Career Opportunity

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Summer 2025 Student Intern Program, Senior or Graduate Students (5382) (Exempt)

Recruitment: REF46873K

Published: December 10, 2024

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

About:

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is seeking student interns interested in various engineering and architecture disciplines, to provide support to in-house Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Project Management, Construction Management, and Land Surveying.

• Application Opening: 11/08/2024
• Application Filing Deadline:  01/17/2025
• Hourly Rate: $39.8250
• Recruitment ID:  TEX-5382-EXEMPT

Instructions to Apply:

1. Complete the 5382 Student Design Trainee III application AND
2. Attach proof of college transcripts (official or unofficial) or college diploma with your online application.

You may use the ‘upload resume’ feature at the top of the application page to pre-fill your application. Please review the content as not all information may transfer properly.  The ‘upload resume’ feature will also automatically attach your resume to the application.

Only individuals who submit a completed job application and attach their college transcripts or college diploma will be considered.

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

WHO ARE WE?
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

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.

Role description

College students in Associate, Undergraduate, and Graduate Degree Programs studying the following are encouraged to apply:

• Architecture  
• Engineering 
• Landscape Architecture
• Planning
• Computer Science/Information Services Program
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Natural Resources

Interns will gain on-the-job experience under the guidance of experienced professional engineers, architects, and surveyors while participating in various activities in the assigned discipline. The duration of this internship can be 3-6 months, with an opportunity to extend based on exemplary performance and necessity.

Intern positions are available in the following divisions and sections:

Infrastructure Division

The Infrastructure Division is responsible for overseeing the administration, planning, design, and construction of our water, wastewater, and power capital programs and projects, including the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), the Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP), the Hetch Hetchy Improvement Program (HCIP), and the annual Water and Wastewater Renewal and Replacement (R&R) Programs.

Under Infrastructure Division we have these sections:

• Engineering Management Bureau
• Construction Management Bureau
• Project Management Bureau
• Project Controls
• Environmental Management Group

Water Enterprise – Water Quality Division

The intern will work with our Water Quality Engineering team as a part of the Water Quality Division to aid in conducting water quality studies and research, analyzing water system performance data, troubleshooting, or optimizing water treatment system performance, and monitoring regulatory compliance. The Engineering Section provides treatment process engineering and laboratory support for our water treatment facilities and distribution systems throughout the Bay Area.

Desirable Qualifications: Civil, Chemical, Environmental Engineering; interest in Hydraulics, Water Treatment Process Engineering and Analytics, Water Resources Engineering

Work Locations:

• 8653 Calaveras Road, Sunol, CA (Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant)
• 2901 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno, CA (Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant)
• 1657 Rollins Road, Burlingame, CA
• 1980 Oakdale Avenue, San Francisco, CA

Work Schedule: desirable is 40 hours a week for summer, 10-20 hours a week for the rest of the year.

Wastewater Enterprise Engineering Process/Environmental
The selected candidate will provide support to in-house Environmental Process Engineering working on development projects and providing daily support to Operations. Trainee tasks include odor surveys, nocardia counting, polymer testing and assist in equipment start-up activities as needed. Trainee must be able to work in the field, collect samples, and complete lab analysis.

Desirable Qualifications: completed or pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Civil Engineering, highly desirable if candidate has a Master’s degree in those mentioned above.

Work Locations:

• Southeast Plant, 750 Phelps Street, San Francisco,
• Oceanside Plant, 3500 Great Hwy, San Francisco

Work Schedule: desirable is 40 hours a week for summer, 10-20 hours a week for the rest of the year.

Wastewater Enterprise - Mechanical
Interns will gain experience in mechanical - fluid mechanics, hydraulics, HVAC [heating ventilation, air conditioning] disciplines. Interns will work in the field and in a wastewater/water environment.

Desirable Qualifications: Mechanical/Civil Engineering

Work Locations:

• Southeast Plant, 750 Phelps Street, San Francisco,
• Oceanside Plant, 3500 Great Hwy, San Francisco

Work Schedule: desirable is 40 hours a week for summer, 10-20 hours a week for the rest of the year.

Wastewater Enterprise - Electrical
Interns will gain experience in electrical - process controls/electrical power disciplines. Interns will work in the field and in a wastewater/water environment.

Desirable Qualifications: Electrical/Controls Engineering

Work Locations:

• Southeast Plant, 750 Phelps Street, San Francisco,
• Oceanside Plant, 3500 Great Hwy, San Francisco

Work Schedule: desirable is 40 hours a week for summer, 10-20 hours a week for the rest of the year.

