Career Opportunity

Architect Principal - Citywide (5212) - (C00344)

Recruitment: REF49778E

Published: March 07, 2025

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.

Important Information & Application Steps

Application Instructions:

1. Use your personal email—school and work emails may become inaccessible.
2. Ensure you list your PE licenses in the application.
3. We review your application, NOT your resume—complete it fully and highlight your relevant experience.
4. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification.
5. If interested in other specialties, apply separately for each.

Application Opens: March 7, 2025
Application Filing Deadline: 5:00 PM on March 21, 2025

After Submitting Your Application:

1. Confirmation Email: Verify you receive a confirmation email. If not, your application was NOT successfully submitted.
2. Connect with us: Add our emails to your contacts to avoid delays in updates. SFHR Email Extensions
3. Save a Copy: Retain a copy of the recruitment announcement for reference (List ID: CBT-5212-C00344)
4. Contact Information: For any questions, contact Tamara Ranney at tamara.ranney@sfgov.org.

Role description

Under general administrative direction, the Principal Engineer/Architect manages, plans, assigns and directs the activities of several units or a group of professional and sub-professional engineering/architectural personnel engaged in a wide variety of design and/or construction projects.

The essential functions of the class may vary depending upon assignment and may include:

• Planning, directing and coordinating the design activities of a number of major sections engaged in complex engineering and/or architectural projects.
• Establishing, preparing, managing, reviewing and monitoring organizational budgets.
• Establishing and evaluating organizational goals and objectives; planning, coordinating and directing the activities of professional engineering and/or architectural personnel with those of contractors, subcontractors, state and local agencies, and inspection and construction personnel.
• Supervising subordinate personnel, completing performance appraisals, and participating in the disciplinary process when necessary.
• Establishing design and construction standards; reviewing and approving correspondence, reports, estimates and other materials.
• Writing policies, procedures, correspondence and evaluations.
• Conducting important negotiations with representatives of government and architectural and engineering agencies.
• Coordinating, interpreting, and enforcing policies; conferring and coordinating with operating division managers, other departments, and state and local agencies.
• Making presentations to boards, organizations, and the public.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

   1. Nine (9) years verifiable professional architecture work experience of which six (6) years of that experience must be as a licensed professional architect. Two (2) of the nine (9) years must be equivalent to the City and County of San Francisco class 5211 Senior Architect;

AND

   2. Possession of a valid California License as a Registered Architect.  (Please indicate your PE license number and expiration dates in Education Section)

Substitutions for Architecture Specialty:

1.  A Master's Degree in Architecture may substitute for 1 (one) year of work experience.
2.  A PhD in Architecture may substitute for 2 (two) years of work experience.

This note applies to all candidates who are applying from out of the state of California for all specialties:

1. Candidates licensed in other states who otherwise meet the minimum requirements of this announcement, but do not possess the required California license, may file for this examination, and if successful, will be placed under waiver on the resulting eligible list until the required California license is presented.

License or Certificate:

Some positions may require a valid driver license.

Working Conditions: Some positions may require specific lifting up to 50 pounds; climbing ladders; working in high places and confined spaces; exposure to various weather conditions and outdoors; bending, sitting, and walking for extended periods of time and over uneven surfaces. Positions in this class may also be required to work specific schedules which may include weekends, holidays, part time, nights, and/or overtime.

Verification:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application, examination and/or departmental 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. For more information on verification, please visit the following links: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process/ and  https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

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.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours, (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hours work week), any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

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 with Training and Experience Evaluation (100%):

Candidates will be prompted to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire as part of the online employment application at a later time. This Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications for this position. Applicants must also complete the official application. It is essential that applicants provide complete information in identifying their education, experience and training.

The Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications and if so, it will also be used to determine the final score and rank on the eligible list/score report.

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 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.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of the List.

Please note: This Citywide recruitment and its resulting eligible list score report may be used to fill positions in various City departments.  

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

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights

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
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams 
• 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.

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 Dept. 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.

Upon successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive it, your application was not submitted successfully.
 
Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Tamara Ranney by email at tamara.ranney@sfgov.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.