Career Opportunity

Urban Forestry Inspector - Urban Forestry - San Francisco Public Works (3435) (132625)

Recruitment: RTF0132624-01101834

Published: March 21, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

***This announcement has been reopened and prior applicants are not required to re-apply.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening: Friday, October 13, 2023
Application Deadline: March 21, 2024
Compensation Range: $86,918 to $105,664 annually
Recruitment ID: RTF0132624 – 01101834

Appointment Type: Temporary Provisional. This is not a permanent appointment. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment. Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.

San Francisco Public Works (Public Works) has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at https://www.sfpublicworks.org about to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

Public Works currently has a vacancy for the position of Urban Forestry Inspector (3435) within our Urban Forestry Division.

The Bureau of Urban Forestry
We oversee the median maintenance, tree planting, maintenance of 124,000-plus City-owned trees through the voter-backed  StreetTreeSF program. San Francisco Public Works is developing StreetTreeSF into an efficient and cost-effective system to routinely and proactively maintain street trees, ensuring that all public trees are inspected and pruned on a regular basis. In addition, crews repair sidewalks and build curb ramps to advance safety and accessibility.

Role description

Under supervision, the Urban Forestry Inspector performs duties involving the evaluation and inspection of trees and other vegetation for maintenance, removal, and/or planting.

Important and Essential Duties:
As an Urban Forestry Inspector, your duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Assess and evaluate conditions of trees and other vegetation.
• Maintain tree inventory and database.
• Implement the Urban Forestry Ordinance, Article 16 of the Public Works Code, including issues related to street planting and removal, public notification, maintenance needs, responsibility for street trees, and investigation of code violations.
• Prepare and distribute work order requests for tree maintenance and sidewalk repairs related to City-maintained trees.
• Handle emergency tree situations that may require immediate evaluation and recommendation for abatement.
• Assist property owners with tree removal and planting permit application process; respond to inquiries and complaints from the public and other government agencies regarding tree removals and maintenance responsibilities.
• Educate and inform the public regarding proper arboricultural practices and relevant City, State and Federal laws and guidelines.
• Educate public/property owners regarding urban forestry policies and maintenance schedules.
• Additional duties as assigned. 

Working conditions:
The nature of work may also include using safety equipment, using a hand saw or operating a power saw or chain saw to remove limbs, stacking, chipping, and loading brush in preparation for disposal; driving trucks; reading maps; and performing related duties as required. Positions in this job code may engage in some activity that requires physical demands and manual dexterity with exposure to inclement weather and other arduous and disagreeable working conditions. 

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications
Experience:
Three (3) years of verifiable experience in tree planting and maintenance activity, inspecting and evaluating trees; writing reports, and making presentations. Experience pruning trees alone is not qualifying experience, AND

License and Certification:
Possession of Arborist Certification through the International Society of Arboriculture or ability to obtain certification within 18 months of appointment, 

AND

Possession and maintenance of a valid Class C Driver License.

Substitution: College-level coursework equivalent to two years (60 units) in arboriculture, urban forestry or horticulture may be substituted for up to one (1) year of the required experience.

Note(s):

• One-year full-time employment is considered 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.
• A valid out-of-state driver’s license is acceptable during the application process. A valid California driver's license must be obtained prior to appointment and maintained throughout employment.
• Some positions require employees to obtain a class B Driver's License within one year of hire.
• Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

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.

• Ability to work with the public and neighborhood groups.
• Ability to implement programs and analyze their effectiveness.

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 (MQSQ):
Candidates may be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. 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.

DRUG TESTING REQUIREMENT:
Applicants for positions in this classification who are not currently employed by the City and County of San Francisco in a safety-sensitive position represented by (Laborers, Local 261), are required to pass pre-employment drug and alcohol testing. All employees in this classification may also be subject to drug and alcohol testing upon reasonable suspicion or after a work-related accident. Applicants with a positive result from a pre-employment drug test will be restricted from hire in safety-sensitive function positions for six-months after the date of the positive test.

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

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: At the City and County of San Francisco, we share a commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Each member of our organization is responsible and accountable for what they say and do to make San Francisco an inclusive and equitable place to live and work by employing fair and just practices to and for all.

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, Eric Chan, at Eric.K.Chan@sfdpw.org.

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.