Wastewater Enterprise Collection System Division (CSD)
Owns and operates the City's gravity wastewater system, including but not limited to small diameter sewers, large diameter sewers, transport storage boxes, catch basins, drainage structures etc. CSD is looking for self-motivated and enthusiastic civil engineering interns with special interest in wastewater to gain on-the-job experience under the guidance of professional civil engineers.

We work in a hybrid and traditional environment, and you may be expected to work onsite in the office up to 5 days per week. In-office workdays are determined by the nature of the work and scheduled by your supervisor.

Desirable Qualifications: Civil engineering student with a concentration in Wastewater systems.

Work Location: 3801 Third Street, Suite 600, San Francisco

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm

Natural Resources and Lands Management Division (NRLM)

At the Alameda Creek Watershed in Sunol, there are several positions available including:

• Biologist Aid, assist with field work on SFPUC reservoirs and creeks; and assist with lab work and computer data entry. Desirable Qualification: prior field work experience is a plus. Organized and prior experience using Microsoft Excel. Fish/frog/wildlife/plant identifications skills are a plus.
• Naturalist Aid assisting in the development and delivery of school programs for 3rd - 5th grades, weekend interpretive programs, general tours, and our volunteer program. Desirable Qualifications: Prior experience with outdoor education and/or interpretation for school age children and knowledge of natural sciences, environmental education, and basic interpretive/teaching techniques are a plus.
• Nursery and Garden Aid, assist with all aspects of propagation at SFPUC’s Sunol Native Plant Nursery; and assist with care and maintenance of the Alameda Creek Watershed Center Discovery Garden. Desirable Qualification: prior experience with California native plant horticulture and Phytophthora Best Management Practices is a plus. Collaborative team building and racial equity, diversity and inclusion skills are a plus.

Work Locations:

• 1000 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030
• 505 Paloma Way, Sunol, CA 94586

At the Oceanside Marine Biology Laboratory, student interns would work alongside the Biologists and participate in the preparation of marine samples for benthic invertebrate taxonomic analysis, train in the practice of benthic invertebrate taxonomy, as well as aquatic bioassay (whole effluent toxicity testing) and perform a variety of field sampling, laboratory work, data management and miscellaneous tasks as needed. Desirable Qualification: prior field work experience is a plus. Organized and prior experience using Microsoft Excel. Fish/frog/wildlife/plant identifications skills are a plus.

Work Location: 3500 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94132

While the general internship is advertised as a short-term opportunity, most of the NRLM positions available may work up to three (3) years in ongoing, part-time employment; commitment of a least one (1) year is desirable. Schedules may vary depending on the position (work schedule such as: Monday to Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, possibly weekend and holiday work).

Urban Watershed Planning
Urban Watershed Planning Division Interns: Support green infrastructure outreach and incentive programs; data tracking and management for stormwater programs; experience observing design and construction of green infrastructure projects.

Desirable Qualifications: completed or pursuing master’s degree in landscape architecture, City Planning, or Environmental Planning.

Work Location: 525 Golden Gate Avenue, 11th Floor, San Francisco

Work Schedule: Flexible, Monday - Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm

Water - GIS
Opportunity to learn GIS industry standards, learn how to interpret engineering documents and translating that into a GIS database, and specific SFPUC standards and workflows for working in GIS for utilities. Other opportunities may include developing GIS applications, producing maps of water facilities, and scripting and/or model development for automating tasks.

Desirable Qualifications: Junior or Senior, Geography, GIS, Civil or Environmental Engineering.

Work Location: 1990 Newcomb Ave., San Francisco

Work Schedule: 8:00am – 4:30pm

Projected interview schedule:

• Invitations to interview will be sent tentatively between February 10-14, 2025.
• For most positions, interviews will be conducted tentatively on April 2, 2025. Selected candidates will be notified on the same day as the interview. Please click here: Same Day Hiring, for more information about the interview process.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

At the time of filing, the applicant must be in an accredited Engineering · Architecture · Planning · Computer Science/Information Services Program · Mathematics · Biology · Natural Resources at a university or a related field at a community college. An applicant must be returning to their undergraduate program or entering/continuing a graduate program in the Fall 2025. For students that have graduated, an applicant can be appointed to begin work within 6 months after graduation.

For 5382, the applicant must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program as a Senior (Completed at least 91-120 semester units/ 136 - 180 quarter units). In order for the applicant to be employed, the applicant must be returning to their undergraduate program or entering a graduate program in subsequent Fall term.

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

Verification of Education:

Applicants are required to submit verification of qualifying education at time of application submission. Education verification information on verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at How to Verify Education Requirements | Department of Human Resources (sfdhr.org).

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 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?

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

• Information about the Same Day Hiring Job Fair
• 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

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” blue 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 updated. 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 from notification@smartrecruiters.com  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, Sari Mix at SMix@sfwater.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.