THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

Amended June 28, 2022 to extend the filing deadline to welcome additional applications. Candidates who have previously applied do not need to re-apply. 

•    Application Opening: June 15, 2022
•    Application Filing Deadline: July 14, 2022
•    Annual Salary: $104,832 - $127,426
•    Recruitment ID: CBT-7316-U00002

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.

Under general supervision, conducts field inspections that include High Bill Inspections, Wastewater Flow Factor Appeals, water supply, investigation of customer inquiries, resolving customer account billing irregularities, makes regular contact with the general public, property owners, tenants, building managers to obtain information, explain existing methods, procedures, rules and regulations pertaining to consumer water services, supply water to incoming ships at the Pier/Waterfront, collections which may include termination of water supply to enforce payment.

Examples of essential duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Interprets rules, regulations and carries out existing methods and procedures pertaining to customer water service delivery, and applicable water conservation and cross-connection programs.       
• Performs various field Inspections such as High Bill Inspections for potential leaks, Yard Inspections for Sewer Flow Factor Appeals, investigates water supply and pressure complaints, and responds to any other water related issues           
• Investigates possible cross-connections and responds to 2nd alarm or greater fires.          
• Investigates complaints regarding water quality such as taste, odor, or dirty water, through the collection of samples for lab and field analysis.
• Makes regular contact with municipal utilities, the general public, property owners, tenants, building contractors and other building construction representatives for furnishing or obtaining information and explaining specialized matters pertaining to water service and distribution. Acts as a liaison between customers and the water agency.
• Prepares and maintains records of water services and meters.
• Compiles data and prepares reports, letters, memos related to water use to provide information related to water service and distribution.
• Performs indoor and outdoor water surveys for customers to identify potential water savings, provide incentives, and recommendations for reducing water use.           
• Performs collections which may include termination of water supply to enforce payment              
• Provides water supply to docks and ships at various waterfront /pier locations    
• Inspects and disinfects transmission lines while monitoring discharges for compliance.    
• Responds to water quality, billing, pressure, service related inquiries and construction & maintenance hazards and issues, collects samples and/or makes recommendations.       
• Conducts field investigations regarding various water service related issues and enters data into the database system               
• Arranges for testing, calibration, and/or repair or replacement of water, gas, electric meters and meter transmission units 
• Inspects and monitors contractor meters on job sites, Instructs contractors on proper use of meters, disconnects and confiscates contractor meters and/or hoses and tools for improper or unauthorized use and follows up as necessary               
• Tests, repairs, or replaces backflow prevention assemblies, and ensures that assemblies are tested annually.        
• Inspects large facilities such as high rises, or other commercial establishments and active job sites for large water service related construction and maintenance hazards & other issues and to coordinate and schedule large water service construction and maintenance  
• Lays out design and estimates cost for service installation and upgrades.
• May be required to layout, connect, or inspect temporary water supply systems.               
• May be assigned to pager duty, and may also act as a Shift Operator, a person in direct charge of the operation for a specified period of the day.   

Please note: This Citywide recruitment and its resulting eligible list score report may be used to fill positions in various SFPUC divisions and other City departments.        

Experience: Two (2) years of experience in a water or wastewater agency performing various phases of field and distribution operations including: water sample collection and field analysis, water service inspection and repair, meter readings, investigation of customer complaints, investigation of customer accounts or investigation and enforcement of efficiency codes and standards.

License: Possession of a valid California driver’s license

Some positions require the following special conditions:

• All positions in this job classification must be able to lift equipment weighing up to 90 pounds
• In compliance with regulations mandated by the State Water Resources Control Board, appointees at the SF Airport and SFPUC - Water Quality Division and Water Supply and Treatment Division will be required to possess a Grade 2 Water Distribution Operator Certification upon hire AND obtain the following within eighteen (18) months of appointment:
  • Grade 3 Water Distribution Operator Certification
  • Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester Certification
  • Cross Connection Control Specialist Certification

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.

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

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

• Possession of a Water Conservation Practitioner Grade I Certification from American Water Works Association (AWWA)
• Possession of a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper Certification
• Possession of an Irrigation Association Auditor Certification                
• Experience working safely near and around fast paced active open construction sites with operating large & heavy equipment            
• Possession of an AWWA Cross Connection Control Specialist Certification    
• Possession of an AWWA Backflow Tester Certification
• Customer service experience, preferably in a utility environment        

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 https://sfdhr.org/how-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: After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following: 

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be required to complete a Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited via a separate link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is to evaluate the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities that candidates possess in job-related areas, which have been identified as critical for this position and include, but are not limited to: 

• Knowledge of Water Service: knowledge of water service, water meter operations, water distribution systems and related local, state, and federal codes and standards.     
• Knowledge of Water Distribution Systems: knowledge of water distribution system and consumer services; water meters and domestic and commercial plumbing systems and fixtures.    
• Ability to perform field investigations in inspecting for and remedying possible plumbing leaks, including inspecting, maintaining, and replacing service, water meters, meter transmission units, and reporting hazardous conditions    
• Computational Ability: Ability to make accurate arithmetic calculations such as: measuring landscape square footage and calculating water consumption and savings.     
• Computer and Software Programs: Ability to use software programs to collect data, write reports or other documents.     
• Judgement and Critical Thinking: Ability to exercise good judgment, ability to follow through on projects and achieve results; demonstrates resilience to setbacks and flexibility to reprioritize and to quickly adapt to changing situations.     
• Ability to communicate amicably and clearly with costumers, property owners, tenants, property managers and others, frequently under strained and unfriendly conditions    
• Ability to sustain physical effort involving lifting vault covers that can weigh up to 90 pounds and maintaining /replacing water meters and meter transmission units which involves manual dexterity, repetitive motions and some heavy lifting; considerable walking, bending and stooping on repetitive operations involving manual dexterity    
• The ability to follow standard operating procedures and comply with the Health and Safety Guidelines while performing duties    
• Interpersonal Skills: including the ability to maintain open dialogue with those contacted in the line of work; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships and communications with internal and external parties.     
• Oral Communication Skills: including the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with various agencies, fellow employees, and the public via telephone, in person and oral reports/presentations.     
• Written Communication Skills: including the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently in writing with various agencies, fellow employees, and the public via memos, emails, reports, and presentations.  

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process and be placed on the eligible list. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

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

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.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/.]

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 http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov 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). 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email 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.

If you have technical difficulties submitting your application, please contact [email protected]

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.