9910 Public Service Trainee - Greenagers 2027 (Tenderloin, Northeast, Southeast)

Career Opportunity

9910 Public Service Trainee - Greenagers 2027 (Tenderloin, Northeast, Southeast)

Recruitment: RTF0168254-01152408

Published: October 16, 2026

Contact

Dorothy Young - dorothy.s.young@sfgov.org

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

Department: Recreation & Park Commission
Job class: 9910-Public Service Trainee
Role type: Temporary Exempt What does this mean?
Hours:

About:

The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department is now accepting applications for 9910 Greenager Program for Spring 2027. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply immediately.

In addition to submitting an online application, applicants MUST complete AND submit a Supplemental Questionnaire. Instructions can be found under the 'HOW TO APPLY' section of this job announcement. ONLY applicants who submit both an online application AND the Supplemental Questionnaire will be considered for participation in the department's selection process.

We offer First-Year and Second-Year positions:

First-Year Greenagers are those who have never completed the program before. Duties include habitat restoration, participating in environmental education activities, working with volunteers, presenting on a community research project, and learning how to lead volunteer days.
Second-Year Greenagers are those who have graduated from the program previously. Duties include completing the daily program summary, planning a project day, providing feedback for staff, mentoring First-Year Greenagers, conducting evaluations for their mentees, leading the First-Year Greenagers in icebreakers, restoration, and environmental education activities. Previous Greenager graduates are welcome to apply for the Second-Year positions.

Application Opening: October 16, 2026
Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Deadline: FILE IMMEDIATELY. Applications may close at any time but not before October 30, 2026, 5:00 pm.
Compensation: $25.00 hourly
Appointment Type: This position is a temporary exempt, as-needed appointment. This position is seasonal and will not result in an eligible list for a permanent civil service position. Employees serve at the will of the Appointing Officer.

HOW TO APPLY
Step 1 - Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately by clicking on the 'Apply Now' or 'I'm Interested' button and follow instructions as prompted; AND

Step 2 – Complete and submit the Supplemental Questionnaire by clicking on the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBKZ2nLH7qkhkKrBZPGHFVLIppn-v2Hu_gctjP9i1pX6K-HQ/viewform?usp=header

Step 3 - Previous Greenager graduates are welcome to apply for the Second-Year positions. For previous Greenager graduates ONLY: Please submit a cover letter describing yourself and the reason(s) you are interested in the Greenager program. All cover letters must be submitted to sfrpdgreenagers@sfgov.org by October 30, 2026, by 5:00 pm. [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.]

Note: Failure to complete ALL steps above will be considered INCOMPLETE and the applicant will be disqualified. Application, Supplemental Questionnaire, and cover letter are due on or before October 30, 2026, by 5:00 pm.

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.

Role description

Role Description
The Greenager Program is a San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Port of San Francisco Youth Stewardship and Leadership program. The program was created and designed to offer teens a chance to play an important role in the community by improving the City’s green spaces, raising awareness, creating place-based projects and/or projects based on issues or themes that participants value and are interested in. The program is for 9th to 11th graders who live in or attend a school in the Tenderloin, Northeast, or Southeast neighborhoods. Greenagers are trained and provided with multiple leadership opportunities. They lead public volunteer service projects, participate in community events, go on fun team excursions, and more.

These are general duties for Greenagers (High School Interns):

Learn proper tool usage and safety;
Learn how to steward the parks of San Francisco;
Assist with outreach during community events, including but not limited to setting up, breaking down, and tabling;
Participate in appropriate training, lesson plans, and team-building activities;
Participate in recreational activities that involve team bonding such as camping overnight, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.;
Motivate and support each other to encourage a strong working relationship within the team;
Complete forms, surveys and assignments by their due dates;
Provide feedback for staff and peer leaders;
Be responsible for your time in & out; and
Follow proper City and County of San Francisco Respect in the Workplace Policy guidelines and procedures.

How to qualify

1. You must be in 9th to 11th grade for the SFUSD 2026-27 school year and preferably LIVE IN or ATTEND a school in District 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, or 11. Other students who either live in or attend a school within San Francisco may be deemed eligible.

District 3: Chinatown
District 5: Western Addition, Fillmore
District 6: Tenderloin, Treasure Island
District 9: Portola, Bernal Heights
District 10: Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Silver Terrace
District 11: Excelsior, Crocker Amazon

*These are not full lists of the neighborhoods in each district—please look up your supervisory district if you do not see your neighborhood listed on: https://sfelections.org/tools/districts_lookup/.

2. You must have a current Social Security number - required for City and County employment.

Successful candidates will be required to obtain a Work Permit. A 2.0 GPA or higher may be required for a work permit. Students should NOT request a work permit at this time until notified of a job offer.

Desirable Qualification

Possession of at least 3 hours of volunteer work experience with SF Rec and Park or any organization in the Bay Area. (Verification of volunteer hours may be required upon request.)

What else should I know?

What else should I know?
All dates below are tentative and may be subject to change.

Interview Selection Process: November 19, 2026 – November 21, 2026
Processing date: January 9, 2026
Orientation and Start Work Date for Second-Year Greenagers - February 13, 2027
Orientation and Start Work Date for First-Year Greenagers - February 20, 2027

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 http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456

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.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

Applicants may be contacted by email about this announcement and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date.

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.

If you have any questions regarding the Greenager Program, please send an email to sfrpdgreenagers@sfgov.org. For questions regarding the application or selection process, please email the HR Analyst, Dorothy Young, at dorothy.s.young@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.