Career Opportunity

Rent Board Specialist (2975) SF Rent Board

Recruitment: RTF0136300-00303366X

Published: July 07, 2023

Accepting applications until: July 07, 2023

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

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

• Application Opening –  June 9th, 2023
• Application Deadline – *Updated* July 7th, 2023
• Compensation: $87,386 - $106,184 Annually 
• List ID: PBT-2975-136301 (RTF0136300-00303366X)
• Positions: 1 - Cantonese Speaking Special Condition & Multiple Non-special condition positions. 

The Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board, a department of the City and County of San Francisco, was created through Board of Supervisors’ Ordinance in June 1979 as emergency legislation to alleviate the City’s housing crisis. The Rent Board’s mission is to safeguard tenants from excessive rent increases and unjust evictions while assuring landlords fair and adequate rents. The Rent Board supports landlords and tenants by providing information and resources on the Rent Ordinance, conducts rent arbitrations and mediations, and now maintains a housing inventory where owners of all residential units in San Francisco must report to obtain a license to increase rents. The department is currently undergoing one of the biggest periods of growth and change in its history.

To learn more about the San Francisco Rent Board please visit: https://sf.gov/departments/rent-board

Our Commitment to Racial Equity

As we work towards our vision of an inclusive San Francisco, we embrace our responsibility to root out systemic racism by creating services and a workforce which reflect the lived experiences and strengths of the people we serve. We are committed to fostering a work environment where our differences are celebrated and everyone has what they need to thrive--no matter their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin. 

Role description

The Rent Board Specialist provides information and referrals concerning rental housing management, housing stability, and evictions. The Rent Board Specialist assists San Francisco landlords and tenants to understand their rights and responsibilities under the San Francisco Rent Ordinance; reviews and explains forms and filings submitted to the agency; and participates in public outreach. The Specialist receives a wide variety of public inquiries by phone, mail, email and in person; conducts in-depth interviews with the public; and reviews a broad spectrum of rental related documents. The Specialist advises tenants, landlords, property managers, realtors, attorneys and a range of stakeholders on the requirements of the Rent Ordinance and related rules and regulations, including identifying cases of possible non-compliance and referring parties to the Rent Board petition process or other dispute processes. The position will liaison with public and private agencies, organizations and groups to coordinate effective service delivery.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Ability to explain landlord-tenant law with clarity and accuracy;
• Strong customer service skills in government or non-profit settings;
• Ability to work in a structured team environment;
• Adept at multicultural communication;
• Multilingual skills in Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic or other language;
• Knowledge of BIPOC community supports and networks.

How to qualify

Education: 

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited four (4) year college or university with major coursework in public administration, political science, business administration, law or economics

AND

Experience: 

Two years of progressively responsible experience in government, non-profit agency or community organizational work involving the application of laws and ordinances relating, to regulatory functions, planning, real estate, or rent control: or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Substitution:

Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis, up to a maximum of two (2) years. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one (1) year.

OR; Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, planning, public administration, or business administration; or possession of a law degree or closely related field may be substituted for the required two (2) years of work experience.

SPECIAL CONDITION: Cantonese Speaker (1 of Multiple positions) 

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. For more information on how to verify your experience or education please click here.

Verification of required work experience typically must be on the employer’s letterhead, and must include the applicant’s name, job title, description of job duties, dates of employment, hours per week, and signature of the employer, supervisor, or appropriate representative.

Employees of the City and County of San Francisco may submit performance evaluations showing duties performed to verify qualifying City experience. City employees will receive credit for the duties of the class to which appointed. Credit for experience obtained outside of the employee's class will be allowed only if recorded in accordance with the provisions of Civil Service Commission Rules. CCSF employees will not receive credit for experience obtained outside of their classification unless recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Rule 110.9.1/111A.11.2.

Verification of qualifying education is a copy of your transcript or diploma. For more information, please click here.

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.

What else should I know?

Selection Procedures

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.

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 (Weight: Qualifying) - After submitting your application and receiving the confirmation email, you will receive an email with a link to the Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ). This Questionnaire is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant’s experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications for this position as required for the minimum qualifications review. Applicants must also complete the official application. It is essential that applicants provide complete information in identifying their education, experience and training. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight: 100%) - Candidates who respond to the MQSQ and advance beyond the minimum qualifications review will be prompted to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire. These supplemental questions are designed to evaluate candidates' relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job ­related areas. This may include but not be limited to interviewing people by phone and/or in person, resolving complaints, explaining laws, policies and/or procedures, and working with governmental agencies. All relevant experience, education and training must be on the application in order to be reviewed in the rating process. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score. Candidates must receive a passing score to be ranked on the eligible list. Once submitted, applicant responses on the Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be changed.

After the eligible list is finalized/adopted, the department may administer additional selection procedures to make a final hiring decision (e.g. interviews, written exercise, etc.). Applicants meeting the Minimum Qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all steps of the selection process.

Certification - The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three (3) Scores. Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Eligible List - A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be twelve (12) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Upon approval of the Human Resource Director (see Civil Service Rule 111A.26.5), the eligible list/score report resulting from this announcement may be used by other departments that also use this classification or a similar classification. To find other Departments which use this classification, please see here.

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

• Information About the Hiring Process 
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Conviction History
• Disaster Service Worker 
• Right to Work
• ADA Accommodation
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement      

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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the human resources analyst, Kristin Hadley by email at kristin.hadley@sfgov.org.

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

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.