The Port of San Francisco is a dynamic self-supporting City and County of San Francisco enterprise agency responsible for maintaining 7.5 miles of property adjacent to San Francisco Bay. The Port oversees a diverse business portfolio comprised of small and large real estate and maritime tenants and manages a varied and complex set of assets including finger piers, bulkhead buildings, sheds, a cruise ship terminal, warehouse structures, parks and open space. All revenue generated by the Port supports its annual operations and capital budget to improve its facilities.  

The Port is committed to creating an internal culture of equity and inclusion and seeks to ensure that its contracting, tenant mix and waterfront offerings contribute to a welcoming, vibrant and diverse waterfront. The Port is overseeing a multi-billion dollar generational effort to provide resilience to the City’s waterfront neighborhoods and infrastructure in the face of earthquakes, flooding and sea level rise caused by climate change.  

The Port organization is small but mighty, comprised of nearly 250 employees that oversee facilities, parks and open space and iconic and cultural attractions that pre-pandemic brought over 24 million people to the waterfront. The internal organizational culture is genuine, transparent, communicative, collaborative, and inclusive. Exceptional results is the expectation and there is a real commitment to teamwork from all Port divisions and at all levels of the organization.  

Port employees stepped up in big ways throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with one third of the staff deployed to support the City’s COVID-19 response and protect residents. Additionally, through a shared prosperity model, the Port has supported its small and family-owned tenant businesses with innovative efforts such as no interest loans.    

The Covid-19 pandemic and associated economic dislocation has had a significant impact on the Port’s budget, reducing operational revenue by nearly 40 percent from pre-pandemic levels. This loss has limited the Port’s ability to manage its operations and continue to address its deferred maintenance backlog. 

While the Port’s operating revenue has decreased, operating expenses continue to grow. To address this structural budget imbalance and restore its financial health and long-term organizational stability, the Port has begun to develop and implement an array of innovative economic strategies. To date, successful strategies include securing over $100 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and the safe resumption of cruise with an anticipated upcoming banner year for cruise calls. The stimulus funding and the revenue generated by the return of the cruise business have provided the Port with a critical short-term economic reprieve, but over the next two years, the organization must continue to identify and implement economic recovery initiatives.  

These mid- and long-term economic recovery and growth strategies will require new, bold, and creative ways of conducting business and managing Port property. This new position will be established within the executive team to foster interdivisional cooperation and planning, coordinate work across divisions, support change management and help to develop goals, outcomes, and metrics to allow the Port to evaluate success and make changes to its economic strategies as necessary. The Port is seeking a highly skilled, strategic, analytical and dynamic leader with exceptional interpersonal and facilitation skills. The position will need an agile change management leader who can pivot quickly and encourage organizational risk taking. 

Application Deadline: July 8, 2022

Reporting to the Executive Director of the Port, this project manager position will support development of economic strategies and act as the department lead for strategy coordination and implementation. With the assistance of consultants and other resources, the position will gather and analyze data to support development of economic recovery strategies, support the Executive Director and senior staff in the formulation of the plan and act as a project manager for implementation of specific strategies by Port divisions including Real Estate and Development, Maritime and Finance and Administration. The position will facilitate planning efforts, coordinate work across divisions and functions, drive recovery efforts and act as a bridge between the Executive Director and senior staff to the talented Port staff developing and deploying economic recovery initiatives. The position will help develop goals, outcomes, and metrics for economic recovery actions to allow the Port to evaluate success and make changes to initiatives as necessary.  Initiatives that the position may project manage include: 

Business Facilitation: 

• Fisherman’s Wharf Activation: Supporting Fisherman’s Wharf revitalization and activation strategy by creating a new vision for Fisherman’s Wharf to help revitalize the area and address challenges, such as restaurant re-tenanting, sidewalk vending, rebuilding of Pier 45 Shed C, better use of open space including the “Triangle lot,” and making the neighborhood more resilient. This effort seeks to support Fisherman’s Wharf’s historic fishing industry, encourage near term visitation, and lay the groundwork for the return of tourism to this area. 

