Career Opportunity

Bilingual (English-Chinese) Translator/Proofreader and Phone Operator – San Francisco Department of Elections (1404 Clerk)

Recruitment: REF59999C

Published: January 30, 2026

Accepting applications until: February 12, 2026

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

About:

Department Background

The mission of the Department of Elections (Department) is to provide equitable access to voting and election-related services and to conduct free, fair, and functional elections for the City and County of San Francisco. Department staff work year-round to ensure that every eligible San Franciscan has easy access to safe, barrier-free registration and voting options. The Department also works continuously to improve its elections programs with the goal of making them ever more efficient and responsive to the needs of San Francisco voters.

The Department strives to cultivate a workplace environment in which employees of all racial and ethnic backgrounds feel respected, valued, and supported in providing the fairest and most effective services possible to San Francisco residents. The Department is committed to maintaining an inclusive workplace and to providing the training and resources necessary for all employees to succeed in delivering equitable services to city residents.

The Department is committed to reaching job seekers of all backgrounds. Everyone, including job seekers from underrepresented communities, is strongly encouraged to apply.

Role description

Position Description

In preparation for the June 2, 2026, Statewide Direct Primary Election, the Department is seeking applications for two seasonal bilingual positions to assist with translating, proofreading and audio proofing official election materials and providing election information to the public in person, by email, and over the phone. Applicants must be bilingual in Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, or both) with a high command of English.

The ideal candidate has a strong work ethic and a high level of integrity. This position requires excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including grammar and spelling, with equivalent proficiency in written Traditional Chinese appropriate for official government publications. The ideal candidate has strong attention to detail and demonstrated abilities to learn new subject matter and work on several projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.

In addition to the range of duties assigned to the 1404 job code, https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=1404&setId=COMMN, the person in this position will have the following responsibilities:

1. Translating materials for use by the public
2. Extensive proofreading (words, numbers, and format)
3. Comparing vendor translations to English text and preferred Chinese terminology, suggesting revisions only as needed
4. Creating candidate lists with accurate content and formatting
5. Maintaining organized paper and electronic document files
6. Assisting the public over the phone in a phone bank setting
7. Providing in person assistance and providing election information while at the front counter or in the field during outreach tabling events
8. Assisting in the Emergency Ballot Delivery Program as needed
9. Assisting with post-election processing tasks

Initially, staff in this position will translate and proofread materials and website content and will assist with compiling, proofing, and producing all versions of the official ballot, in paper, touchscreen and audio formats, in English and Chinese and the Voter Information Pamphlet in Chinese and English.

Approximately one month prior to Election Day, this position will transition to work in the phone bank to assist members of the public in person, via email, or over the phone, and provide election information to the public in English and Chinese.

Depending on the Department’s operational needs, the person in this position may be required to assist in conducting outreach events and may need to staff the front counter.

Position Schedule, Requirements, and Work Location

Bilingual Requirement: This position requires bilingual skills such as proficiency in reading, writing, typing, speaking, and listening in English and Chinese.

This is a seasonal position with a start date of March 2, 2026, and end date of approximately 2 weeks after the June 2, 2026, Election; actual start and end dates depend on the Department’s operational needs.

The person in this position must be available to work on-site at City Hall. Work hours will vary between 20-40 hours a week but is generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The person in this position must be available to work overtime both during the week and weekends as necessary. This position also requires sitting and standing for prolonged periods, being able to multitask between phone and computer, and may need to occasionally lift and move materials weighing up to 25 pounds.

This is a temporary exempt as-needed position. Temporary exempt as-needed employees who have worked more than 1040 hours in any consecutive 12-month period, and whose normal work week at the time of inclusion in the system is not less than 20 hours are eligible for health coverage and retirement benefits. For more information on the City and County of San Francisco benefit policies, refer to the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/benefits/.

Position Salary: $31.5375 to $38.3375 hourly

$65,598 to $79,742 annually

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

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:  Completion of an approved City and County of San Francisco Clerical Administrative Training program, or completion of a clerical training program (240 hours), or 15 semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of coursework from an accredited college or university may substitute for up to 6 months of required experience.

Desired Qualifications

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists for hiring.

• Willingness to follow instructions and maintain strict version control
• Computer skills, including MS Word, MS Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and Internet research in English and Chinese are highly desired
• Verifiable professional experience or university-level coursework in written translation from English to Chinese, as well as professional or university-level writing in English
• General knowledge of San Francisco neighborhoods and districts
• Experience providing excellent customer service

How to Apply

When completing your application on SmartRecruiters, you must:

• Check the boxes in the application that indicate that you speak, read, and write Chinese.
• Include a resume and, a brief cover letter in English and Traditional Chinese detailing how you meet the above qualifications.

Selected candidates must pass language proficiency and proofreading tests that will be administered as part of the interview process.

To be considered for this position, applications and documents must be received by 5:00 p.m., February 12, 2026.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Elections Hiring Team at elections.careers@sfgov.org.

What else should I know?

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Carol Isen - Human Resources Director

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.