Career Opportunity

Senior Community Development Specialist I (9774)

Recruitment: RTF0128345-01150975

Published: December 08, 2022

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About:

This announcement has been amended to extend the filing period for this recruitment.

The mission of the San Francisco Planning Department (CPC), under the direction of the Planning Commission, shapes the future of San Francisco and the region by: generating an extraordinary vision for the General Plan and in neighborhood plans; fostering exemplary design through planning controls; improving our surroundings through environmental analysis; preserving our unique heritage; encouraging a broad range of housing and a diverse job base; and enforcing the Planning Code.

The Planning Department is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Senior Community Development Specialist I to join our Community Equity Division, to work on development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Department’s Tenderloin Community Action Plan (TCAP).  This is an exciting opportunity to help drive the Department's equity strategies forward working in collaboration with community groups and residents, other agencies, department leadership, staff across the department and the San Francisco Office of Racial Equity. 

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below.

• Application Opening:  November 18, 2022
• Application Deadline:  December 19, 2022, 11:55 PM PST
• Recruitment ID:  RTF0128345-01150975
• Analyst:  Michael Eng

Appointment Type:  Permanent Exempt (PEX)
This position is a Permanent Exempt (PEX) Appointment with an anticipated duration of 36 months.  This position is exempt from the competitive civil service examination process pursuant to San Francisco Charter Section 10.104 and shall serves at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

The Department
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) plays a central role in guiding growth and development towards a healthy, vital and equitable city. The Department works with other City agencies and communities to ensure equal access to resources for current and future generations.

The Community Equity Division
The Planning Department prioritizes racial and social equity tasks across all divisions coordinated through the Community Equity Division under the guidance of our Commissions’ Equity Resolutions and the Equity Council. The purpose of this Division is to reflect upon our historical and current inequities and revise our policies and implementation strategies to reverse inequities for our American Indian, Black communities, other communities of color, and other historically marginalized communities. The Division includes three units: Racial & Social Equity Plan Team, Community Engagement, and Policies and Strategies. The Divisions works closely with community leaders and the San Francisco Office of Racial Equity. This is a temporary (5-10 year) division to support the transition of the Department towards a strong equity framework. The Division is a collaborative, team-oriented environment with opportunities to work both individually and on project teams on a wide variety of issues to advance racial and social equity internally and externally. We collaborate with staff of other City agencies and the general public. Community outreach and engagement is a critical part of our work.

The Team 
The Tenderloin Community Planning Team is responsible for developing and implementing the Tenderloin Community Action Plan, a neighborhood-driven collaboration between residents, community organizations, businesses, and City agencies. The effort includes working with community stakeholders as well as various City agencies to address the implementation of short-, middle- and long-term solutions.  

Our Racial and Social Equity Vision 
The Department’s racial and social equity vision is: 

 We envision inclusive neighborhoods that provide all with the opportunity to lead fulfilling, meaningful, and healthy lives. We envision a city where public life and public spaces reflect the past, present, and future of San Franciscans. We envision a city where a person’s race does not determine their lives’ prospects and success. 

We envision an inclusive Planning Department and Commissions that represent and engage the communities we serve. We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in both internal operations and external Planning work. Together, we are reimagining what the Planning field is and can be – inclusive, diverse and one that centers racial and social equity both as a practice and as an indicator of success. 

To achieve this broader city vision, we must do our part and address racial and social equity within the Planning Department’s policies and practices. 

Role description

The Senior Community Development Specialist I will assist in outreach and coordination to develop and implement the Tenderloin Community Action Plan. This role liaises directly with Tenderloin residents, community-based organizations, and small business representatives and City agencies. This position is supervised by the Community Planning Manager.

The Tenderloin is a unique neighborhood with a range of perspectives, with the highest density of children in the city, and high concentrations of communities of color, seniors, people living with disabilities, artists, and community-based organizations and merchants. The neighborhood has long been a refuge for immigrants and the LGBTQ+ communities.

