Career Opportunity

WQD Quality Manager-(0932)-SFPUC (152630)

Recruitment: REF52733T

Published: June 17, 2025

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

About:

Department: Public Utilities Commission

Job Class: 0932-Manager IV | City and County of San Francisco

Starting salary range:  $164,034-$209,300 (Range A)

Role type: Permanent Civil Service

Hours: Full-time

Exam type: Position Based Test

Rule: Rule of the List

List type: Combined Promotive and Entrance

About:

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

Application Opening: 6/17/2025

Application Deadline: 7/1/2025

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

The 0932 Water Quality Division (WQD) Quality Manager oversees a team of professionals and administrates the Water Quality Division Safety Program and the Laboratory’s ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 17025 based TNI (the NELAC Institute) compliant Quality System (QS), also known as Quality Management System. Our five State Water Resource Control Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) accredited laboratories span a wide geographic area across northern California, with multiple functional groups, and almost 400 combined Fields of Accreditation (FOA). This role requires competencies in making critical quality assurance and health & safety decisions, interpreting environmental laboratory and Cal/OSHA regulations, understanding technical and scientific analytical methods, implementing and administering policies and procedures, implementing strategic plans, developing and refining the QS to align with regulations, and advising management and staff to ensure consistent and documented data quality and work practices. This role coordinates activities across functional groups within all nine (9) WQD facilities and outside SFPUC Divisions and Bureaus, including City-wide departments.

Primary Work Location: 1657 Rollins Road, Burlingame, CA 94010, with requirement to travel to all Water Quality Division locations as needed.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Ensures compliance with laboratory accreditation, regulatory standards, and information management policies by providing leadership and guidance to staff to ensure that quality policies, processes and procedures are established, current and adhered to by all laboratory staff.
• Oversees internal audit processes, external assessments, proficiency testing programs; document control systems; competency assessment; training and other quality processes
• Monitors corrective actions including investigation, root cause analysis, implementation of corrective actions, surveillance, and assurance of the effectiveness of corrective actions
• Identifies laboratory training needs, as well as design and implement training programs specific to the quality system including data integrity and ethics training
• Recommends best practices to maintain and improve project outcomes or laboratory functions; facilitate laboratory improvement activities
• Identifies and reports quality issues and problems to management with recommendations for resolution
• Interfaces with ELAP agency staff and internal and external communications regarding laboratory accreditation
• Coordinates and aligns WQD with SFPUC Health and Safety goals; representing the WQD for all Health and Safety related items
• Administers the SFPUC’s Learning Management System (LMS) for the WQD on all safety related training
• Manages chemical inventory and SFPUC’s SDSonline database system for the WQD
• Develops and coordinates activities to reduce or minimize injuries and illnesses
• Evaluates, advises, and collaborates with management and staff throughout the SFPUC regarding Health & Safety policies, procedures, and practices
• Addresses Health & Safety concerns raised by employees and Safety Committee members and formulates follow-up actions to mitigate workplace hazards
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Working Relationships

Will work with other chemists, biologists, water quality technicians, office staff.  Will have regular contact with water quality clients and vendors.

How to qualify

Five (5) years of experience in the analysis of chemical, biological, or microbiological samples in a certified water quality and/or environmental laboratory, and three (3) years of experience supervising professionals engaged in laboratory quality assurance program AND

Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university with a major in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology or closely related laboratory/natural/physical science AND

CA Driver’s license

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. 

Selection Procedures:

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

Supplemental Questionnaire Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates will be invited via a separate link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is to evaluate the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities that candidates possess in job-related areas, which have been identified as critical for this position and include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of established Quality Assurance/Quality Control practices for environmental laboratories
• Knowledge of water and wastewater operations and associated analyses and tests
• Knowledge of principles of Chemistry and laboratory/natural/physical sciences as they relate to water and wastewater operations
• Knowledge of team management techniques and principles
• Ability to analyze complex technical issues and reach decisions effectively
• Ability to set goals and objectives for an environmental laboratory Quality System and Health and Safety Program including developing a strategic plan with performance measures
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with various audiences
• Ability to develop, implement, maintain and evaluate an effective environmental laboratory Quality System and Health and Safety Program

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report:
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 of six months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:  

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams [required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov 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.

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.