Career Opportunity

Manager of Waterfront Development Projects (0931) - Port of San Francisco (160218)

Recruitment: RTF0156660-01113711

Published: July 14, 2026

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

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

• Application Opening: July 14, 2026
• Application Deadline: July 29, 2026
• Annual Compensation (Range A): $161,382 - $205,972 
• Recruitment ID: PBT-0931-160218

The Port of San Francisco is an enterprise agency of the City and County of San Francisco and is governed by a Commission of five members appointed by the Mayor. The Port Commission is responsible for overseeing a broad range of waterfront commercial, maritime, and public access facilities that are held in public trust for the people of California. The Port’s jurisdiction covers approximately 7.5 miles of waterfront land from Pier 98, near Hunter’s Point in the southern part of San Francisco, to Fisherman’s Wharf in the northern part of the City.

The Port’s diverse business portfolio includes over 550 ground, commercial, retail, office, industrial and maritime industrial leases including cargo shipping, layberthing, excursion boats, ferry boats, fishing and fish processing/distribution, tourism, filming, harbor services, and cruise operations. With some of the most flexible cargo handling facilities on the West Coast, as well as naturally deep water, the Port can handle various types of cargo such as, dry-bulk, neo-bulk, roll-on/roll-off, and project cargoes.

The Port of San Francisco has many internationally recognized landmarks such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, the Exploratorium, the Ferry Building and Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. With its unique and historic properties, the Port is home to a variety of tenants and uses. The Port Commission over the last five decades has led a remarkable transformation of the Port; maintaining its industrial maritime heritage while developing new uses, including commercial and public activities, that have helped San Francisco remain one of the most visited and popular cities on the globe.

For more information about the Port of San Francisco, visit SFPort.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 

Real Estate and Development Division

The Real Estate & Development Division is responsible for all leasing, property management, asset management, and development of the Port's commercial and industrial property along the 7.5 miles of Port property. The Port has over 500 commercial and industrial tenants, representing more than 20 million square feet of occupied space and approximately $52 million in annual revenue. This does not include leases to maritime tenants managed by the Maritime Division. Real estate asset and property management duties entail lease negotiations, lease and property administration and enforcement, and asset value enhancement.

Role description

Under general direction, the Manager of Waterfront Development Projects leads the structuring, negotiation, implementation, and execution of the Port's most complex waterfront real estate and infrastructure development transactions that advance the Port's strategic goals. The position oversees a multidisciplinary team of professional staff and project personnel responsible for advancing the Port's waterfront development initiatives. This role is central to delivering transformative public-private partnership projects along San Francisco's 7.5-mile waterfront while balancing economic vitality, public access, environmental stewardship, climate resilience, historic preservation, and equity.

The incumbent serves as the Port's senior development manager for high-profile public and private development initiatives, providing strategic leadership throughout all phases of project delivery – from project conception, financial feasibility analysis, and policy development through environmental review, regulatory approvals, transaction negotiations, public engagement, Commission approvals, implementation, and project closeout. Working collaboratively with internal divisions, City agencies, developers, community stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and elected officials, the incumbent develops innovative development strategies and transaction frameworks that further the Port's long-term waterfront vision and public trust responsibilities.

The essential functions of this position include:

Development Leadership and Project Management

• Leads and oversees the Port's most complex waterfront development, infrastructure, and public-private partnership (P3s), projects from project conception through implementation and closeout.
• Establishes project strategies, priorities, schedules, budgets, and transaction frameworks that support the Port's strategic, financial, operational, and policy objectives.
• Directs multidisciplinary teams responsible for planning, financial analysis, environmental review, regulatory approvals, real estate transactions, construction coordination, and project implementation.
• Monitors project performance, identifies issues affecting scope, schedules, or budgets, and develops solutions to advance project objectives.

Real Estate Transactions and Negotiations

• Structures, negotiates, and executes complex public-private partnerships (P3s), ground leases, disposition and development agreements, exclusive negotiation agreements, easements, and other real estate agreements for major waterfront development projects.
• Develops innovative transaction structures that balance public benefits, financial viability, operational needs, and long-term stewardship of Port assets.
• Evaluates financial feasibility, business terms, project risks, and market conditions to support informed decision-making and successful project outcomes.
• Identifies and mitigates legal, financial, operational, and reputational risks associated with complex development projects.

Regulatory Coordination and Public Process

• Directs environmental review and entitlement strategies to ensure projects comply with CEQA, NEPA, the Public Trust Doctrine, BCDC, State Lands Commission requirements, and other applicable federal, state, regional, and local laws and regulations.
• Coordinates public hearings, Port Commission actions, Board of Supervisors approvals, interagency coordination, and community engagement activities necessary to advance development projects.
• Represents the Port before regulatory agencies, elected officials, developers, neighborhood organizations, community stakeholders, and other public bodies.

