Exempt to Permanent – Engineer (5241) – Citywide (168629)
City and County of San Francisco · San Francisco, California, United States
For Exempt to Permanent – FOR CURRENT CITY EMPLOYEES ONLY. This is an Exempt to Permanent position in accordance with Class-Based Test (CBT) Civil Service Rules. This recruitment is restricted to current exempt employees of the City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District, or San Francisco City College, working within the 5241 Engineer classification.
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: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Application Deadline: Apply immediately. Application filing will be open at least through Tuesday, November 10, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
- Recruitment ID: ETP-5241-168629 / RTF0168315-01058978
Under general direction, the 5241 Engineer performs difficult and responsible professional engineering work in the field and office; and supervises and manages professional and technical engineering staff, consultants, and other related staff engaged in a variety of engineering projects.
Supervision Exercised: Supervises professional and sub-professional engineers, technicians, inspectors, surveyors, and other related personnel.
Examples of Important and Essential Duties:
- Supervises professional and technical engineering personnel, including consultants, in the preparation of engineering studies, reports, designs, calculations, cost estimates, specifications, and contract documents for a wide variety of routine projects concerned with the construction, maintenance or operation of buildings, bridges, structures, roads, airports, sewers and waste water treatment facilities; and reviews federal, regional and local legislation affecting engineering work.
- Interviews, selects, trains, monitors, evaluates and counsels staff in accordance with memoranda of understanding and Civil Service Rules.
- Prepares and supervises the preparation of 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; negotiates contracts and contract modifications; and resolves claims and disputes.
- Supervises and monitors the inspection of a wide variety of major and complex engineering projects; organizes and supervises the activities of field inspection staff.
- Prepares engineering designs, drawings and specifications to ensure compliance with requirements and project objectives; prepares cost estimates of labor, equipment, and materials; performs difficult engineering calculations.
- Reviews requests for proposals and bids to ensure that the work is accurate and completed timely and efficiently; analyzes work load and budgets; assigns work for a group of engineers and technicians to meet project demands on specific engineering projects.
- Analyzes and solves complex engineering and process related problems, which may include, water/wastewater treatment, traffic systems, civil, chemical (environmental/sanitary), structural, electrical, and mechanical; may direct and/or participate in scientific research projects relating to the study of water and/or wastewater treatments and their effects on the environment or other engineering functions.
- Writes, reviews, and/or approves departmental correspondence, legislation, reports and other related documents.
- Conducts meetings and makes presentations to staff, committees, boards, commissions, approval agencies, and the general public.
- Performs other duties as required.
Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Current Category 16, 17, or 18 Exempt Employee in Class 5241 who has worked at least 2,080 hours in class 5241 with no break in service; AND
- Experience: Five (5) years verifiable professional engineering (civil, chemical, sanitary, environmental, mechanical, electrical, or transportation (traffic)) work experience, which includes two (2) years’ experience equivalent to the 5207 Associate Engineer level or higher; AND
- License or Certificate: 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 transportation (traffic).
Substitutions:
- A Masters 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.
- 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.
- There is no substitution for the required two years work experience equivalent to 5207 Associate Engineer or higher.
- Candidates licensed in other states, who otherwise meet the minimum requirements of this announcement but do not possess the required California License, may file for this examination, and if successful, will be placed under waiver on the resulting eligible list until the required California License is presented.
- City and County of San Francisco employees having six (6) months experience as a 5207 Associate Engineer or higher will be admitted to the exam process. Successful candidates will be placed under waiver on the resulting eligible list until the two-year requirement is met in full.
Additional Notes:
License or Certificate: All positions require possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of California in one of the following disciplines: Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Environmental, or Transportation (Traffic). 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. Additional specialty areas may be determined at a later time. Most positions require a valid driver license.
Verification of Education and Experience:
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications 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. 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://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/.
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.
Special Requirements: Special Qualifications including specialized knowledge, abilities, education, experience, or license may be established for individual positions.
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 a lower score.
Selection Procedures:
- Job Application - Applicants must fully complete the job application for this recruitment on the