Career Opportunity

Health Worker 4 (2588) - Multiple Departments Citywide

Recruitment: REF60174P

Published: March 03, 2026

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

About:

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

• Application Opening: February 27, 2026
• Application Deadline: Continuous
• Salary: $95,186 -$115,804 Annually
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Recruitment ID: CCT-2588-

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. 

Role description

Location(s) include but are not limited to: Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH), various clinics, the SF Unified School District (USD), and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HOM).

Shift: Days, nights, weekends, and/or holidays may be required, depending on the position.

The essential duties include but are not limited to the following: 

• Supervise a specific health or rehabilitation program; plans, directs, and coordinates the educational, recreational, therapeutic and work projects of the program participants as directed by professional staff
• Supervise and train lower classification of paraprofessional personnel in the skills required for successful performance of their assigned duties; assist in preparation of in-service training materials; provide liaison with Team Leaders regarding function and performance of Health Workers I, II, and III
• Meet with representative of the local community and professional and social agencies to inform them of the scope of available treatment programs and to elicit their cooperation and support; provide community education services
• Assist in planning and execution of programs and operations, research projects, and reports, as directed; evaluate data and suggest programs in the preventive areas of social and health adjustments.
• Interview and screen program clients, identifying general client condition; perform crisis intervention activities under professional direction; provide broad social counseling activities and assists in group therapy sessions
• Supervise the program on specified wards or units and/or assisting the director of the program when assigned to a specialized activity program

The 2588 Health Worker 4 may perform other duties as assigned/required.

Working Conditions: Some positions may require working directly with the homeless population, people who have or are carriers of infectious diseases; or in jails or psychiatric facilities and may also require exposure to inclement weather conditions and/or heavy lifting. 

How to qualify

EXPERIENCE: Three (3) years of verifiable experience within the last five (5) years, performing a combination of at least two (2) of the following duties:

• Serving as a liaison between targeted communities and healthcare agencies
• Providing culturally appropriate health education/information and outreach to targeted populations
• Providing referral and follow up services or otherwise coordinating care
• Providing informal counseling, social support and advocacy to targeted populations
• Escorting and transporting clients
• Providing courier/dispatcher functions
• Performing pre-clinical examinations of vital statistics, such as measuring a patient's weight, height, temperature and blood pressure

Substitution: Possession of a Community Health Worker Certificate from City College of San Francisco can substitute for 6 months of the required experience. 

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) 

Special Conditions: Some positions may require applicants to meet additional requirements which include, but are not limited to:

• Bilingual Proficiency in a variety of languages. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions

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?

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

Multiple Choice Examination (Weight: 100%)
The Multiple-Choice Exam is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to:

• Ability to: work effectively in diverse, multicultural environments by understanding the ethnic, economic,and social factors affecting communities; provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equitable care; establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships; coordinate services and schedule appointments; prepare, organize and maintain records; implement activities and programs; assess client needs through interviews and evaluations; apply sound judgment to develop appropriate services or treatment plans; interpret and apply office policies, laws, regulations and procedures; read and review information such as forms and documents; apply de-escalation or counseling techniques in sensitive or high stress situations; train individuals, evaluate work performance, and provide constructive feedback; lead, motivate,and supervise staff; work with patients/clients with substance use disorders & behavioral health needs; write effectively; and/or utilize technology and work with data using various software and systems.
• Knowledge of: principles of activity therapy; and/or health and community services.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the multiple-choice exam in order 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.

Scores attained on the 2588 Health Worker 4 Exam will be 'banked' for three years from the test date. During this period, candidates are not required to retest. If a candidate applies and qualifies for another job using the same 2588 Health Worker 4 Exam within one year of the 2588 Health Worker 4 Exam date, their score will be automatically applied to that announcement. After one year, a candidate can either (a) apply their test score to the other announcement or (b) re-test. Re-testing is allowed after one year from the date of the test only if a candidate applies and is qualified. The most recent score becomes the official score if a candidate chooses to retest.

If the examination undergoes significant changes in the future, the use of banked scores may change. Candidates with banked scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period if they apply to a job opportunity using the same modified exam.

Language Proficiency Exam: For positions requiring bilingual proficiency, candidates that meet the language requirement must pass a department-approved language exam before appointment. Only those who pass will be considered for the bilingual position.

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

Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply.

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 athttps://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

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.

Your application will be active for the duration of the eligible period listed above. You do not need to reapply during this period.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Juliette Soto at Juliette.Soto@sfdph.org or (628)271-6709.

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.