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Career Opportunity

Social Worker (2910) – Department of Public Health - H00186

Recruitment: REF59910K

Published: January 23, 2026

Contact:

Jerome Anabu - Jerome.Anabu@sfdph.org

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

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Department: Public Health
Job class: 2910-Social Worker
Salary range: $83,954.00 - $102,024.00
Role type: Permanent Civil Service What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
Exam type: Class Based Test
Rule: Rule of the List
List type: Entrance
 

About:

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.

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.

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

Role description

Under general supervision, investigates requests for public assistance in accordance with well-defined and established legal provisions, policies, and procedures in order to determine the eligibility and needs of applicants and recipients for public assistance and services; recommends assistance grants on basis of findings; provides other miscellaneous services; maintains various case records; and performs related duties as required.

Examples of Duties:

  • Connect clients to community resources, address barriers to access, and advocate to help resolve issues that limit participation in programs.
  • Schedule and conduct interviews to assess applicants’ service needs, including in-home visits as required. Verify information received through phone and written verification, and evaluate eligibility based on collected data.
  • Assess client needs, create individualized service plans with goals and action steps, coordinate and monitor services, prepare reports and assessments, and provide counseling on family, financial, physical, and emotional concerns.
  • Maintain accurate and complete files; prepare and update correspondence and narratives; document case actions, complete required forms, and process eligibility determinations for social and ancillary services in a timely manner.
  • Explain policies, rules, and regulations to applicants and clients, and assist with completing required forms and reports.
  • Conduct orientations for community agencies; build and maintain relationships with local organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and other stakeholders to promote resource programs; facilitate and mediate case conferences between staff and service providers.
  • Gather and analyze data to identify trends and insights; develop evidence-based recommendations; and prepare reports.

The Social Worker (2910) may perform other duties as assigned/required.

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification, which can be found on DHR’s website: https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/

How to qualify

  • Possession of a baccalaureate degree, with major course work in social service; AND
  • One (1) year of experience as a social worker in a recognized social service agency.

Substitution: One (1) year of graduate study in an accredited graduate school of social work or six (6) months of experience as a Social Worker Trainee may be substituted for one (1) year of experience.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted. Please attach a copy of your baccalaureate degree and your transcripts when submitting your application.

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).

VERIFICATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
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 or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience 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.

What else should I know?

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 (SQ) Examination: (Weight: 100%)
The Supplemental Questionnaire exam is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: ability or skill to obtain facts, evaluate relevant and significant information, and recommend and implement an equitable course of action; ability or skill to determine eligibility for public assistance on the basis of established laws, rules, regulations, and confidentiality; knowledge of pertinent Federal, State, and local laws, codes and regulations as related to assigned program responsibility; knowledge of principles and procedures of casework management, record keeping, and reporting; skill to interview people of all backgrounds effectively; ability or skill to present reports concisely and clearly orally; knowledge of services and activities of community service programs and related agencies; ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those connected in the course of work; knowledge of socioeconomic conditions and trends.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire exam to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

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

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

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:

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.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account.

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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Jerome Anabu at Jerome.Anabu@sfdph.org or (628) 271-6813.

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

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.