Career Opportunity

Principal Administrative Analyst, Transit Division, SFMTA (1824)

Recruitment: RTF0164506-01159228

Published: March 17, 2026

Accepting applications until: March 31, 2026

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

About:

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the City. The SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking, traffic, walking, and taxis.

Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt - Full Time not to exceed three (3) years – This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. 

Application Opening Date: March 17, 2026

Application Closing Date: March 31, 2026

Recruitment ID: TEX-1824-164507

Location: 1455 Market St. 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

Compensation: $143,156 to $174,044 annually

Role description

The Train Control Upgrade Project (TCUP) is an SFMTA capital project which invests in the Muni Metro rail system by replacing the nearly 30-year-old Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) in the subway with a new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. The project also expands CBTC managed territory outside of the subways to the surface portions of Muni Metro, where signals and switches are currently independently operated in a first come, first serve configuration. Under CBTC, Muni’s entire rail network can be managed centrally with a single, modernized system. Replacing the ATCS with a state-of-the-art CBTC system will maintain the excellent safety record of the current system, while also increasing the subway’s efficiency and reliability.

With a $700 million capital budget, the Train Control Upgrade Project represents a bold step forward for SFMTA and the Muni Metro system. Through a phased implementation plan, an integrated team approach, and flexible contract structures, TCUP is designed to overcome challenges and set a new standard for urban transit infrastructure projects. With a targeted completion date of 2032, the project promises lasting benefits for San Francisco’s public transit system and its riders. Join this exciting team at the cutting edge of urban rail technology!

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Overall responsible for administration of the Train Control Upgrade Project. Acts as project management assistant and provides administrative analysis and support to the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager; assists the Project Manager and Deputy Project Manager in coordinating and/or negotiating complex administrative, organizational, policy, budget, fiscal, and other issues related to important functions of the project with outside departments, agencies and organizations;
• Carries out the budget and fiscal analysis necessary to administer and manage the Train Control Upgrade Project’s $700 million budget, such as forecasting, revenue and/or expense projections, rate analysis, cost/benefit analysis, needs analysis, trend analysis, variance analysis, net present value analysis, rate and modeling analysis, statistical analysis, program analysis, and organizational analysis; creates or supervises the creation of spreadsheets, documentation of findings, and analysis of alternatives; collaborates with project staff to clarify needs, issues and parameters;
• Responsible for procurement of all project services, materials and supplies at the direction of the Project Manager; drafts and processes requisitions and purchase orders; reconciles expenditures and processes payments/invoices;
• Processes and/or directs the processing of all Train Control Upgrade Project contracts in close collaboration with the SFMTA Contracts & Procurement Department, Contract Compliance Office, and City Attorney’s Office, including advertising for bids/proposals, receipt and review of bids, contract negotiation and award, and routing through signature/documentation process to certification; conducts competitive solicitation, review and selection processes, including receipt and review of bids, negotiation with potential contractors/vendors, and review/processing of approvals; supports processing and preparation of cost estimates, specifications and terms for new and existing contractual agreements;
• Administers all Train Control Upgrade Project contracts; directs and/or conducts analysis for monitoring and enforcement of contractual agreements to ensure compliance, including administration of work processes or computerized systems to track contract status; prepares and/or directs preparation of contract status reports; supports negotiations with contractors with regard to additional change orders, contract modifications, contract terms, claims and requests for cost reimbursement and provisions; directs and/or conducts review and preparation of cost estimates and terms for proposed change orders and contract modifications;
• Administers, monitors, and coordinates management of the project capital funding sources and/or grants; submits budget revision requests and funding requests to SFMTA Finance Division on behalf of the project; supports project compliance with funding, legal, service and other requirements; directs and/or conducts monitoring of project grant funding, ensures expenditures remain within the budget, shifts funds within guidelines; evaluates current financial procedures, interprets governmental accounting pronouncements and technical guidance;
• Prepares and/or directs the preparation of financial statements and reports, with policy recommendations and appropriate documentation, for management, Mayor's Office, Board of Supervisors, Controllers Office and various funding agencies; directs and/or conducts difficult and complex analyses related to determination of capital requirements and capital planning; presents reports, findings and recommendations to senior management staff, including formal presentations to groups.
• Responsible for ensuring the Train Control Upgrade Project complies with any project financial audits conducted by relevant local, state and federal funding authorities or regulators; coordinates all project participation and support in any audits, including preparation of audit schedules, furnishment of documents, provision of compliance to governmental accounting standards, etc;
• Develops, implements and monitors project document control, records and reporting systems; manages the project’s Sensitive Security Information (SSI) program, and processes for safeguarding confidential or proprietary information; makes recommendations, develops and implements new project administrative policies and procedures;
• Responds to project information requests, such as Sunshine Requests, by furnishing responsive records; consults with City Attorney’s Office as necessary to determine requirements and restrictions for disclosure.
• Coordinates with staff from other departments and agencies, and provides technical assistance to staff and contractors on departmental contracting policies, procedures and requirements; provides information to staff from the SFMTA Administration Division, City Attorney’s Office, Human Resources, Human Rights Commission, Civil Service Commission, and others;
• Represents the project to the Mayor's Office, Board of Supervisors, Controller's Office, other City officials, and outside agencies as directed by the Project Manager;
• Executes administrative processes on behalf of the project or on behalf of project personnel, such as staff resources management, facilities management, personnel requisitions, timekeeping functions, and travel claim reimbursements, etc., as assigned by the Project Manager;
• Supervises and trains project administrative staff; provides training and technical assistance to staff and contractors on departmental and City contracting policies, procedures and requirements;
• Reviews and manages workload assignment for project administrative staff and consultants as required;
• Performs other duties as required.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and

2. Five (5) years full-time equivalent experience performing professional-level analytical work. Qualifying professional-level analytical work includes analysis, development, administration, and reporting in major programs and functions of an organization in the areas of budgets, contracts, grants, policy, or other functional areas related to the duties of positions in the 182X Class series.

Substitution:

Possession of a graduate degree (Master's degree or higher) from an accredited college or university with major coursework in specialized subject matter areas such as public or business administration, management, business law, contract law, public policy, urban studies, economics, statistical analysis, finance, accounting or other fields of study closely related to the essential functions of positions in the Class series may be substituted for one (1) year of required experience.

Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of 2 years). Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one year.

Desirable Qualifications

• Strong analytical and writing skills.
• Possession of a graduate degree (Master’s degree or higher) in public or business administration, business or contract law, public policy or other related field.
• Three (3) years of experience in contract administration or capital project administration.
• Experience in public sector procurement, contract administration and project management (local, state, or federal government) especially with FTA funded procurements.
• Experience working with public transportation or in a public transit agency.
• Demonstrated experience with City and County of San Francisco financial systems (F$P, FAMIS, EcoSys, PeopleSoft, etc.).
• Working knowledge of City and County of San Francisco, State of California and federal laws, rules and regulations governing contracts and procurement; such as the San Francisco Administrative Codes on procurement, and/or the Federal Transit Administration’s Third-Party Contracting Requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to carry out responsibilities in a busy environment.
• Ability to prioritize; act with only general direction and keep tight timelines.
• Ability to work well with a diverse workforce.

What else should I know?

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification. 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.

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 Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process. 

• 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

This recruitment may be utilized to fill similar positions in this classification at SFMTA.

For questions or inquiries, please contact: Silvia Yuan, Human Resources Analyst at Silvia.Yuan@sfmta.com.  

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.