Are you interested in taking action to address one of our generation’s most urgent issues, the global climate crisis? Are you interested in supporting environmental policymaking with far-reaching ramifications for your City, country, and world? Do you have a passion for working collaboratively to create change? If so, we invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to use your skills and passion to build a healthier future for San Francisco as the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator for the Department and the Commission on the Environment.  

Who We Are

The San Francisco Environment Department (SF Environment (https://sfenvironment.org/) ) advances climate protection and enhances quality of life for all San Franciscans. SF Environment is a department within the City and County of San Francisco, a local government committed to innovation, leadership and collaboration in creating environmental change. SF Environment is recognized worldwide for its environmental policies and programs, which center on achieving zero waste, reducing toxic chemical hazards, advancing environmental justice, promoting sustainable transportation modes, expanding clean energy infrastructure, greening our built environment, and protecting our urban forest. We’re a passionate, mission-driven team that values credibility, collaboration, impact, innovation and equity. SF Environment is also a great place to work, offering an attractive benefits package that includes healthcare and retirement.            

Position Details:

• Salary Range - $116,532- $141,648 per year

• Application Opening: May 6, 2024

• Application Deadline: May 27, 2024

• Recruitment ID: 145830

To Apply: Submit your application by hitting "I'm interested" AND fill out the Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) here (https://forms.office.com/g/pWY0vfusxY) : https://forms.office.com/g/pWY0vfusxY. Applicants need to complete both to be considered.                               

SF Environment - Statement on Racial Equity

For over 20 years, SF Environment has worked with San Francisco’s Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities to mitigate environmental burdens, increase accessibility of environmental programs and benefits, engage community members, and improve health outcomes. BIPOC communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental stressors that include air and soil pollution, illegal dumping of toxics and other materials, industrial land uses and transportation impacts. They are more likely to live in housing conditions with limited access to green space and where poor indoor air quality from pests, mold, and the use of toxic products contributes to the prevalence of asthma and other health disparities. They are more likely to be employed in areas with high levels of exposure to toxics. Now, they are the first communities feeling the impacts of climate change, with the fewest resources to respond. SF Environment has a longstanding commitment to the principles of environmental justice, whereby communities most impacted by environmental stressors and climate change are prioritized and the long-time work of community leaders is recognized and supported. We are committed to uplifting the contributions of local environmental leaders of diverse racial backgrounds and ensuring that racial equity is the cornerstone of all of our programs, policies, and services.

The 5642 Senior Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator serves as the operational hub for legislative and Commission activities at the Department. The position sits at the nexus between the Mayor’s Office, the Commission, the Board of Supervisors, other City agencies, and the Department’s Program Managers. Reporting to the Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer, the Senior Coordinator helps develop, coordinate, and implement the Department’s legislative priorities, assists with formulating agendas for the Commission, staffs Commission meetings as Commission Secretary once a month, and ensures the Department meets its ethic compliance obligations. A typical day might feature morning engagement with representatives from the Mayor’s Office to advocate for the Department’s position on proposed environmental bills in the California State Legislature. Then, after lunch, a final meeting with direct reports and program staff to make last minute, crucial amendments to draft environmental legislation that is scheduled for introduction at the Board of Supervisors.

Job Duties

Policy

• Provide strategic guidance and governmental relations support to program staff when exploring new environmental policy that needs to be transformed and transcribed into potential ordinances;

• Coordinate with Department staff to advocate before the Mayor’s Office and the City’s State Legislative Committee for “support” or “oppose” positions on state and federal legislative bills;

• Engage reporters as an on the record spokesperson, assisting in fielding media inquiries, and providing strategic guidance and support to successfully execute press conferences;

Commission

• Serve as the Department’s official liaison to the Commission, Board of Supervisors, other public bodies, and partner organizations as appropriate;

• Lead a team of direct reports to schedule, organize, prepare agendas, develop talking points, draft meeting minutes, write resolutions, and staff monthly Commission meetings;

Ethics Compliance and Supervision

• Facilitate and track ethics compliance (Form 700, Form 801, gifts) throughout the Department with support from direct reports;

• Lead the response to sunshine or public information requests; and

• Supervise junior staff, fellows, interns, and contractors.

May include additional duties as assigned.

*Please note that the SF Environment Department is moving offices from 1155 Market St to 1455 Market St. The Department will be working remotely from May 16 to November 15, 2024. In November, the Department will resume its regular hybrid work schedule. 

Appointment Type

This position is a Permanent-Exempt Appointment. The position is excluded by the City Charter from the competitive civil service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointing officer.

Minimum Qualifications

Education – possession of a baccalaureate degree in public administration, business administration, environmental sciences, public policy, political science, or a field related to the job duties from an accredited college or university; AND

Experience – four (4) years of experience performing duties similar to those described in this class, including public policy.

Desirable Qualifications

The desirable qualifications may be used to select among finalists at the end of the selection process. We do not expect any one candidate to have all the qualifications listed.  We highly encourage you to apply if you are interested in joining us.

• Exceptional attention to detail, proven ability to multi-task, conduct research and analysis, communicate effectively, and negotiate, all while working with a wide variety of individuals and stakeholders;

• Fluency with the legislative process or familiarity with City policymakers and City policy entities (Board of Supervisors, commissions, advisory committees);

• Experience complying with legislative and regulatory mandates;

• Accomplished writer capable of distilling technical policy language into simple, understandable concepts for press releases, talking pts, speeches, op-eds, and other related written materials;

• Superb oral communication/presentation skills in small-group settings as well as large formal settings (publicly-noticed meetings);

• Education, experience, and/or interest in developing and/or implementing zero waste, clean energy, emissions reduction, climate change, and toxic reduction policies;

• Experience working within a diverse community and navigating and working in or with large organizations.

• An understanding of equity, inclusion and diversity concepts; and,

• Fluency in Cantonese, Spanish or other languages commonly spoken in San Francisco besides English.

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. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 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.

How to Apply

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://us.smrtr.io/3gnCf and begin the application process.

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

• Submit the Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): https://forms.office.com/g/pWY0vfusxY

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every position to which they apply. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. Applicants must submit an MQSQ in addition to their application on Smart Recruiters to be considered. 

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).

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Sana Ahmed, Senior Human Resources Consultant, at sana.j.ahmed@sfgov.org.

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

Supplemental Information - After submitting your application through Smart Recruiters, please make sure to submit additional information through the MQSQ form here: https://forms.office.com/g/pWY0vfusxY. Both need to be filled out to be considered for the position. 

Selection Process and Timeline - Due to the volume of inquiries we receive, we are unable to give application status updates. While we are not able to reach out to every applicant, the hiring manager will contact you directly after the filing deadline if your skills and experiences are a strong match for the position.

Stage 1 of the selection process will consist of an evaluation of applications. Stage 2 - Based on the evaluation of applications, candidates whose skills and experiences are a strong match for the position will be invited to a panel interview and to complete a writing sample. Stage 3 - Candidates who most closely meet the needs of the position will be invited to participate in the panel interview selection process, including an assessment of relative job-related skills and abilities. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to Stage 2 or Stage 3 of the hiring process.

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.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process)

• Conviction History

• Employee Benefits Overview  (https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview)  

• Equal Employment Opportunity (https://sfdhr.org/equal-employment-opportunity)  

• Disaster Service Worker (https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers)

• ADA Accommodation

• Veterans Preference (http://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#veteranspreference)

• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

• Right to Work (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#identification)

• Copies of Application Documents

• Diversity Statement (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#diversitystatement)

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

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.