• Application Opening: September 9, 2026 
• Application Filing Deadline: October 7, 2026 
• Recruitment ID: RTF0162299; PEX-5177-162300

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Permanent Exempt: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

WHO ARE WE?
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.gov.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality.

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/careers-sfpuc

About the San Francisco Water Division:

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s San Francisco Water Division (SFWD) is responsible for directing approximately 325 employees in the operation and maintenance of the water distribution system within the City and County of San Francisco. These activities include, but are not limited to: operating and maintaining 11 pump stations, 13 reservoirs, 9 storage tanks, and other ancillary appurtenances and equipment; installing, repairing and maintaining over one thousand miles of water distribution mains including service connections and meters; four water systems comprised of the Potable, Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS), Recycled Water and Groundwater;  engineering and designing new main and feeder extensions; managing over 1,000 acres of city owned property and rights-of-ways; and responding to all two-alarm or greater fires to assist the Fire Department in maintaining adequate water volume and consistent pressure while fighting fires.

Project: SafeWork365: Transforming Safety Culture and Performance at SFWD      

This is a permanent exempt, three year, full-time position with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s San Francisco Water Division (SFWD) located at 1990 Newcomb Avenue in San Francisco.  Under the direction of the San Francisco Water Division Manager, the 5177 Safety Officer will effectively plan, develop, and expand upon the comprehensive health and safety program, focusing on occupational, operational, and industrial safety. The role involves evaluating the current safety programs, investigating accidents and near misses, monitoring regulatory compliance (such as Cal/OSHA), and advising management on injury and illness prevention.

Reporting Hours & Location:

• Monday through Friday 7:00am to 3:30pm
• City Distribution Division, 1990 Newcomb Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94124

Essential Functions: 

1. Directs and participates in investigations and surveys of plants, facilities and buildings and field worksites; evaluates fire, electrical, mechanical, structural or other potentially hazardous conditions; observes work activities on an ongoing basis for potentially hazardous work methods and procedures and recommends corrective actions.

2. Establishes division-wide safety training programs for all operating and maintenance personnel including supervisors, team leaders and lead workers; provides for appropriate courses of instruction in safety procedures; develops a variety of safety training materials, including manuals, bulletins and written procedures. Organizes, conducts and participates in regularly scheduled safety meetings with workers, supervisors and management personnel.

3. Evaluates the effectiveness of occupational safety programs and recommends modifications to comply with legal requirements, prevent injuries, minimize Workers Compensation costs and reduce liability.

4. Obtains, maintains, and analyzes occupational safety and health data to identify trends, develop and recommend corrective actions, track Workers Compensation costs, prepare management reports, and comply with regulatory recordkeeping requirements.

5. Maintains current information in the field of industrial and occupational safety as it applies to work activities; keeps informed on State, Federal and local legislation relating to transportation, industrial and occupational safety.

6. Participates in the investigation of accidents along with operating and management personnel to determine causes of accidents; recommends appropriate corrective action; prepares reports of investigations for management, legislative bodies and industrial safety agencies.

7. Coordinates with outside vendors and contractors to complete Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) -related projects; defines, assigns and evaluates contractor work; develops scopes of work and creates and monitors project budgets as needed.

8. Develops, maintains, reviews and revises occupational policies and procedures.

9. Recruits, supervises, evaluates, and trains clerical and regulatory support staff.

10. Performs other related duties as assigned.

1. Possession of Masters Degree in Safety, Occupational Safety and Health, Safety Management or equivalent degree in a closely related field from an accredited college or university; AND

2. Four (4) years of professional industrial or occupational safety experience, which must include work safety assessments, engineering design review, accident investigation, safety program development and safety management; AND

3. Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) by the American Board of Certified Safety Professionals; AND

4. Possession of current valid California Driver License.

5. Ability to wear personal protective equipment, such as respirator and the ability to climb ladders, bend, squat and crawl in tight spaces to safely access work sites. Note: A medical examination and the probationary period will be used to evaluate this qualification.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

A. Combination of a baccalaureate degree in one of disciplines specified in MQ #1 and six years of experience as described in MQ #2 may substitute for qualifications #1 and #2.

B. Combination of baccalaureate or graduate degree in Engineering, Physical or Natural Sciences from an accredited college or university and seven years experience as described in MQ #2 may substitute for qualifications #1 and #2.

C. Combination of any baccalaureate or graduate degree from an accredited college or university and eight years experience as described in MQ #2 may substitute for qualifications #1 and #2.

D. Registration as a Professional Engineer in Safety by the State of California Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may be substituted for the certification MQ #3.

E. A graduate degree as described in MQ #1 and six years experience as described in MQ #2, without a CSP, is qualifying.

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Two years of supervisory experience managing a team of safety professionals.
• Experience managing occupational health and safety programs related to water, power, wastewater, or other utility infrastructure facilities.
• Experience as a safety professional in a utility maintenance or construction industry.
• Registered as a Professional Engineer in Safety by the State of California Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Important Note:

• One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.
• Applications without listed duties will not be considered and rejected.
• Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Verification of Education and Experience:

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 may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process.

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. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• 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 updated. 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.

Job Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the job analyst, Crystal Liu 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.