Career Opportunity

Epidemiologist I (2802) - Citywide - H00180

Recruitment: REF59355E

Published: February 13, 2026

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

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.  

This is a Citywide Exam posting. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam.

• Application Opening – February 13, 2026 
• Application Deadline – The application filing will close on or after March 1, 2026. 
• Salary: $97,942 - $118,976 Annually 
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service 
• Recruitment ID: CBT-2802-H00180  

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 direction, conducts and evaluates responsible scientific work, uses epidemiologic or evaluation survey instruments and analyzes data sets to identify and describe patterns of health outcomes and their determinants. This is the entry level in the Epidemiologist series. 
 
The essential duties include, but are not limited to the following: 

1. Designs and coordinates epidemiologic and/or evaluation studies; assists in developing procedures for epidemiological and/or evaluation research; conducts epidemiologic and/or evaluation analyses; prepares technical reports based on epidemiologic and/or evaluation data. 
2. Provides technical consultation and direction for health outcome investigations regarding data quality in epidemiologic and/or evaluation studies; conducts specific health outcome investigations; assesses the impact of interventions on the status of target populations. 
3. Coordinates local efforts with investigators and requirements from other agencies; provides technical advice to stakeholders on studies performed. 
4. Develops, implements and maintains health-related data systems; prepares, maintains and analyzes data using analytical software. 

The Epidemiologist I performs other related duties as assigned/required. 

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications 

• Education: Possession of a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. 
• Experience: Two (2) years of experience within the field of Epidemiology performing study design, evaluation or analysis. 

Substitution 

• Possession of a master’s degree in Epidemiology (or a related social, psychological, or biological science) may substitute for two (2) years of the required experience. 

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

One-year fulltime 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 Examination (Weight: 100%) 
The Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: 

• Knowledge to carry out epidemiologic and/or evaluation protocols; Knowledge of the principles and methods of biostatistics; Ability to provide data quality control; Ability to manipulate and analyze data; Ability to prepare written and graphic compilations of the data; Ability to communicate clearly and maintain effective relationships with staff; Ability to assist with coordinating the implementation of data collection protocols 

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination 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 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:  

• 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 

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, Stephen Lee at stephen.j.lee@sfdph.org or (628) 271-6838.  

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.