Career Opportunity

9232-Airport Central Plant Superintendent - SFO (158450)

Recruitment: RTF0158449-01152369

Published: October 08, 2025

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

About:

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

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening: Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Application Deadline: Apply immediately.  Please be advised that interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as this announcement may close at any time after 5:00 PM on Friday, October 24, 2025
Annual Salary: $194,558  (one step - flat rate) 
Recruitment ID: PBT-9232-158450

San Francisco International Airport (SFO), an enterprise department of the City and County of San Francisco, has a workforce of approximately 1,900 City employees and is committed to being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive employer.

SFO is more than an airport—we are a dynamic organization where employees collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to support global travel, economic development, and public service. We are recognized as a leader in environmental sustainability, equity, and forward-thinking infrastructure, and continue to be at the forefront of transforming the travel experience.

Our mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first.

Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values shape our culture and operations as we continue to build a supportive, purpose-driven workplace where all employees can thrive.

Learn more about careers at SFO at flysfo.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads.

Role description

Role Description

Under general direction:, supervises the overhaul, maintenance, and repair of a wide variety of mobile and stationary machinery, equipment, and mechanical facilities in buildings, structures, and adjacent areas at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

1. Supervises the operation and maintenance of stationary mechanical machinery and equipment at the San Francisco International Airport; develops and implements maintenance, repair, and overhaul methods and procedures.
2. Schedules routine servicing of plant equipment such as lubrication of machinery, washing down sewage pumping station sumps, cleaning filtration air ducts and filters, and tests of emergency equipment.
3. Maintains detailed records of mechanical equipment, including machinery history, model, serial numbers, local dealers' name and address, repair data and cost of maintenance and repairs; prepares and reviews operational, maintenance, and repair reports.
4. Inspects mechanical equipment to determine its operating condition; participates in major repair work as required, and gives final approval.
5. Compiles specifications and requisitions for repair work to be done on mechanical equipment by outside contractors.
6. Confers with construction engineers, inspectors and contractors engaged in the construction of new mechanical equipment, to become familiar with the new installation.
7. Prepares or countersigns all requisitions for materials or services submitted by the mechanical maintenance section; maintains a record of expenditures incurred by the section; assists in the preparation of budget estimates for the mechanical maintenance section.
8. Serves as Central Plant leadership representative at meetings and in communication with other departmental personnel, the public, and outside organizations in connection with maintenance, repair and overhaul activities.
9. Performs related duties as required.

How to qualify

Education:

High school diploma or equivalent (GED or High School Proficiency Examination)

Experience:

Four (4) years of experience maintaining steam operating, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, of which at least two (2) years were as a chief engineer on a ship or in a large industrial plant.

License and Certification:

Possession of a valid California driver's license

Possession of a Universal Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) Certificate issued by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency for working with heating and ventilating equipment or other refrigeration equipment using CFCs and HCFCs.

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

• Demonstrated experience using CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems) to schedule, track, and document preventive and corrective maintenance activities. Proven ability to utilize CMMS platforms to optimize asset performance, manage work orders efficiently, and generate maintenance reports.
• Bachelor’s degree in Facility Management, Construction Management, Project Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or similar.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a structured and orderly manner
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing
• Excellent management skills, including decision-making, handling conflict, providing direction, and vision
• Demonstrated experience in providing coaching and counseling to employees on performance improvement, including preparing and presenting disciplinary reports and recommendations for employee suspension or termination.
• Computer literacy with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, i.e., Word and Excel, Outlook.

NOTES:

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

One-year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

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.  

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 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.

Selection Procedure: 

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

Basic Supervisory Exam (Weight 50%)

Candidates will be administered a written multiple-choice examination that is designed to measure basic knowledge of various supervisory practices and procedures (e.g. directing, counseling, guiding, evaluating, motivating, disciplining, developing and training subordinates, delegation, etc.) as well as customer service and reading comprehension.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review.

The Basic Supervisory Exam will be administered either on a computer or in paper format.  The type of format will depend on the size of the qualified applicant pool.  Qualified candidates will be notified of the type of exam format in their exam appointment notification.

The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. Please note this test is used for other supervisory classes therefore your test score may be applied to one or more of these classes if you choose to apply to future recruitments. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent.

Oral Examination (Weight: 50%):

Applicants who pass the Basic Supervisory Exam will be invited to participate in an oral/performance exam to determine their knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to knowledge of stationary mechanical machinery operation, maintenance and repair; applicable safety codes and regulations; ability to organize and direct the work of subordinates; analyze and make recommendations relative to the betterment of plant operating and maintenance methods and procedures; deal effectively and courteously with airport stakeholders, such as tenants and representatives of various outside organizations.

A passing score must be achieved on the Oral Examination in order to continue in the selection process.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance
Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Customs Clearance
Candidates for employment with San Francisco International Airport require that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. An application for a U.S. Customs Access Seal may be   submitted to Customs ONLY after employment has commenced. Employment in this position requires that the incumbent submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a Customs Access Seal. Per Civil Service Commission Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for this examination. Failure to acquire or maintain customs access, a requirement for this position, may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission. Customs Access Seal requirements and procedures are located in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 122, Sections 181 or 189.

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 six (6) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

Certification:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three.  The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.

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 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
• 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” 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 exam analyst Carolina Robert at carolina.robert@flysfo.com.  

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.