The Tenderloin has a long-standing history of activism and resiliency. The Uptown Historic District, the nation’s first Transgender District, North of Market Special Use District, and the Hotel Conversion Ordinance are a few examples of community-based efforts that preserve and protect affordable housing and tenants and celebrate the neighborhood’s diversity.

On December 17, 2021, Mayor Breed declared an official 90-day State of Emergency in the Tenderloin, allowing the City to waive certain laws to more quickly respond to the conditions relating to the health and safety of the people in the neighborhood. 

 In order to sustain the operations of the Tenderloin Emergency Initiative this position will implement program planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

The Senior Community Development Specialist I will engage community stakeholders through a variety of methods, including one-on-one interactions, outreach to neighborhood organizations, public forums, focus groups, community meetings or staff Advisory Committees.

The ideal candidate has previous experience working in American Indian, Black, and other communities of color. Familiarity or expertise in public health, substance abuse, and homeless issues and innovative solutions that address those issues is highly desired.

The Senior Community Development Specialist I carries out assignments with considerable independence; leads complex projects, policy and processes; and manages partnerships, and community relationships. They may also supervise subordinate personnel.

The essential duties include, but are not limited to:

• Support the process for community and City collaboration to address neighborhood issues by understanding and assigning action items, tracking action items agreed upon and represented in the long-term TCAP and holding responsible agencies accountable.
• Support development of policies and programs that address neighborhood priorities and proposed actions as defined in the TCAP as well as metrics and data to measure outcomes over time.
• Support and coordinate with City agencies to further the priorities of the Tenderloin community, including decreasing violence and open drug sales, increasing connections to treatment and services for those who need it, increase access to open space, protect, improve and expand affordable housing, invest in and celebrate people and culture, and maintaining infrastructure and street improvements in the neighborhood. 
• Maintain positive working relationships with City agencies, community organizations, neighborhood stakeholder groups, residents, businesses, and other community representatives
• Conduct or facilitate effective public presentations regarding ongoing progress and outcomes of the initiative.
• Compile, analyze, and interpret agency reports and data representing output metrics in the Tenderloin; provide operational context for and track outcome measures associated with these output metrics; work with the Planning Department Data Team to maintain and enhance the data dashboard. 
• Coordinate with City agencies and community to support ongoing community development projects in the neighborhood, including overseeing small community grants for street and alleyway closure, activations and cleaning, block leader programs, and school crossing guards.
• Attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) in various community locations, as needed.
• Provide information orally and in writing to residents, community organizations, City agencies, stakeholders, the Planning Commission and the general public regarding Planning Department activities, goals and programs.
• Champion and embody a culture of inclusion and belonging and the Department’s mission and values.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND three (3) years of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice; OR
    
2. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the following fields: public or business administration, urban planning, government, social work, education, finance or criminal justice AND two (2) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, criminal justice; OR
    
3. Possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, planning, social work, public administration, finance, education, criminal justice, or business administration; AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and /or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice; OR
    
4. Possession of a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited college or university AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice.

SUBSTITUTION:

Verifiable administrative/professional experience involving community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice may substitute for the educational requirement in Minimum Qualification #1 on a year-for-year basis.

Desirable Qualifications
The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Demonstrated strong task and project management skills
• Demonstrated skills in working with communities of color, youth, seniors, immigrants, and elevating the voices of vulnerable groups in decision making processes. Experience working in the Tenderloin is desirable.
• Experience working on grass-root and community led efforts is highly desirable.
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary strategies related to public health, substance abuse, mental health issues, homelessness, or public safety.
• Design skills for preparing and presenting materials for public review including experience with the Adobe Suite is highly desirable.
• Experience with data analysis using Excel, or ArcGIS Online is desirable.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications 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. 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.

What else should I know?

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

How to Apply:

To be considered, please submit a SmartRecruiters application and attach to your application:

• An updated resume (required)
• A cover letter (required)

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Michael Eng, by telephone at 628-652-7522, or by email at Michael.Eng@sfgov.org.

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.