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Career Opportunity

Inspector General - Office of the Controller (1688) - 158148

Recruitment: REF54082W

Published: July 17, 2025

Contact:

Nancy Giang - nancy.giang@sfgov.org

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

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Department: Controller
Job class: 1688-Inspector General, Controller's Office
Starting salary range: $167,336.00 - $213,512.00 (Range A)
Role type: Permanent Exempt What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
 

About:

Who We Are

The Controller is the chief financial officer and auditor for the City and County of San Francisco. The Controller’s Office team includes financial, audit, analytical, technology and other professionals who work hard to secure the City’s financial integrity and promote efficient, effective and accountable government. We hold ourselves to the highest 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.

  • Application Opening: July 17, 2025
  • Application Deadline: This announcement may close at any time but no sooner than 5:00 PM on Friday, August 15, 2025. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
  • Compensation Range: $167,336 - $213,512 (Range A)
  • Recruitment ID: PEX-1688-158148

Role description

Inspector General - Office of the Controller

Since its creation in 2003 via a voter-approved mandate, the City Services Auditor has been actively and successfully assisting the Controller in fulfilling its mission by providing best in class audit, investigative and analytical services to improve the integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of government services and functions citywide. The City Services Auditor is legislatively funded annually by two-tenths of one-percent of the City and County’s approximately $16 billion budget.

In November 2024, San Francisco voters passed Proposition C, amending the City Charter to establish the role of Inspector General within the Office of the Controller’s City Services Auditor function. The new Inspector General position will be an additional component to the Controller’s accountability framework, with expanded investigative powers and a broad mandate to address public corruption, focusing on preventing, detecting, and investigating violations of law or policies involving fraud, waste, or abuse, as well as making recommendations regarding city ordinances, rules, regulations, or policies that impact public integrity.  

The Inspector General’s mandates and duties include the following:

  • Prevent, detect, and investigate violations of law or policy involving fraud, waste, and abuse. Investigate abuse or conflicts of interest related to contracting procedures.
  • Review complaints and collaborate with the City Services Auditor on audits, inspections and monitoring.
  • Consult regularly with the Ethics Commission, City Attorney, District Attorney, and/or Department of Human Resources to coordinate the departments’ investigative strategies in matters involving fraud, waste, or abuse to the extent feasible.
  • Make recommendations to the Mayor’s Office, Board of Supervisors, or any city agency regarding city ordinances, rules, regulations, or policies that impact public integrity.
  • Publicly report twice a year to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors. 
  • Through the Controller’s authority, subpoena or compel testimony from city employees or persons or entities seeking a thing of value from the City such as vendors and nonprofit organizations seeking city grants.
  • Through the Controller’s authority, execute search warrants to the extent permitted by the State.

The Ideal Candidate:

The Controller’s Office is seeking to fill the Inspector General position with a highly qualified government accountability professional with a proven record of outstanding leadership in promoting public integrity. The ideal candidate will have investigative and/or auditing experience grounded in professional standards and will have highly effective communication skills involving complex and sensitive topics and presenting them to a variety of audiences.  They must be able to engage in effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to carry out the Inspector General’s responsibilities consistent with the ballot measure and all relevant policies, procedures, laws and regulations. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to operate in a complex public sector environment, as well as maintain and enhance the Controller’s Office reputation for integrity, independence, and analytical rigor in the performance of all duties, and model these qualities.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicant must meet all of the following Minimum Qualifications by the application filing deadline unless otherwise noted:

  • Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND
  • Experience: Eight (8) years of professional experience in auditing, investigations, or compliance, of which at least three (3) years must include experience supervising professionals.
  • Experience Substitution: Possession of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Master’s degree may substitute for one (1) year of the required professional experience.

**IMPORTANT: Please upload a resume and cover letter. Cover letters should explain your interest in the role and how the experience and skills detailed on your resume makes you a qualified applicant. Please limit cover letters to no more than 3 pages. Applications with a cover letter will be given priority.

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.

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.

Selection Process:

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications. Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

What else should I know?

Appointment Type:

This a Permanent Exempt (PEX) recruitment conducted in accordance with the City Charter Section 10.104 and is exempt from the competitive Civil Service examination process. Exempt employees are considered “at will: and serve at the discretion of the appointing officer (Controller).

Work Location:

This position is located at the Controller’s Office, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco. 

Compensation and Benefits:

The normal annual salary range A is $167,336 and $213,512. Appointment above the maximum of the normal range may be considered based on documented and substantiated recruitment and retention issues or exceptional skills. A special approval process is necessary for appointment above the normal salary range.

In addition, the City and County of San Francisco (City) offers comprehensive benefit programs that include:

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

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.