• Real Estate Vacancies: Tracking and marketing of vacant Port spaces by improving data systems to provide current vacancy information to Port staff and prospective tenants. Working with Port staff and consultants to develop marketing strategies and materials tailored to specific vacancies. Leading optimization of business webpages. 

• Tenant Property Improvements: Support creation of a plan to offset the cost of tenant property improvements.  Exploring and analyzing new revenue generation opportunities such as EV charging agreements, participation rent on non-retail operations (i.e., online sales and distribution from premises), fish retail sales, etc. 

• Port Facility Strategy: Support development of a strategic infrastructure investment plan by leading evaluation of Port facilities, including operating revenue and expense, estimated deferred maintenance need, current facility uses and potential new uses. Project manage the creation of a plan that maximizes the economic benefits of Port infrastructure investment. 

Change Management Facilitation: 

• Internal Processes and Systems: Support a staffing analysis of key Port divisions to evaluate the current scope and amount of work performed by select business attraction and operation divisions to identify potential areas for reorganization to create efficiencies and improve working conditions. 

Internal Engagement: 

• Information and Technology (IT) and Business Divisions: Supporting internal engagement between the IT unit and other Port divisions, including Real Estate and Maritime, to define business needs that can be supported or addressed through new or improved business process and systems.  

• Finance and Business Divisions: Supporting internal engagement between the Finance unit and the Port’s business divisions to define data that staff needs to manage economic recovery, identify benchmarks, and develop reporting, including dashboards. Help identify means and methods of data collection to drive effective reports. 

The above is not an exhaustive list; the nature of this assignment will be to identify and develop additional strategies that address the revenue and cost objectives set forth in the opening paragraph, and implement those that receive executive and, where required, Port Commission authorization. 

The ideal candidate for this position is an innovative finance and administrative, real estate or public policy professional who thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.  This candidate is a collaborative team player, with highest ethical standards of integrity and intellectual honesty, and belief in the value and necessity of equity and diversity. This individual brings strong entrepreneurship, and effective analytical and financial management skills; is a creative and strategic thinker who can bridge the gap between status quo and a future vision, and who plays an instrumental role in helping the department define and adopt systems and business practices that advance the department’s goals.  

This candidate will have a great appreciation of the role of the Port as a vital economic engine for jobs and prosperity in San Francisco and the region, while at the same time, embrace and promote the role of being an outstanding community partner.  This candidate will also have strong interpersonal and facilitation skills with an ability to engage in dialogue at all levels of the organization with ease and insight.

1. Possession of a bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, planning, or landscape architecture; plus, four (4) years of responsible architectural, engineering, , or construction management experience; OR

2. Possession of a bachelor’s degree in another field, plus six (6) years of responsible experience in a field directly related to the project; OR

3. Eight (8) years engineering, architectural, or construction management experience in a field directly related to the project; OR

4. Valid California Registration as a Professional Engineer or Architect, plus two (2) years of project coordination experience or resident engineer experience.

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (PEX), this position is excluded by Charter Section 10.104 from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Supplemental Questionnaire:  All applicants are required to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire as part of this recruitment process. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire is to determine whether applicants possess the minimum qualifications and the knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas that have been identified as critical for satisfactory performance in this position.  The information provided should be consistent with the information on your application and is subject to verification

Economic Recovery Manager Supplemental Questionnaire is due Friday, July 8, 2022.

Selection Procedures:   Applications materials including the supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed for relevant qualifying experience.   Only those applicants who most closely meet the requirements for this position will be invited to participate in the selection process.  Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed an invitation to interview. Qualified applicants who are selected for an interview will be notified of the exact date and time.

Salary range: $185,484 to $199,706  annually

Application Deadline: July 8, 2022

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
• Diversity Statement

Please contact Suzette Love at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

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.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

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.