Career Opportunity

College Hill Garden Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator - External Affairs - SFPUC (3374)

Recruitment: RTF0136403-01061358

Published: November 16, 2023

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

About:

• Application Opening: 11/15/2023
• Application Filing Deadline: 12/01/2023 
• Annual Salary: $85,462 to $103,870 Annually 
• Recruitment ID: RTF0136403-01061358 (136404)

This is a Position Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

WHO ARE WE?
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 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.

Our Mission: To provide our 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.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality.

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

Role description

The College Hill Learning Garden is owned and operated by the SFPUC with the goal of educating the next generation of environmental stewards. At the Learning Garden, the SFPUC provides free field trips and educational experiences for youth in the elementary grade levels (primarily grade levels 3rd through 5th but occasionally youth in grade levels K through 12th). Through unique site-specific curricula, youth make connections between the water, power, and sewer services of the SFPUC and key eco-literacy concepts which support their growth toward becoming environmental stewards.

This position is responsible for all operational and educational activities at the College Hill Learning Garden. Primary responsibilities include site management, teaching, and instruction. Position responsibilities also include administration of educational programming at the College Hill Learning Garden, scheduling field trip visits with teachers and schools, coordination with various internal and external stakeholders including developing relationships with SFUSD teachers, developing College Hill community support and interest, maintaining educational vegetable gardens and acting as a good neighbor to the community surrounding the College Hill Learning Garden.

This position is part of the SFPUC’s Community Benefits Team. The SFPUC was among the first utilities in the nation to adopt an Environmental Justice Policy and later, a Community Benefits Policy, and the Community Benefits team is tasked with ensuring that the SFPUC is in compliance with these policies. This position reports to the SFPUC’s Arts and Education Program Manager.

Essential Functions:

TEACHING & OUTREACH: 50%

• Manage all site operations and all educational programming at the garden.
• Lead instruction for all fieldtrips to the College Hill Learning Garden, including leading hands-on outdoor fieldtrips for youth and adults in both small groups and large groups.
• Facilitate hands-on field trips for SFUSD students utilizing existing College Hill Learning Garden curriculum and best practices in outdoor education.
• Outreach and coordinate with SFUSD Schools for enrollment in fieldtrip availability. Outreach will be targeted to SFUSD students in grades 3rd through 5th.
• Implement educational curriculum which is aligned with the SFPUC’s Big Ideas educational framework and the NGSS.
• Develop and/or deepen a partnership with underserved schools in San Francisco, as well as the four schools closest to College Hill (Fairmount, Junipero Serra, Leonard Flynn and Paul Revere ES).
• Coordinate with non-profit providers to provide community involvement days at College Hill for residents of Bernal Heights, Mission and other nearby neighborhoods. 
• Lead and facilitate regular weekend open-garden hours to allow for community exploration and engagement.
• Develop, outreach and facilitate virtual educational engagements for SFUSD youth centered on the SFPUC’s Big Ideas, existing College Hill Learning Garden fieldtrip curriculum and SFPUC operations. 

CULTIVATING EDUCATIONAL VEGETABLE GARDENS: 20%

• Manage the College Hill Learning Garden so that all site assets perform their educational functions;
• Coordinate the maintenance of garden equipment, grey and green infrastructure, and garden irrigation;
• Ensure the site is safe for all and secure when staff are not present (ensuring gates are locked, tools are locked in tool shed, etc.)

ADMINISTRATION AND REPORTING: 30%

• Manage, schedule and assign tasks and responsibilities to the Garden Associate and Garden Interns.
• Manage, schedule and assign tasks to students and volunteers.
• Track and measure Key Performance Indicators related to the operation of programs at the College Hill Learning Garden, such as: number of students served, student demographics, number and types of field trips/lessons conducted, number of schools participating in a field trip, number of adult classes/community involvement days, and pounds of vegetables harvested.
• Communicate and coordinate with internal and external partners and stakeholders, as needed.

The 3374 Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator will perform other related duties as required.

How to qualify

Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND

Experience: One year (2000 hours) of experience supervising, coordinating or directing volunteer services and/or community outreach services in an organization which provides services to the public.

Substitution: Additional experience supervising, coordinating or directing volunteer and/or community relations services, as described above, may be substituted for up to two years of the required baccalaureate degree on a year-for-year basis.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted. 

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience in teaching environmental stewardship concepts to youth in grades K-12.
• Experience in maintaining teaching garden, including hands-on garden and physical infrastructure.
• Experience in establishing relationships with schools and coordinating field trips.

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

Verification:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process.

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. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Experience claimed in self-employment will only be accepted if supported by documents verifying income, earnings, business license and experience comparable to minimum qualifications above. Copies of income tax papers or other documents listing occupation and total earnings must be submitted.

Verification of required valid licensure/certification typically must be a photocopy of the license/certificate including the name of the issuing agency as well as the name of the license/certificate holder, license/certificate number, and expiration date.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Selection Procedures:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): Candidates will be required to complete a 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.

Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire (BCQ) (Weight: 100%)
Candidates will be prompted to complete a BCQ as part of the recruitment process. The BCQ is designed to measure applicant’s relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas, identified as critical for successful performance. These may include but are not limited to: Knowledge of teaching hands-on environmental stewardship curricula to youth in an outdoor setting, experience with environmental educational principles and practices, and experience using interpretive practices for environmental education, the ability to manage an outdoor education facility which is maintained with sustainable practices, as well as safe practices for engaging youth in a garden environment, and the ability to manage educational programs for youth, including coordinating and scheduling with teachers and administrative staff, reporting on activities, and planning with supervisors and staff.

All responses to the BCQ are subject to verification and must be consistent with the information provided in your application.

Passing Score: Candidates must obtain a passing score on the Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire in order to be placed on the score report for positions in this job class. 

Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions. Candidates scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of the Three (3). Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions. 

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 six (6) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2021-22.pdf.

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/ .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams 
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

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 “Apply Now” 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 updated. 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.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst Linda Muir at LMuir@sfwater.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.