Regulatory Specialist - Facilities - SFO (5620) - 161322

Career Opportunity

Regulatory Specialist - Facilities - SFO (5620) - 161322

Recruitment: RTF0161321-01125654

Published: April 29, 2026

Contact

Carmen Ng - carmen.ng@flysfo.com

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

Department: San Francisco International Airport
Job class: 5620-Regulatory Specialist
Salary range: $128,726.00 - $156,442.00
Role type: Permanent Civil Service What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
Exam type: Position Based Test
Rule: Rule of the List
List type: Entrance

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: Understanding the hiring process.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

Application Opening: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Application Deadline: This job announcement may close at any time but not before Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Salary Range: $128,726 - $156,442
Recruitment ID: PBT-5620-161322

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a world-class, award-winning airport that served more than 54 million guests in Fiscal Year 2025. SFO offers non-stop flights to 60+ international cities on over 40 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport also connects non-stop with 80+ U.S. cities on 10 domestic airlines.

As an enterprise department of the City & County of San Francisco, SFO has a workforce of approximately 1,900 City employees. In Fiscal Year 2021, SFO generated more than 28,000 direct jobs and $6.1B in business activity.

SFO is more than an airport— we are a dynamic organization where employees collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to support global travel, economic development, and public service. We are recognized as a leader in safety, environmental sustainability, and forward-thinking infrastructure, and continue to be at the forefront of transforming the travel experience.

Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values shape our culture and operations as we continue to build a supportive, purpose-driven workplace where all employees can thrive. Our mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first.

Learn more about careers at SFO at flysfo.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads.

Role description

Under supervision of the Environmental Operations Manager, the Regulatory Specialist supports the Environmental Operations Manager with compliance of the Airport’s environmental compliance program’s suite of regulatory obligations managed and maintained by the Airport’s Facilities Division. This is a dynamic, hands-on role that balances administrative oversight with extensive field work.

Track, develop, implement, report and/or enforce plans, policies and goals to ensure adherence to requirements set by the following environmental regulatory bodies: Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), Bay Area Air District (BAAD), Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA);
Advise and track environmental obligations, emerging regulations, permit and inspection processing, practices, and procedures;
Coordinate timely reporting and response to any incidents of non-compliance with permits and/or need to enforce or implement regulatory requirements related to these permits;
Prepare applications, plan, update, and/or report including but not limited to:
- Sewer System Management Plan,
- Airport’s Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan,
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit required reports, pollution prevention reports, sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) reports,
- Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA) compliance reports,
- Hazardous Material Business Plan (HMBP),
- Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC);
Participate in and conduct inspections of facilities to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations (such as construction site activities, wastewater and stormwater facilities, commercial and industrial discharges, underground/aboveground storage tanks, and hazardous waste management, etc.);
Collect, review, and analyze data from inspections;
Prepare annual reports to support compliance enforcement and enforcement actions;
Develop and implement wastewater and storm water pollution prevention and spill management programs;
Work cross-functionally with Airport Sustainability and Health & Safety teams to ensure compliance with Title V reporting, zero-waste policies, Cal/OSHA compliance, and hazardous waste compliance;
Act as the official California Underground Storage Tank (UST) System Operator for the Airport;
Drives city vehicles;
Perform duties as listed in the 5620 Regulatory Specialist class specification, which can be found on DHR’s website.

How to qualify

Education: A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in natural sciences, engineering, environmental or resource planning or a related field; AND
Experience: Four years of verifiable work experience in environmental permitting and regulations; environmental investigations; environmental or other regulatory compliance; or environmental project management; or utility regulatory analysis; AND
License and Certification: Possession of a valid California driver's license.

Substitution:

A Master’s degree in natural sciences, engineering, environmental or resource planning, public policy, economics or a related field may substitute for one (1) year of work experience.
A law degree may substitute for one (1) year of work experience.
A PhD in natural sciences, engineering, environmental or resource planning, public policy, economics, or related field may substitute for two (2) years of work experience.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

Experience with regulatory compliance and coordinating related environmental compliance programs and/or projects such as resource recovery, hazardous waste, and stormwater management/water quality.
Experience with the regulatory agencies databases such as Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS), California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS), GeoTracker, or California Environmental Reporting System (CERS).
Knowledge of issues related to water quality, treatment, hazardous waste management, and air quality.
Experience with applicable laws and regulations set by various federal, state and local environmental and regulatory agencies.
Application of how best to plan, organize and execute successful compliance schedules.
Knowledge of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and State’s Sanitary Sewer Overflow Order.
Knowledge of underground storage tank, emerging pollutant of concerns and spill management.
Experience preparing NPDES permit applications.
Experience working independently while also building and maintaining effective working teams and inter-departmental relationships.
Proficiency in programs for text editing, spreadsheet input and analysis, desktop publishing, database maintenance, slide presentations and related applications.
UST Designated Operator Certification.
CWEA Grade 1 Environmental Compliance Inspector certification (or higher).
QSP/QSD Certification
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) certification.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.

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.

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.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, 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 includes the following:

The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to interview.

Notes: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all the steps in the selection procedure.

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight: 100%) - Qualified candidates will come in person to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation. In order to advance, candidates must complete the Supplemental Questionnaire and it must be submitted before the provided deadline. The information provided on the Supplemental Questionnaire must be consistent with the information on the application and is subject to verification. Once submitted, applicant responses on the Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be changed. Applicants must achieve a passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation in order to be ranked on the eligible list.

The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas as described within this announcement.

Knowledge of: federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to air quality, resource recovery and hazardous waste and stormwater management/water quality, regulatory compliance, environmental programming, permit applications.

Additional Information:

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 are resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., because 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 six (6) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. To find Departments which use this classification, please see Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2023-24.pdf.

What else should I know?

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Customs Clearance: This position requires that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco International Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. An application for a U.S. Custom Access Seal may be submitted to Customs ONLY after employment has commenced. Employment in this position requires that the incumbent submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a Customs Access Seal. Per Civil Service Commission Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for this examination. Failure to acquire or maintain customs access, a requirement for this position, may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission. Customs Access Seal requirements and procedures are located in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 122, Sections 181 or 189.

Medical Examination: Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine his/her ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the physical minimum requirements.

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. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/].

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.

What else should I know?

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

Where 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.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen.

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 Department 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.

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, and @smartrecruiters.com).

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.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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.

Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Carmen Ng via email at carmen.ng@flysfo.com.