Career Opportunity

Chief Water Service Inspector - Customer Services Bureau - SFPUC (7204) (164362)

Recruitment: RTF0164361-01112071

Published: May 11, 2026

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

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

• Application Opening: 05/11/2026
• Application Filing Deadline: 05/18/2026 
• Recruitment ID:  PBT-7204-164362 (RTF0164361-01112071)

WHO ARE WE?

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.gov.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality. To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/careers-sfpuc

About the Customer Service Bureau

The Customer Service Bureau of the SFPUC is responsible for all customer facing operations including Customer Care, Billing, Collection, Manual and Automated Meter Reading and Field Services for water, wastewater and electric services as well as land leases and permits. CSB is responsible for the billing and collection of over one billion dollars in annual revenue and quality control for the accurate billing of over 180,000 customer accounts each month.  

Role description

Under general direction, directs and supervises the activities of subordinate personnel engaged in conducting inspections of all types of consumer water services, meters, connections and fixtures, including the field testing and repair of meters and determining illegal uses of water; supervises and investigates complaints of inadequate water supply, objectionable water quality, pressure, noise, damage to meters and other faults; and performs related duties as required.

Essential Functions:

• Supervises subordinate personnel in the proper execution of assignments and constantly checks field operations to ensure high quality of work performance.

• Supervises in-service training of all new employees; personally participates in special inspections of unusual plumbing and water service problems referred by subordinates.

• Assigns and reviews daily work program of meter readers assigned throughout the city; supervises assigning of new accounts and rerouting of meter readers.

• Directs changes of established operational procedures and makes recommendations to superiors for improvements in procedures.

• Approves or reviews probationary appointments of new personnel; handles disciplinary complaints regarding individual employees.

• Confers with division managers and department heads regarding suggestions for improving operations and promoting better consumer and public relationships.

• Personally investigates important consumer complaints in order to assist in the final solution of difficult problems; makes certain that all complaints and orders are handled in an efficient and expeditious manner; personally handles particular problems referred by management requiring special tact and diplomacy.

• Assists in the development and advancement of subordinates through training and effective use of employee development programs.

The 7204 Chief Water Service Inspector will perform other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

1. Education: Possession of a high school diploma or equivalent (GED or High School Proficiency Examination). AND
2. Experience: Five (5) years of experience in utility service field investigations, of which two (2) years must be in a supervisory capacity over subordinate staff who perform work equivalent to Class 7316 Water Services Inspector AND
3. License and Certification: Possession of a valid Class C driver license.

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.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Positions at the SFPUC-Water Quality Division and Water Supply and Treatment Division require possession of a Grade 3 Water Distribution Operator Certification upon hire, AND the following certifications within twelve (12) months of hire date:

       a) Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester Certification

       b) Cross Connection Control Specialist Certification

       c) Grade 4 Water Distribution Operator Certification

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

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Possession of a college degree or specialized training in engineering or water resource management, water utility specific certifications.

• Experience analyzing performance metrics and implementing data-driven improvements

• Experience in union-represented workforce environments

• Experience in change management 

Verification:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Education verification information on verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

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.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included in your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

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%): Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited via a separate link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is to evaluate the competencies that candidates possess in job-related areas, which have been identified as critical for this position and include, but are not limited to: 

• Knowledge of the water distribution system and consumer services; water meters and domestic and commercial plumbing systems and fixtures.

• Ability to detect faults and remedy conditions found or initiate and recommend necessary alterations and repairs.

• Ability to organize and direct a number of supervisory and service employees in a number of geographical districts throughout the city in performing consumer water investigations, tests and services.

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process and be placed on the eligible list.

Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score. Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

Additional Information

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.

This pool of candidates on the eligible list may be used to fill additional vacancies in this class.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of twelve (12) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see ASO FY2023-24 & FY2024-25 - FINAL 20230731.pdf. 

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of the Three (3).

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. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

What else should I know?

• 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

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov 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. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and updated. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email 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.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst Linda Muir at LMuir@sfwater.org.

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.