Career Opportunity

Apprentice Cement Mason I - OPS/BUF - Public Works (TEX)

Recruitment: REF56773V

Published: September 30, 2025

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

About:

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening: September 30th, 2025
Application Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through October 2nd, 2025 at 5pm, and will close any time thereafter.
Compensation Range: $72,410 - $83,616 Annually
Recruitment ID: TEX-7398-099006, REF56773V

Appointment Type: Temporary-Exempt (TEX), Category 18. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer and not exceed 36 months.

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLY:
 1. Complete this Apprentice Cement Mason I (7398 TEX) job application on SmartRecruiters;   AND

 2. Complete the 7398 TEX - Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ).  Interested applicants are required to complete both items: job application and SQ. Job applications will only be considered if supplemented by a complete SQ.

San Francisco Public Works (Public Works) has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at https://www.sfpublicworks.org about to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

Public Works currently has vacancies for the position of Apprentice Cement Mason I (7398) within our Operations division.

Role description

The Apprentice Cement Mason I position is an entry-level training role designed to develop the skills and competencies necessary for progression to a journey-level Cement Mason upon completion of the program.  Apprentices participate in guided hands-on training, structured development programs, and close supervision to ensure comprehensive skill-building. Apprentice Cement Masons support journey-level Cement Masons by performing routine tasks.

Important and Essential Duties:
As an Apprentice Cement Mason I, your duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Participates in a Joint Apprentice Training Committee Apprenticeship School through the recognized employee organization.
• Communicates and learns to work with supervisors, journey-level cement masons, and co-workers. Learning to follow work orders and directions.
• Prepares job sites by setting up safety tripods and scaffolding; may secure confined space job sites.
• Performs mixing and applying toppings, colors, grout, epoxy overlays, or waterproofing compounds following job specifications.
• Performs framing work, including placing and finishing curbs sidewalks, gutters, disability access ramps, and various other concrete structures.
• Participates in the demolition of flat work and concrete structures with the proper use of pneumatic tools, such as chipping guns, jackhammers, concrete saws, and other power equipment.
• Pour and finish concrete sidewalks, curbs, gutters, streets, disability access ramps, and steps using screeds, trowels and floats.
• Identifies and uses various hand and pneumatic tools and power equipment; cleans and otherwise maintains tools and equipment; and performs general maintenance.
• Learns to order materials and estimate concrete; assisted in laying out work for new construction or repair by measuring and calculating the correct type, materials and supplies necessary to complete the job.
• Loads and unloads materials, supplies, and equipment on and off trucks.
• Learns safety procedures and use of safety equipment, preparing job sites, proper concrete and debris disposal, tapering traffic, and pedestrian detouring.
• Basic learning of the scope of concrete work performed by the San Francisco Public Works Cement Shop.
• Communicate clearly and effectively to ensure you’re understood (written and verbal formats).

Essential Skills and abilities required for this apprenticeship program include but are not limited to:

• Climb ladders
• Crawl on hands and knees as needed to access work areas.
• Lift, drag, and/or move with assistance large and/or heavy equipment to truck bed level
• Ability to bend at the knees, waist, and back.
• Ability to stoop, squat, and kneel for extended periods.
• Remain in physically uncomfortable positions for prolonged durations.
• Lifting objects that weigh up to ninety (90) pounds and carrying them for distances up to fifty (50) feet.
• Basic arithmetic, including measuring, counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, calculating ratios, percentages and dimensions without a calculator.

Working Conditions:
The nature of the work requires exposure to inclement weather and hazardous materials and/or conditions.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:
Applicants must be on the current Northern California Cement Masons Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Apprentice applicant list.      OR

Applicants must be currently indentured Apprentice Cement Masons who are within the first period of the Cement Masons apprenticeship program.

License and Certification:

• Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license

Supplemental Information:
Appointees to this class must be Plasterers and Cement Masons Local #300 Union members.

Conditions of Employment:

• Valid Driver’s License: Applicants must possess and maintain a valid California Class C driver’s license with no restrictions that would prohibit them from legally performing the essential functions and duties of the role. 

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the selection process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.

• 2,000 hours as a 9916 within the past 12 months
• The ability to frame concrete slabs, sidewalks and/or curb gutters.
• The ability to place and finish concrete slabs, sidewalks and/or curb gutters.
• The ability to repair and replace concrete restoration
• Completion of the Multi-craft Core Curriculum (MC3) course.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at 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 in 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.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification from this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

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

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

1. Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ)
2. Successful completion of a written assessment to evaluate knowledge and skills required of the program. 
3. Successful completion of a physical agility test to measure the abilities required of the program.  

NOTE: If you are selected to advance, you will receive an email with supplemental questions to complete as part of the next round of screening.

*San Francisco Public Works reserves the right to modify the selection process to conform to administrative or operational necessity. The information in this announcement is subject to change and will be accompanied by a notice of amendment in this announcement. 

Only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the host department program's needs will move forward in the recruitment process.

The selection process will include evaluation of applications concerning minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the Department’s needs will be invited to the next steps in the selection process.  

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all the steps in the selection process.

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
   

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: At the City and County of San Francisco, we share a commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Each member of our organization is responsible and accountable for what they say and do to make San Francisco an inclusive and equitable place to live and work by employing fair and just practices to and for all.

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.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Analyst, Raquel Knighten, at Raquel.knighten@sfdpw.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.