Career Opportunity

Utility Budget and Contract Specialist (5602) - Natural Resources & Lands Management Division - SFPUC (141467)

Recruitment: RTF0141466-01152166

Published: December 08, 2023

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About:

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

• Application Opening Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
• Application Filing Deadline: Friday, December 22, 2023 at 11:59PM (PDT)
• Recruitment ID: PBT-5602-141467/RTF0141466-01152166
• Location: 525 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102

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 here.

Role description

About the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division
The Natural Resources and Lands Management (NRLM) Division within the Water Enterprise of the SFPUC is responsible for the management of approximately 61,000 acres of Bay Area watershed lands under SFPUC ownership as well as 150 miles of utility right-of-way. NRLM Division is responsible for managing, protecting, restoring, and monitoring the ecological resources on these lands and environmental compliance for the operations and maintenance of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. We are committed to responsible natural resources management that protects and restores viable populations of native species and maintains the integrity of the ecosystems that support them for current and future generations. We strive to become a leader in science-based and collaborative environmental stewardship in order to continue providing high-quality and reliable water supplies to our customers.                

About the Position
Under the direction of the Division Manager, the Utility Budget and Contract Specialist will support the Natural Resources and Lands Management (NRLM) Division’s watershed and rights of way operations and maintenance efforts using a variety of budget and contract service mechanisms, such as contract management and negotiation, budget planning, reallocation and tracking of funds, data collection, project planning, and long-term maintenance scheduling. NRLM assets include the Alameda Creek Watershed Center, Sunol Native Plant Nursery, watershed cottages, paved and unpaved roads, public trails, bridges, culverts, fences, fuel breaks and other vegetation management areas, ecological restoration sites, and grazing related infrastructure.  This position will work closely with staff from NRLM and other parts of the SFPUC as well as with other San Francisco departments and external stakeholders.

Working Relationships:  Utility Specialist will work routinely with internal and external partners in accordance with the needs and duties involved.  Partners may include engineers, biologists, maintenance personnel, administrative support, management, external vendors and contractors, and regulatory agencies.

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Procure and manage large maintenance and professional services contracts and agreements to support asset management activities such as planning, design, regulatory compliance, and implementation of operations and maintenance activities.        
2. Coordinate with SFPUC crews and contract managers to ensure staffing is available to perform planned maintenance and repair activities.          
3. Coordinate with project managers, and in some cases act as project manager, to implement asset management, maintenance, installation, and repair and replacement projects.
4. Coordinate with environmental review and environmental permitting staff to ensure environmental regulatory compliance and timely completion of projects.        
5. Coordinate with SFPUC crews or contractors to ensure maintenance work is completed at the scheduled time, on budget, and in accordance with plans, policies, and regulatory requirements.           
6. Track encumbrances and project expenditures against available budget to ensure sufficient funds are available for priority maintenance activities.   
7. Collaborate with SFPUC partners to support asset planning initiatives and develop programmatic maintenance needs. 
8. Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications: Minimum qualifications reflect the lowest level of acceptable education and/or experience required of an individual such that the individual reasonably could be expected to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position.  Candidates must meet all the requirements established by the MQs to be considered for the position. 

• Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university preferably with major coursework in Law, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources, Computer Science, Business Administration, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics or other field related to the utility business; AND
• Experience: Four (4) years of verifiable journey-level work experience in one or more of the following areas: planning, scheduling, cost estimating and resource projecting for mid to large scale projects; water supply/infrastructure management and planning; power operations planning and scheduling; analysis, interpretation and application of utility contracts and regulations in either water, power (electric and/or natural gas), telecommunications, or a wastewater/clean water program; utility market and environmental analysis and planning; power supply and transmission rates and contracts; generation, transmission or distribution planning and design; or long-term utility systems planning.
• License and Certification: Specified positions may require possession of a valid California Class C driver's license.

Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Note: One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) 

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

Verification of Education and Experience: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. For more information on how to verify your experience or education please click here. 

Verification of required work experience typically must be on the employer’s letterhead, and must include the applicant’s name, job title, description of job duties, dates of employment, hours per week, and signature of the employer, supervisor, or appropriate representative.

Employees of the City and County of San Francisco may submit performance evaluations showing duties performed to verify qualifying City experience. City employees will receive credit for the duties of the class to which appointed. Credit for experience obtained outside of the employee's class will be allowed only if recorded in accordance with the provisions of Civil Service Commission Rules. CCSF employees will not receive credit for experience obtained outside of their classification unless recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Rule 110.9.1/111A.11.2.

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 qualifying education is a copy of your transcript or diploma. For more information, please click here.

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.

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.

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: 

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): (Weight:  Qualifying) Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. 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.

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight:100%): 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be sent a Supplemental Questionnaire via electronic mail after the closing of this filing period. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure the knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas required for the position.  Applicants will be given a deadline to return the Supplemental Questionnaire. Those who do not respond by the established deadline will not be eligible to continue in the examination process and will not be added to eligibility list resulting from this process. All applicants’ responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are subject to verification. The Supplemental Questionnaire examination component may include but not be limited to:

• Knowledge of basic concepts and terminology related to drinking water utility operations and maintenance, including watershed land management.
• Ability or Skill to interpret and apply regulations, contracts and policy directives; use independent judgment within established policies.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with those contacted with partners; instruct others in work procedures; demonstrated skill working collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability or Skill to strong written and oral communication skills.

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process and be placed on the eligible list. 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.

NOTE:  Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection 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 twelve (12) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Ten.  The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see here.

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 here.

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.

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.sf.gov/ 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 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, @careers.sf.gov 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.

Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Laurie Gee via email at LGee@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.