Career Opportunity

Clerk (1404) – Citywide (C00405)

Recruitment: REF58605P

Published: December 01, 2025

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

About:

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAMINATION

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

• Application Opening: December 1, 2025
• Application Deadline: December 12, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
• Compensation Range: $64,636 to $78,572
• Recruitment ID: CBT-1404-C00405

Role description

Under general supervision, the 1404 Clerk performs general clerical work. This is the journey-level position in the Clerk series.

EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Files, maintains and retrieves documents, records and correspondence in accordance with established procedures.

2. Codes and indexes documents, records and correspondence. Methods may include color code, terminal digit, numerical, alphabetical and/or chronological order to ensure proper filing and ready access of data.

3. Checks and reviews a variety of documents for completeness and accuracy.

4. Compiles information and data necessary for the preparation of various departmental reports in which judgment may be exercised in the selection of data and materials.

5. Prepares and maintains a variety of reports in which judgment may be exercised in the selection of data and materials.

6. Makes mathematical computations using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, decimals, and fractions.

7. Receives and accounts for moderate amounts of money from the collection of fees and similar sources.

8. Disseminates information and answers inquiries by communicating with the public, departmental personnel and other departments.

9. Operates office equipment, including calculators, photocopying equipment, adding machines, computer terminals, document imaging, fax machines and postage meters.

10. Processes mail: opens, time stamps, sorts, and distributes the incoming mail; stuffs and seals envelopes; makes daily pickup and delivery to ensure timely mailing and receipt of mail.

Note: Some positions may require heavy lifting and/or possession of a California's Driver's License and/or bilingual skills.

How to qualify

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

Experience: One (1) year of clerical experience including preparing and maintaining a variety of records and/or documents, filing, use of office equipment, public contact, and processing of incoming and outgoing mail.

Substitution: Any one of the following may substitute for six (6) months of the required experience:

• Completion of a clerical training program (240 hours); OR
• 15 semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of coursework from an accredited college or university; OR
• Completion of an approved City and County of San Francisco Clerical Administrative training program (as designated on the job announcement).

Verification:

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.  

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://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

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:

Clerical Test Written Multiple Choice Exam (Weight: 100%): Qualified candidates will be administered a multiple-choice exam presented on-online. This exam is administered to determine competencies in one or more of the job-related areas. Knowledge of: standard alphabetical, numerical, and chronological filing systems. Ability and Skill to: organize and make clerical work assignments; review processed work to assure accuracy, neatness and conformance to departmental regulations and polices; interpret laws, regulations and procedures in recommending solutions to problems; efficiently and accurately file, retrieve, code and index a wide variety of documents; record information in a neat, legible and accurate manner; follow written directions; make complex computations in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; effectively communicate and understand complex concepts, policies and procedures both to and from departmental representatives and the general public; proficiently read and review a variety of documents and forms for completeness and accuracy; exercise tact and maintain poise in resolving disputes and differences arising with the public and other personnel; use a personal computer in a network environment to enter and update data, create documents and use system applications, e-mail, spreadsheets, word-processing and organizer software.

A passing score must be achieved on the examination in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

This is a standardized multiple-choice examination. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in these examinations.

Qualified candidates will be notified of the exact dates and times of the examination. If you also apply and meet the minimum qualifications for the 1402 Junior Clerk, 1406 Senior Clerk, 1408 Principal Clerk, and/or 1410 Chief Clerk recruitment(s), you will only be scheduled once for the clerical core examination.

What else should I know?

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. 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) retake 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 (even if it turns out to be lower than your original score). Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

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.

DURATION OF ELIGILBLE LIST: The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 24 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Where to Apply 

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

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. 

Important Email Contact Information: Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that your registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that emails from CCSF are not blocked on your computer by a spam filter. Applicants should add our emails to your contacts to avoid delays in updates: SFHR Email Extension 

Note: 

1. Please ensure the information on your application is accurate. It may not be possible to change after you’ve applied.

2. Your first and last name should match your legal ID for verification purposes. A preferred first name may be included in parentheses. Here is an example: Samuel (Sam) Jackson

3. Your email address should be consistent across all jobs applied to on our website.

4. Use a personal and not a shared email address. Doing so may prevent your application from submitting properly.

5. Upon successful submission of your application, applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application was not submitted successfully and you will need to resubmit.

 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.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

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

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Jennifer Bushman at Jennifer.Bushman@sfgov.org. Please include the recruitment ID, CBT-1404-C00405, in the subject line. Recruitment ID: C00405.

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.