THIS IS A CITYWIDE RECRUITMENT FOR CURRENT CITY EMPLOYEES ONLY

This is an Exempt to Permanent recruitment in accordance with Class-Based Test (CBT) Civil Service Rules. Only currently active, exempt employees of the City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District, or San Francisco City College, working within the 5207 Associate Engineer classification will be placed on the eligible list for consideration of future permanent positions.

ABOUT THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco. 

Application Opening: July 14, 2026

Application Deadline: July 28, 2026

Recruitment ID: ETP-5207-165947

Under general direction, performs professional engineering work in the field and office, supervises the work of related staff engaged in engineering work and may act as resident engineer or project engineer on engineering projects.

The essential duties include but are not limited to the following:

1. Prepares engineering designs, drawings and specifications to ensure compliance with codes, standards and project requirements.

2. Prepares cost and quantity estimates for necessary labor, materials and equipment associated with construction, contractors, suppliers, reconstruction, installation, repair, restoration and maintenance.

3. Provides engineering support to construction and operations; reviews existing conditions and establishes suitability for use; conducts studies of processes by identifying, obtaining and analyzing samples and data; performs and coordinates field work activities; analyzes and resolves problems to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, standards, specifications and performance.

4. Supervises the preparation of detailed engineering drawings, specifications and calculations; assigns and reviews the work of assigned staff and consultants; determines resources necessary to complete assigned work.

5. Reviews engineering drawings, specifications, calculations and work products produced by staff, consultants and contractors to ensure accuracy, adequacy and conformance to standards. Verifies quantity, dimensions, safety requirements, and proper test and start-up procedures.

6. Prepares and supervises the preparation of a wide variety of technical engineering reports, regulatory reports, standard operating procedures manuals, emergency operations plans, minutes, public correspondence and other documentation.

7. Interviews, selects, trains, monitors, evaluates and counsels staff in accordance with appropriate MOUs, Civil Service Commission Rules, and departmental procedures.

8. Prepares a variety of bid documents, including advertisement for bids, instructions to bidders, detailed specifications and contract bonds; reviews and analyzes bids for conformance with specifications and for approval of final awarding of bids.

9. Conducts meetings and public hearings; makes presentations to staff, committees, boards, commissions, approval agencies and the general public.

10. Performs other duties as required.

1. Must be a Current Category 16, 17, or 18 Exempt Employee in Class 5207 who has worked at least 2,080 hours in Class 5207 with no break in service; AND

2. Three (3) years verifiable professional engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, environmental, sanitary, or transportation (traffic)) work experience, which includes two (2) years experience equivalent to or higher than a 5203 Assistant Civil Engineer, 5222 Assistant Water Purification Engineer, 5228 Assistant Transportation Engineer, 5236 Assistant Electrical Engineer, or 5252 Assistant Mechanical Engineer;

AND

3. Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of California in one of the following disciplines: civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical (environmental, sanitary) or traffic (transportation).

Substitutions:

a. A Master's Degree in Chemical, Sanitary, Transportation (Traffic), or Environmental Engineering disciplines only or a Grade Four Certificate in Water/Wastewater Treatment Operation (CA) may substitute for one year work experience in the chemical, environmental or transportation specialties.

b. A Ph.D. in Chemical, Sanitary, Transportation (Traffic), or Environmental Engineering disciplines only may substitute for two years work experience in the chemical, environmental or transportation specialties.

c. There is no substitution for the required two years work experience equivalent to an Assistant Engineer or higher.

d. Some positions may require additional special engineering licensing and/or work experience in areas such as Construction Management, Structural, Corrosion, Fire Protection, Geo-technical, Environmental, Control Systems or Industrial Engineering.

License or Certificate:

Requires possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of California in one of the following disciplines: civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical (environmental, sanitary) or traffic (transportation). Most positions require a valid driver license.

Working Conditions: For some positions, the nature of the work may involve disagreeable working conditions such as working in sewers, confined spaces, exposure to inclement weather and various environmental elements, and with hazardous materials and dangerous gases and chemicals. May be required to travel to remote areas and/or to work weekends, shifts and overtime. Some positions may be located outside San Francisco (e.g. Millbrae, Moccasin and Sunol).

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

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. 

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 How to Verify Education Requirements

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: Candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Preliminary Questionnaire – Training and Experience Assessment (100% Weight) - During the application process, applicants will be prompted to complete a Preliminary Questionnaire as part of the online employment process. Please answer the Preliminary Questionnaire carefully and thoroughly.  It will serve as the Training and Experience Assessment for this recruitment and will be used to determine your eligibility for this recruitment as well as your score and rank on the eligible list. Qualified applicants will be ranked on the eligible list based on the length of their exempt (in Category 16, 17, and/or 18) City service in the 5207 Associate Engineer class, along with any additional qualifying points (e.g., promotive status), as outlined in Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules. All work history will be verified using official City records, which will serve as the final authority in determining qualifying service.

The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

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 of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

Certification Rule: The certification rule for this recruitment is Rule of the List.

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.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

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

HOW TO APPLY

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

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). 

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. 

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Stefanie Lim, at [email protected] or 415-916-6632.

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.