Career Opportunity

Housekeeper/Food Service Cleaner (2706) - Citywide - (A00031)

Recruitment: REF61226Q

Published: October 20, 2026

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

About:

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

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.

Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

• Application Opening: October 20, 2026
• Application Deadline: This job announcement may close at any time but not before November 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT; interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
• Salary Range: $63,284.00 - $76,882.00
• Recruitment ID: CBT-2706-A00031
• Rule: Rule of the List

The in-person written examination is scheduled to be administered on the week of December 1, 2026 at the San Francisco International Airport.

The resulting eligible list will be used to fill positions at the following departments:

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a world-class, award-winning airport that served more than 54 million guests in Fiscal Year 2025. SFO offers non-stop flights to 60+ international cities on over 40 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport also connects non-stop with 80+ U.S. cities on 10 domestic airlines.

As an enterprise department of the City & County of San Francisco, SFO has a workforce of approximately 1,900 City employees.

SFO's mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Headquartered in San Francisco, SFPUC has 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.

SFPUC’s mission is to provide 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.

Role description

Under general supervision, performs a variety of cleaning and housekeeping duties in connection with the maintenance of quarters for interns, physicians, nurses, student nurses, lodgers at Hetch Hetchy project, and others; OR performs a variety of cleaning duties in connection with Airport food courts.

The essential functions of this classification include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Maintenance of floors which include sweeping, mopping, and buffing using various tools which may include traditional and commercial methods. Replenishes supplies, as needed.

2. Assists in stripping and waxing floors.

3. Cleans, dusts, and polishes furniture and empties trash receptacles.

4. Moves and cleans tables and chairs as needed; removes used trays, dishes and food from table; keeps trays in order for distribution.

5. Operates commercial dishwashers and trash compactors.

6. Uses and reads Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and chemical solutions.

7. Provides information and assistance to the general public.

8. Ensures waste is disposed of according to recycling procedures.

9. Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

When assigned to quarters at Public Utilities Commission (Hetch Hetchy):

10. Changes bed linens, makes beds, and launders soiled linens.

11. Washes toilets, bathtubs and shower stalls daily; washes, stoves, refrigerators and sinks in kitchens; washes shelves, cleans cupboards, dishes, pots and pans; cleans inside windows and blinds.

12. Assists in the preparation and serving of meals.

Nature of Work:

The nature of the work requires sustained physical effort involving continuous light work and occasional heavy work in moving or lifting furniture and equipment, with some exposure to accident and injury hazard and disagreeable elements; ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds.

Employee must be willing to workday, swing or graveyard shifts which may include weekends and holidays.

Some positions at Hetch Hetchy may be required to work at guest facilities and bunk houses located in remote areas, requiring incumbents to stay several days or weeks at a time.

How to qualify

1. Experience:

a. One (1) year of verifiable experience in cleaning at a food court or restaurant;

OR

b. One (1) year of verifiable experience in general cleaning and housekeeping at a government or private institutional facility (such as schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, etc.) or a large commercial facility (such as stadiums, auditoriums, arenas, hotels, etc.).

In addition to the Minimum Qualifications stated above, positions at Hetch Hetchy require:

2. License and Certification: 

a. Food Safety Sanitation Certificate is required within 30 days of appointment; AND

b. Possession of a valid California Driver's License.  

Note: Positions at Hetch Hetchy will be required to drive in inclement weather and on mountain roads.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

** If you have a Food Safety Sanitation Certificate, please attach/submit it with your application.

Verification:

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education 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/experienceeducation/.

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 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:

Written Multiple-Choice Examination (Weight: 100%):

Candidates meeting the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a multiple-choice written examination. The written examination is designed to assess candidate's knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include, but not limited to: knowledge of methods, materials and supplies used in cleaning and housekeeping work; ability to perform repetitive manual cleaning tasks without continuous supervision; follow oral and written instructions; establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships.

The in-person written examination is scheduled to be administered on the week of December 1, 2026, at the San Francisco International Airport.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the written examination in order to be ranked in the eligible list score report.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review.

NOTE: Only those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be notified of the exact date, time and place to report for the examinations.  Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

What else should I know?

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., because of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 6 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. To find Departments which use this classification, please see Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Customs Clearance: This position requires the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco International Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. An application for a U.S. Custom Access Seal may be submitted to Customs ONLY after employment has commenced.  Employment in this position requires that the incumbent submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a Customs Access Seal.  Per Civil Service Commission Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for this examination.  Failure to acquire or maintain customs access, a requirement for this position, may be basis for termination of employment with the Airport Commission. Customs Access Seal requirements and procedures are located in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 122, Sections 181 or 189.

Medical Examination: Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine his/her ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the physical minimum requirements.

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 at https://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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

How 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. No other methods of application will be accepted.

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

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

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Exam analyst, Carmen Ng, via email at Carmen.Ng@flysfo.com.

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.