Career Opportunity

Arborist Technician - Urban Forestry - San Francisco Public Works (3434) (153174)

Recruitment: RTF0153173-01042747

Published: December 20, 2024

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About:

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening:  Friday, December 20, 2024
Application Deadline: Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but no earlier than Monday, December 30, 2024.
Compensation Range: $85,358 to $116,896 annually (Effective January 4, 2025)
Recruitment ID: RTF0153173-01042747, 01027291, 01026538
                            RTF0153163-01136723
                            RTF0153175-01011373

Appointment Type: Temporary Provisional (TPV). 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.

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.

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 vacancies for the position of Arborist Technician (3434) within our Urban Forestry Division.

Role description

Under general supervision, as an Arborist Technician, you will perform various urban forestry maintenance tasks and duties which include the removal of trees and other vegetation while performing related duties as needed.

Important and Essential Duties:

As an Arborist Technician, your duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Identify, assess, and evaluate conditions of trees and other vegetation.
• Climb trees with rope and saddle or access with an aerial lift truck to remove dead, diseased, damaged, or unwanted limbs.
• Remove trees and grind stumps.
• Perform various types of technical rigging, including using the use of blocks, ropes, and lowering devices.
• Tying various industry-specific arborist knots and hitches for both climbing and rigging systems.
• Operate Chainsaws, Handsaws, Pruners, Hedge Trimmers, and other arborist and horticultural hand tools and power equipment.
• Operate arborist vehicles, Brush Chippers, Stump Grinders, and other towable equipment.

Working Conditions:
The nature of the work involves exposure to a high risk of physical injury to the employee and constant vigilance to public safety. Positions in this job code require considerable physical demands, and manual dexterity with frequent exposure to arduous and disagreeable working conditions, including inclement weather.

How to qualify

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Possession of a high school diploma or equivalent (GED or High School Proficiency Examination).

Experience:

Three (3) years of verified journey-level experience as a tree work professional. Duties must have included climbing trees of considerable height for the purpose of removing tree limbs, treetops or entire tree in accordance with safety standards. Experience in pruning trees from a ladder is not qualifying experience.

License and Certification:

Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license at the time of application.

AND

Possession of a valid California Class B driver's license with no air brakes restriction is required upon completion of the probationary period.

Substitution:

Successful completion of an Arborist Technician Apprenticeship Program approved and registered with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

Note: 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.

Condition of Employment:
Valid Driver’s License: Applicants must possess a valid State of California driver’s license with no restrictions that would prohibit them from legally performing the essential functions and duties of the role. 

Desired Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Possession of any International Society of Arboriculture credential such as Certified Arborist or Tree Worker Climber Specialist.
• Completion of an accredited Arborist training program.

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

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Verification:
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

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. 

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.

Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

The selection process will include an evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the department will move forward in the recruitment process.

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ):
Candidates may be required to complete an 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.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

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, Humera Rahman-Power, at humera.rahman-power@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.