Strategic Planning and Policy Development

• Develops policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives that support responsible waterfront redevelopment and implementation of the Port's Strategic Plan.
• Evaluates emerging development opportunities, legislative initiatives, industry trends, and market conditions affecting Port-owned properties and recommends strategic responses.
• Incorporates community benefits, workforce development, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and equity objectives into project planning and transaction negotiations.

Leadership and Organizational Management

• Provides leadership, supervision, mentoring, coaching, and performance management for professional staff responsible for waterfront development projects.
• Fosters a collaborative, innovative, accountable, and customer-focused work environment.
• Establishes performance expectations, allocates resources, and ensures projects are delivered efficiently and effectively.
• Promotes continuous improvement in project management practices, policies, and service delivery.

Executive Communication

• Prepares and presents reports, policy recommendations, project updates, and transaction strategies to executive leadership, the Port Commission, City officials, developers, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Communicates complex financial, legal, technical, and policy issues to diverse audiences and facilitates consensus among competing interests.

How to qualify

Education

Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Real Estate, Finance, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Law, or a related field; AND

Experience

Five (5) years of progressively responsible management-level experience leading complex waterfront, real estate development, infrastructure development, or public-private partnership projects, including negotiating major transaction agreements and coordinating multidisciplinary teams responsible for project planning, financial analysis, environmental review, regulatory approvals, public engagement, and project implementation; AND

License 

Possession of a valid California driver’s license (to be presented at time of appointment). Insurability under the Port’s automobile liability insurance must be maintained throughout employment.

Substitution

Education Substitution: Additional qualifying full-time work experience (2,000 hours equal one year) as described above may substitute up to two (2) years of the required education. One (1) year of work experience equals to 30 semester units or 45 quarter units.

Experience Substitution: Possession of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Master's degree may substitute for one (1) year of the required professional experience.

Desirable Qualifications (Ideal Candidate)

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring. 

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Experience structuring and negotiating complex public-private partnerships (P3s) and real estate transaction agreements, including Development Agreements, Disposition and Development Agreements, Ground Leases, and Exclusive Negotiation Agreements.
• Comprehensive knowledge of real estate finance, land use planning, waterfront development, and public sector real estate practices.
• Experience with CEQA, NEPA, the Public Trust Doctrine, BCDC, State Lands Commission requirements, and other regulatory processes governing waterfront development.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex, high-profile development projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships and effectively negotiate with developers, regulatory agencies, community organizations, elected officials, and other stakeholders.
• Experience incorporating community benefits, workforce development, climate resilience, historic preservation, sustainability, and equity objectives into development projects.
• Excellent written, verbal, public speaking, and presentation skills.

Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Card

This position requires that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the Port’s Maritime Transportation System (MTS).  An application for a TWIC card may be submitted after employment has commenced. Employment in this position requires that the incumbent undergo a criminal history check, immigration check and terrorist threat assessment, including FBI fingerprints, in order to determine eligibility for security clearance.  

The incumbent must submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a TWIC card. Per Civil Service Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the announcement for this examination. Failure to acquire or maintain a TWIC card, a requirement for this position, may be the basis for termination from employment with the Port Commission.

Note: TWIC requirements and procedures are located in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 49 U.S.C. 114, 40113, and 49 U.S.C. 5103a.

Verification

Please make sure it is clear on your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. 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.

Important Note(s):

• Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process.
• One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour 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.
• Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
• Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

What else should I know?

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

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation: (Weight: 100%)

Qualified candidates will be sent a link to complete Supplemental Questionnaire via email after the closing of this filing period. Applicants will be given a deadline to return the Supplemental Questionnaire. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas which have been identified as critical for positions in class 0931 Manager of Waterfront Development Projects, Port of San Francisco.

Note: Only those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications requirement will be sent an email with the link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications requirement are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process. Additional mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidate’s qualifications. 

Failure to complete these steps by the established deadlines will result in disqualification. All applicants’ responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are subject to verification.

A passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

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. 

Certification Rule: 

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

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be twelve (12) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

Upon approval of the Human Resource Director (see Civil Service Rule 111A.26.5), the eligible list/score report resulting from this announcement may be used by other departments that also use this classification or a similar classification. To find other Departments which use this classification, please see: Position Counts by Job Codes and Department.

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. Clerical errors may be corrected by posting the correction 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. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process. 

• Select the “Apply Now" button and follow instructions on the screen 

Recruitment Analyst Information:  If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact Victor Mena at victor.mena@sfport.com or Sadia Afandi at sadia.afandi@sfport.com. 

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. 

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. 

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

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.