Career Opportunity

Network Architect (1044), Administration Division – San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

Recruitment: RTF0160273-01158750

Published: October 07, 2025

Accepting applications until: October 23, 2025

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

About:

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt, Category 18: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process, shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer and are considered to be "at-will" employees. The duration of this appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

Application Opening: October 7, 2025

Deadline to Apply: 11:59PM PST on October 23, 2025

Recruitment ID: 160278

Salary: $165,334 - $207,974 annually

Division: Administration

Section/Unit: Technology Solutions and Integration – Data Services

Work Location: One South Van Ness Avenue, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00AM - 5:00PM; onsite minimum of 4 days a week. Additionally, afterhours work will be required as needed during evenings or weekends (typically once or twice a month)

How to Apply:

1. Submission of Smart Recruiters application by clicking on "I'm Interested"/"Apply Now” and completing the application.

2. Attached resume (cover letter optional)

3. Response to the Microsoft Forms supplemental questionnaire. Link only found here: https://forms.office.com/r/trgCG3CGdT

Your application will NOT be reviewed without completion of all three components by the filing deadline.

Role description

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the City. The SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway public transit (Transit Division or “Muni”), as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking, traffic, walking, and taxis. SFMTA is currently in the process of implementing an upgrade of the technology used to manage light rail operations on the surface and in the subway.

The Train Control Upgrade Project (TCUP) is a multi-year, multimillion dollar project with the goal of replacing the existing train control system onboard vehicles and in the Muni Metro subway with a state-of-the-art radio-based technology. TCUP will expand supervision of trains by the train control system from the subway to the entire surface Muni light rail system. The TCUP vendor contract and installation work will be managed by a project management team within the Transit Division (“Muni”).

Information Technology is at the core of TCUP. SFMTA’s Technology Solutions and Integration (TSI) team will be delivering the technology scope for TCUP.  The role will be supporting delivery of the information technology components.

Success requires significant investments in expanded network infrastructure, data architecture, wireless communication systems, servers, databases, and cybersecurity. Project systems will need data integration with existing enterprise and intelligent transportation systems. Changes need to be baselined, documented, designed, implemented, and tested.

This is an opportunity to work with stakeholders and business units across the SFMTA and take a pivotal step in your career. Your work will impact the lives of all users of our transportation services and infrastructure.

Position Description:

Under the direction of the TCUP Technology Project Manager, the Network Architect leads a team responsible for network topology, policies, wireless infrastructure, fiber infrastructure, network equipment, security, installation, and test.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Design and implement an optimized network topology to support reliable, low-latency, and high-bandwidth communication for radio-based train control system.
• Develop redundancy and failover strategies to ensure network resiliency and availability during system failures or outages.
• Create detailed documentation of logical and physical network layouts, including diagrams and inventory of assets.
• Establish and document network policies, including quality of service (QoS), bandwidth allocation, access control, and routing protocols.
• Define and enforce wireless spectrum allocation policies to prevent interference and optimize channel utilization.
• Design and implement the wireless communication system, including site selection, radio propagation analysis, and antenna placement.
• Specify wireless standards and protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G, or proprietary radio systems) to be used in the system.
• Plan and oversee the deployment of fiber optic networks for high-speed backhaul communication.
• Ensure fiber installations meet specifications for signal integrity and minimize latency.
• Coordinate with civil engineers and contractors for fiber installation, splicing, and testing.
• Specify, procure, and oversee the installation and commissioning of network equipment, such as routers, switches, access points, base stations, and controllers, tailored to the system’s requirements.
• Design and configure equipment to support dynamic routing, multicast, and VLANs.
• Develop maintenance plans and monitor hardware life cycles for timely replacements or upgrades.
• Implement cybersecurity measures, such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and endpoint protection.
• Conduct periodic vulnerability assessments and ensure compliance with industry standards (e.g., NIST, CISA, ISO/IEC 27001).
• Conduct quality assurance inspections and verify installations against engineering designs.
• Develop and execute comprehensive test plans for network performance, including stress tests, failover tests, and latency measurements.
• Validate the end-to-end functionality of the network for train control operations, including communication between trains, trackside equipment, and control centers.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues identified during testing phases.
• Develop detailed technical documentation for network designs, configurations, and operational procedures.
• Ensure that all network components comply with applicable railway safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Implement network monitoring tools to continuously assess performance metrics, such as signal strength, throughput, and latency.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

An associate degree in computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in one of the fields above or a closely-related field].

Experience:

Five (5) years of experience analyzing, installing, configuring, enhancing, and/or maintaining the components of an enterprise network.

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). One (1) year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester units/ forty-five (45) quarter units with a minimum of 10 semester / 15 quarter units in one of the fields above or a closely related field.

Completion of the 1010 Information Systems Trainee Program may be substituted for the required degree.

Notes:

1. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

2. One (1) year full-time experience is 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 experience.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.

• 5-years’ experience designing, deploying, and maintaining radio frequency (RF) systems for critical infrastructure, including technologies like Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G, or proprietary train communication systems.
• Proficiency in RF planning tools, antenna design, and propagation modeling.
• Knowledge of frequency allocation and interference mitigation strategies in railway environments.
• Understanding of wireless technologies and protocols, including 802.11x, LTE, 5G, and real-time, low-latency communication systems.
• 5-years’ experience with wireless network design, spectrum management, and troubleshooting including RF Radio P25 and Microwave protocols.
• 5-years’ experience in designing and deploying fiber optic networks for backhaul communication, including installation, splicing, and testing.
• Knowledge of fiber optic standards (e.g., ITU-T, IEEE) and signal integrity.
• 5-years’ experience in designing layered network topologies to support redundant, high-availability communication.
• Strong knowledge of network protocols such as BGP, OSPF, MPLS, QoS, and multicast.
• Proficiency in configuring VLANs, VPNs, and SD-WAN technologies.
• 5 years’ experience implementing and managing network security protocols, including encryption (e.g., IPSec, TLS), firewalls, IDS/IPS, and endpoint security.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NIST Cybersecurity Framework, IEC 62443, ISO/IEC 27001) and best practices.
• 5 years’ experience developing and executing test plans for wireless, fiber, and network equipment under operational conditions.
• Proficiency with tools for performance monitoring, packet analysis, and troubleshooting (e.g., Wireshark, SolarWinds, NetScout).
• Familiarity with network equipment from major vendors (e.g., Cisco, Juniper, Nokia, Ericsson) and radio system hardware (e.g., base stations, access points).
• 5-years’ experience with ruggedized equipment suitable for outdoor or rail environments.
• 5-years’ experience working with system engineers, project managers, operations teams, and regulatory bodies to ensure alignment of system requirements and performance goals.
• Ability to communicate progress and issues to stakeholders through regular status updates and technical reports.

What else should I know?

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://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/#verification. 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 Process:

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications. Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

• 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

For questions or inquiries, please contact the Human Resources Analyst, Melissa Lee at Melissa.Lee@sfmta.com.

This recruitment may be utilized to fill similar positions in this classification at SFMTA.

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

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.