Career Opportunity

Curator II (3542) - Applied Design Program Manager - Randall Museum - SF Recreation & Parks

Recruitment: REF60665B

Published: July 14, 2026

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

About:

Company Description

Application Opening: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Application Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through 5:00pm on July 24, 2026, and will close any time thereafter.
Salary Range: $97,084 - $118,118/year annually

About Us

Amid a dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department stewards one of the premier urban park systems in America.  In 2017, San Francisco became the first city in the nation where all residents have access to a park within a 10-minute walk, a direct result of the Department’s commitment to increasing and improving parkland in the city Learn More. Considered by San Franciscans to be one of the City’s most popular and effective public agencies, our Department currently manages more than 230 parks, playgrounds and open spaces throughout San Francisco, including two outside city limits—Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, golf courses, sports fields and numerous small-to-medium-sized clubhouses that offer a variety of sports- and arts-related recreation programs for people of all ages.  Included in the Department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the San Francisco Zoo and Lake Merced.

More than 2,000 talented individuals are part of our team, from gardeners, foresters, and recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians, painters and more. Our core mission, as it has been throughout our history, is to provide opportunities for San Francisco residents and visitors alike to gather, play, learn, relax, and enjoy nature in the city.

The Randall Museum was the inspiration of Josephine D. Randall, San Francisco's first Superintendent of Recreation, a position she held for a quarter of a century, during which time we achieved national recognition as one of the most outstanding services of its kind. A long-term goal was the establishment of a museum for children. In 1937 the "Junior Museum," opened in the city's old jail on Ocean Avenue and in 1947, a $12,000,000 bond was shepherded and issued for recreation capital projects, including a new museum. In 1951, the museum opened in its current facilities on a 16-acre park overlooking San Francisco Bay and was renamed the Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum in honor of its founder. The museum was to be "a place that would foster a love of science, natural history, and the arts." As part of this mission the museum provides exhibits, classes, workshops, presentations, special events, and many other hands-on learning experiences for children and adults.

Role description

The Randall Museum's Applied Design Program Manager position is responsible for overall administration of the Museum’s carpentry shop, Technology FabLab and ceramics studio. This position also plays a major role in new exhibit construction and contributes to overall exhibit maintenance.

Responsibilities include program planning, instructor management, equipment maintenance and ensuring safety in all areas. This includes:

• Planning and managing quarterly classes and occasional workshops. Ensuring high quality programs by coaching instructors with syllabi, classroom management and efficient materials use.
• Supporting all Museum programs when applicable.
• Responsible for building and maintaining permanent and changing exhibits with planning, preparation, and installation of new museum exhibits.

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Responsible for overseeing operations in the woodshop, ceramics studio and FabLab that includes materials/supplies organization and ordering, equipment maintenance and communication issues/updates with the Museum Director. Maintains high standards of safety, organization and professionalism for all that use the Randall workshop spaces.
2. Responsible for an annual budget for the Applied Technology Program. Contracts with city vendors for all supplies & equipment, coordinates with maintenance staff within the department, bidding and contracting outside contractors for shop or exhibit Improvements.
3. Responsible for supervision of Randall Museum Friends part-time instructors and Recreation and Parks part-time staff; classes 3286 Recreation Coordinator, 3279 Recreation Leader, 3260 Crafts Instructor and 9910 Public Service Trainee. Sets standards, goals, establishes priorities, identifies problems and makes problem-solving decisions. Schedule and assign work to staff and volunteers. Develop and teach training programs to staff and volunteers
4. Responsible for public programming for the studios– Instructs adults & teens – in a wide range of applied technology programs such as woodworking, ceramics, metal working, electronics, robotics, optics, electronic arts. Develops and conducts other applied Arts programming for general public, school field trips and after-school programs. Represents the museum and presents programs at outside department and community events.
5. Responsible for maintaining equipment and materials safety records. Conducts safety training classes for all staff and program participants as needed for specific programs.
6. Responsible for maintaining a wide range of shop equipment as well as scientific tools & materials for classroom teaching. Also responsible to learn how to maintain equipment that is not familiar.
7. Help coordinate museum wide events. Develop, design, construct and install bi-yearly museum exhibits and plans and prepares activities for family day events.
8. Make regular personal contacts with the general public, outside organizations, and groups. Provides information about the museum’s activities and collections and represents the museum at department events and other media venues outside the museum.
9. Partner with government agencies, foundations and individuals on applied arts programs.
10. Contract and coordinate with youth work programs to train and employ youth. Works in conjunction with Recreation & Park Department and other city Youth Works programs for employment opportunities.
11. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=3542.

How to qualify

Education:

Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in the fine arts, art history, decorative arts, design, history, library science, museum studies, natural history, science, technology, or other closely related disciplines.

Experience:

Three (3) years of museum experience.

Desirable Qualifications

• Major course work is preferred in science, engineering, industrial arts, electronics, industrial design, or related subject matter.
• Three years of experience in designing and implementing multi-session classes in applied arts.
• Experience in exhibit design, graphic design, industrial design, fabrication, STEM education or similar professional experience.
• Four years of supervisory experience with museum, education or recreation staff.
• Demonstrated cultural competency and effective education practice to connect with a wide range of learners.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Graphic Design, Technical Drawing, or Illustration
• Experience working with young learners

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 verification is required, information on how to verify education 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?

Steps to Apply:

1. Applicants will need to submit an updated resume and cover letter in addition to their application. [The work you submit may be verified through AI detection to ensure that you are the author. Plagiarized answers, or any falsified information may result in disqualification from the recruitment process.
2. Complete your application with as much detail as possible in the experience section. Please be sure to include all relevant training and experience in your application. It is essential that you provide complete information. A resume will not substitute for a completed application. If you write "see resume" on your application, your application may be rejected.

Selection Process: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to the minimum qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. 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 be invited for an interview.

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

Candidates for positions with the Recreation and Park Department may be disqualified from consideration should their conviction history not meet the standards established under California Public Resources Code 5164.

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.

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, you may contact Absar Khan at absar.khan@sfgov.org.  

Race and Social Equity Statement
We believe that parks and open space in San Francisco provides the opportunity to model equitable access for all.  With this belief, San Francisco became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. The Recreation and Park Department’s goal is to close the gaps and improve equity and access to quality parks and open space, and recreation activities for historically marginalized communities.

We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in its internal operations.  With a multi-disciplinary team of talented individuals - gardeners, recreation leaders, park rangers, custodians, craft shop personnel, park and recreation managers and more, the department is committed to doing its part to provide equitable access to parks and programs for all the communities we serve to enjoy, as well as foster a work environment where our differences are celebrated, and everyone has what they need to thrive regardless of their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.

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.