and skill levels in job related areas.  Written assessment type, or other performance-based exercises may be utilized.  Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final passing score.

A passing score on the Oral Examination must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the eligible list. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Note: Only those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be notified of the exact date, time and place to report for the examinations. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Medical Examination:

Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine his/her ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the physical minimum requirements.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be six months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf

Certification:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three.  The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. 

Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Recruiter Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Recruiter Sandra Aguayo at [email protected].

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.