"Alerted.org

+ Application Opening: 11/06/2025

+ Application Filing Deadline: 11/14/2025

+ Annual Salary: $86,450 - $105,196 (https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=3420)

+ Recruitment ID:  RTF0160357-01158786 (TEX-3420-160361)

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt (TEX): 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.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) (https://youtu.be/inc4CF4VKFE)

Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees working in seven counties with a combined annual operating budget of over $900 million.

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.org/.

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.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

About the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division

The Natural Resources and Lands Management (NRLM) Division within the Water Enterprise of the SFPUC is responsible for the management of approximately 61,000 acres of Bay Area watershed lands under SFPUC ownership as well as 150 miles of utility right-of-way. NRLM Division is responsible for managing, protecting, restoring, and monitoring the ecological resources on these lands and environmental compliance for the operations and maintenance of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. We are committed to responsible natural resources management that protects and restores viable populations of native species and maintains the integrity of the ecosystems that support them for current and future generations. We strive to become a leader in science-based and collaborative environmental stewardship in order to continue providing high-quality and reliable water supplies to our customers.

Project Name: Habitat Restoration with Native and Non-Native Plant Control

This project includes watershed wide stewardship (implementing weed control and habitat enhancement) as well as supporting mitigation sites. Responsibilities include nesting bird surveys, rare plant surveys, seed collection, biomonitoring during tree removal work, recording data in GIS and preparing reports. The duration of this project is 36 months.

Position Summary

The 3420 Natural Resource Specialist will work on weed control and revegetation projects that help SFPUC comply with mitigation requirements related to federally listed plant (fountain thistle, dwarf flax) and animal species (Mission Blue butterfly, CA red legged frog, SF garter snake) and construction/operational impacts on sensitive habitats (wetlands, oak woodlands).

The focus of the 3420 Natural Resource Specialist is to implement field functions of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program under the general direction of the 3421, Natural Resources Chief. Specifically, the 3420 performs pest control measures that support natural resource conservation and land management at a watershed wide scale. The Natural Resource specialist operates and maintains equipment, such as sprayers, vehicles, and specialized tools; directs contractors, interns and seasonal workers in the field to implement planned work; monitors ecosystems and evaluates natural pest predators and conditions that may contribute to pest problems; records and maintains needed supplies and maintains records.

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Maintains wildlife, native plant habitat, and biological diversity; implements habitat restoration, ecological restoration and wildlife enhancement projects; conserves intact ecosystems; and manages natural resources.

2. Determines plant composition for restoration of native ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and rare and endangered species conservation.

3. Monitors and studies rare and endangered plant and animal populations, habitat health and diversity.

4. Practices methods and procedures to identify erosion of soils on steep slopes, addresses all landslides and gullying in intact native ecosystems, and constructs and maintains trails.

5. Identifies local native plants in all stages of lifecycle, collects seed and propagates local native plant species for habitat restoration projects.

6. Monitors and controls invasive species in all life stages using Early Detection and Rapid Response techniques to minimize impacts on surrounding native plant communities.

7. Performs landscape cleanup and general maintenance activities including litter removal, illegal dumping and encampment cleanup.

Work Schedule: 7 am – 3:30 pm, Monday - Friday

Work Location: 100 San Andreas Valley Road, Burlingame, CA 94011

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience in the conservation and management of natural ecosystems, native plant communities and wildlife habitat.

License and Certification: Possession of a valid California driver license.

Employees will be required to obtain a Qualified Applicator’s Certificate (QAC) or a Qualified Applicator’s License (QAL) from the State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation within twelve (12) months from date of hire.

Substitutions:

Completion of coursework in Biological Sciences, Natural Resource Management, and Earth Science from an accredited college or university may substitute for up to eighteen (18) months of the required experience. Thirty (30) semester / forty-five (45) quarter units equals one (1) year.

Three (3) years of professional gardening experience may substitute for up to one (1) year of the required experience.

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

Verification of Education and Experience:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification

For applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees or education from Non-Accredited Schools, please visit How to Verify Education Requirements | SF.gov (https://www.sf.gov/how-to-verify-education-requirements)

Note on Minimum Qualifications/Verification of Education and Experience

Please be advised that two (2) years of professional experience = 4,000 full-time work hours. If attempting to meet eighteen (18) months of the required experience through educational substitution, please submit college transcripts demonstrating relevant coursework with your application.

+ 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

+ 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)

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 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.

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