Career Opportunity

Homelessness Policy Specialist - City Performance - Controller's Office (1824) -137958

Recruitment: RTF0137957-01154783

Published: August 02, 2023

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.

The Controller is the City’s chief financial officer. Our team includes financial, technology, analytical and other professionals who work hard to secure the City’s financial integrity and promote efficient, effective and accountable government. We hold ourselves to high standards and strive to be a model for good government. We value the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and lived experiences of our teams and clients in everything we do. We work in a collaborative and inclusive environment, promote equal opportunity, and invest in the professional development and wellbeing of our team members. You can expect to work alongside colleagues who are committed to serving the public with integrity and want to see positive impacts from their work. We are looking for smart, motivated individuals who want to make a difference and use government to play a role in solving our City’s problems, including working with departments to address long-standing and harmful disparities in our communities. For a career with purpose and professional growth, join us in the Controller’s Office.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

• Application Opening: 7/21/2023
• Application Deadline: 8/9/2023
• Compensation Range: $131,248 to $159,562 annually

Role description

Within the Controller’s Office, City Performance is made up of 38 individuals committed to public service. Our team members come from different professional backgrounds, bringing a variety of skill sets, policy area expertise, and interests to work collaboratively to improve local government. City Performance’s goals are to:

• Support City departments in making transparent, data-driven decisions.
• Guide City departments in aligning programming with resources for greater efficiency and impact.
• Provide City departments with the tools they need to innovate, test, and learn.

We work directly with City departments across a range of subject areas, including transportation, public health, human services, homelessness, capital planning, public safety and government operations. Our work with City departments includes a mix of data analysis and visualization, facilitation and inter-departmental collaboration, project management, process improvement, performance measurement and management, and contracting.

Homelessness Policy Specialist Position:

Under general supervision of a Project Manager, the Homelessness Policy Specialist conducts complex analytical projects assessing and analyzing homelessness programs, policies and data. Additionally, the position administers and conducts policy and data analysis for the Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee.

Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee Coordination (approximately 50% of role)

The Controller’s Office is charged with administration of the Our City, Our Home (OCOH) Oversight Committee. Approved by voters in 2018, the OCOH Fund uses a special business tax to create $300 million in revenue dedicated to housing, shelter, behavioral health and prevention services for households experiencing homelessness.  Under the ordinance, the Committee must conduct a needs assessment every three years, make annual recommendations to commissions, the Mayor and Board of Supervisors about appropriations from the Fund, promote transparency and cultural sensitivity in the City’s implementation of the Fund, and solicit input from impacted communities. Find materials about the Committee here: www.sf.gov/ocoh.

You will work with the Committee chair, members, and participating City department staff to:

• Develop an annual work plan for the Committee.
• Prepare content for monthly in-person public meetings aligned with that plan.
• Facilitate a process for the committee to develop annual budget recommendations.

You will conduct complex policy and data analysis to:  

• Administer the Ordinance-required needs assessment, including developing a framework for analysis, gathering and analyzing needed qualitative and quantitative data, engaging stakeholders, and reporting on the results.
• Develop annual reporting related to the use and impact of the Fund, including developing or overseeing the development of public-facing dashboards documenting the impact of the investments made with the OCOH Fund.

You will coordinate with and oversee the work of the Committee Secretary to maintain records and host public meetings. You may also oversee project-based work of analytical staff assigned to conduct specific analyses, such as annual reporting and/or needs assessment.

Analytical Projects related to Homelessness (approximately 50% of role)

The Controller’s Office has developed a multi-year plan to assess the City’s response to homelessness, improve public reporting on homelessness, and develop capacity building and technical assistance projects that support the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to implement its programs. The Homelessness Policy Specialist brings specific expertise in issues regarding homelessness, as well as a strong data and performance management background to support the implementation of this body of work.

You will work on at least one and up to three projects per year, concurrent with ongoing work to manage the OCOH Oversight Committee. Under general direction of a project manager, and in collaboration with other analytical staff, you will:

• Lead the development of detailed project plans, including scope and objectives, project timelines, and work breakdowns and task assignments.
• Lead implementation of project strategies, which may include qualitative analysis (interviews, surveys, etc.), quantitative analysis (including administrative and service-level data), process analysis, equity analysis, benchmarking and best practice research, performance tracking and public reporting, and other methodologies as designed through project planning.
• Lead the development of high-quality work products, including reports, infographics, dashboards, and/or presentations to communicate project results to the public and City stakeholders.
• Supervise and coach junior and senior analytical staff assigned to a given project, including assigning and reviewing project tasks, providing training, and evaluating staff performance. 
• Work collaboratively with all staff, encourage team members to challenge themselves and learn from each other, and actively contribute to team efforts.
• Participate in organizational development initiatives, including annual work planning, strategic planning, staff committees, etc.
• Other duties as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate:

• You are a critical thinker, and enjoy using problem-solving skills to examine problems, develop strategies and plans, and work toward solutions.
• You have deep expertise in programs or policy related to homelessness, and have at least three years’ experience in a lead role conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses related to homelessness policy or programs, and/or facilitating complex multi-stakeholder meetings or working groups related homelessness policy or programs.
• You have a passion for government service or public policy.
• You are a self-starter who can work independently on multiple projects within an evolving project landscape.
• You have strong communication and organizational skills.  
• You are eager to have a lasting impact on people’s lives and City services.

How to qualify

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e. special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the job ad.

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and five(5) years full-time equivalent experience performing professional-level analytical work. Qualifying professional-level analytical work includes analysis, development, administration, and reporting in major programs and functions of an organization in the areas of budgets, contracts, grants, policy, or other functional areas related to the duties of positions in the 182X Class series.

Substitution:

Possession of a graduate degree (Master's degree or higher) from an accredited college or university with major coursework in specialized subject matter areas such as public or business administration, management, business law, contract law, public policy, urban studies, economics, statistical analysis, finance, accounting or other fields of study closely related to the essential functions of positions in the Class series may be substituted for one (1) year of required experience.

Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of 2 years). Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one year.

What else should I know?

Selection Procedures: 

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Written Core Examination (Weigh 30%), Supplemental questionnaire (Weight 70%) Candidates will be invited to participate in a written, multiple-choice examination, designed to measure their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas. The "core" multiple-choice examination component may include but not be limited to:

• Ability to evaluate/analyze information/data and to exercise good judgment relative to that evaluation or analysis.
• Ability to communicate written information (includes ability to proofread).
• Knowledge of, and ability to apply, financial/fiscal principles (including the ability to use mathematical and statistical formulas).
• Ability to comprehend and understand written information.
• Ability to use various computer software programs.
• Ability to conduct research.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships.
• Knowledge of, and the ability to apply, principles, practices and procedures
• involving office operations.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review. Any score attained on the Core Exam will be valid and "banked" for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three year time period, you will not be required to take any test components for which you have already attained a score. If the selection process for the future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination and it includes the core exam, your score for this test component will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your test score(s) to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test component(s).

Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which the test component (core or specialty subtest) is used. Please note that, should you retest, your retest score would become your official score since it is the most recent.

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and achieve a passing score on the Core Exam will be emailed a Supplemental Questionnaire. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position.  All candidates’ responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are subject to verification. All relevant experience, education and/or training must be included in the responses in order to be reviewed in the rating process.

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.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

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/.

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
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

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 “I’m Interested” 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 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 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.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

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.