Career Opportunity

Architectural Associate I - Architecture - Public Works (5265)

Recruitment: RTF0165041-01127452

Published: May 15, 2026

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

About:

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening: Friday, May 15th, 2026
Application Deadline: Please apply immediately. The application filing will be open at least through Friday, May 22nd, 2026, and will close any time thereafter.
Compensation Range: $127,946 to $155,454 annually
Recruitment ID: TPV-5265-165042, RTF0165041-01127452

Appointment Type: Temporary Provisional (TPV). This is not a permanent appointment. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment. Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.

San Francisco Public Works has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront of addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at https://www.sfpublicworks.org to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

Public Works currently has two vacancies for the position of Architectural Associate I (5265) in our Project Delivery Division (PDD) within the Bureau of Architecture (BOA).

We are seeking motivated candidates with strong design skills and/or substantial experience in construction documents, and who are proficient in REVIT. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record working on projects of various scales and will be capable of leading project design efforts, including planning, development, and preparation of technical documentation, as well as coordinating with consultants.

Role description

Under direction, performs a variety of difficult and responsible architectural duties in connection with the investigation of building sites, preparation and coordination of preliminary and final working designs and drawings, and the preparation of related specifications for a variety of building renovations and construction maintenance and conversion projects; may plan and assign work to subordinate architectural drafting personnel; and performs related duties as required. 

Important and Essential Duties: 
As an Architectural Associate I, your duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Prepares and supervises the preparation of preliminary plans and detailed drawings for a wide variety of complex construction, conversion and repair projects.
• Develops finished designs of ordinary projects and portions of designs for highly complex projects.
• Analyzes and interprets data, sketches and designs and provides technical assistance to architectural drafting personnel engaged in such work.
• Prepares and reviews contract specifications for various projects; coordinates design activities with those responsible for the structural, mechanical and electrical design phases of such projects; participates in meetings and discussions with representatives of City departments and outside organizations relative to design, specifications, and functional use problems.
• Makes field observations of projects under construction to ensure compliance with contract documents; takes field measurements, documents existing conditions and incorporates data provided by other professionals, such as surveyors and geotechnical engineers.
• Makes, coordinates, and reviews quantity and cost estimates; checks construction submittals to determine if contract specifications are complied with.
• May be required to perform duties in connection with the architectural phases of interior design and construction management; when appropriate applies critical path method techniques to such work.
• Assists in the development and advancement of junior or supporting team members.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications: 

Education:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree in Architecture or an architecture related field such as Environmental Design or Interior Architecture, or a professional degree in Architecture (Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture) from an accredited college or university.

AND

Experience:

Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in the architectural field including architectural design, architectural detailing, construction documents, programming, preliminary cost budgeting, specification coordination and review, construction administration, and field observation of architectural construction projects, all under the direction of a licensed architect.

One (1) year must have been served as a job captain, project lead, or in some role of increased responsibility and supervision on a project. (Experience in a lower-level class (i.e., 5260 or 5261) is considered qualifying.)

AND

License and Certification: Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

Note(s):

One-year full-time employment is considered 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.

A valid out-of-state driver’s license is acceptable during the application process. A valid California driver's license must be obtained prior to appointment and maintained throughout employment.

What else should I know?

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/node/765.

Notes:

• 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 on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
• Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 
• 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:

The selection process will include an evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will move forward in the recruitment process.

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ):
Candidates may be required to complete an MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

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

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: At the City and County of San Francisco, we share a commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Each member of our organization is responsible and accountable for what they say and do to make San Francisco an inclusive and equitable place to live and work by employing fair and just practices to and for all.

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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Analyst, Tara Stevens, at tara.stevens@sfdpw.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.