Watershed Forester (3486) - Natural Resources & Lands Management Division, Sunol, CA - SFPUC (154114)

• Application Opening: 06/13/2025
• Application Filing Deadline: 06/23/2025
• Annual Salary: $120,926 to $162,032
• Recruitment ID:  RTF0154099-01157738 (TEX-3486-154114)

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt (TEX): This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)

Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees working in seven counties with a combined annual operating budget of over $900 million.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality.

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

About the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division

The Natural Resources and Lands Management (NRLM) Division within the Water Enterprise of the SFPUC is responsible for the management of approximately 61,000 acres of Bay Area watershed lands under SFPUC ownership as well as 150 miles of utility right-of-way. NRLM Division is responsible for managing, protecting, restoring, and monitoring the ecological resources on these lands and environmental compliance for the operations and maintenance of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. We are committed to responsible natural resources management that protects and restores viable populations of native species and maintains the integrity of the ecosystems that support them for current and future generations. We strive to become a leader in science-based and collaborative environmental stewardship in order to continue providing high-quality and reliable water supplies to our customers. 

Project Name: Alameda Watershed Storm Repair and Asset Management 

The objectives of this project are to 1) repair outstanding storm-related, or deferred maintenance damage to watershed roads, ponds and drainages, along with associated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) documentation in the Alameda watershed, and 2) develop a watershed road maintenance and repair program, and 3) support the development of an asset management system for roads, culverts, ponds and other infrastructure throughout the Alameda watershed to ensure infrastructure remains in good condition for access, safety and fire protection.

Position Summary

Responsibilities will include prioritizing repairs, selecting contractors, overseeing design and construction, managing budget and contracts, and providing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) documentation for reimbursement. During design and construction, the position must consider soil erosion, special status species, plant communities, wildlife, cultural artifacts, and fire risk reduction. This position will also be responsible for developing a system to absorb a new responsibility of watershed road maintenance which is being transferred from the Water Supply Treatment (WST) Division to the Natural Resources & Lands Management (NRLM) Division. As part of this transfer, the position will be responsible for developing a new assessment management system consistent with the Water Enterprise asset management system for watershed infrastructure including inventory, condition assessment, and protocols for inspections and prioritizing repairs. As part of this project, this position will conduct field work, develop, and manage asset inventory, develop and manage project budgets, supervise contractors and staff, obtain permits, draft reports, and collaborate with other members of the watershed management team to achieve the Watershed Management Plan goals.

This position will report directly to the Watershed Resources Manager for Alameda and Tuolumne watersheds. This position will work closely with the Area Land Manager/Rangeland Manager, the Supervising Biologist, and the Watershed Keeper Supervisor to prioritize and complete work. This position will also coordinate closely with the Planning and Compliance section and the Peninsula watersheds team to ensure work is permitted in a timely manner, to align work practices and to develop an asset management system for watershed infrastructure. 

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Repair damaged road and culverts, ponds, and drainages in the Alameda watershed. 
2. Restore soil erosion on slopes, gullies, and riparian areas.
3. Consider soil erosion, special status species, plant communities, wildlife, cultural artifacts and fire risk reduction during project design and construction.
4. Coordinate as needed within the division to ensure watershed projects have necessary environmental permits. 
5. Develop and manage program budgets; Obtain and oversee contracts to accomplish work, including developing scopes of work, approving invoices and tracking budget.
6. Supervise project contractors and staff.
7. Coordinate across the Water Enterprise and with regional open space agencies to ensure implementation of best available science and management practices.
8. Maintain accurate records in GIS, Excel and other asset management tools such as Maximo or related database.
9. Support development of asset management system for Alameda watershed infrastructure including inventory, condition assessment, and protocols for inspection, prioritization and repair.
10. Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 40 hours/week; Monday – Friday

Work Location: 505 Paloma Way, Sunol CA 94586

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

1. Requires possession of a valid license as a professional Forester issued by the California State Board of Forestry.

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

Desirable Qualifications:

• Professional experience in forest or watershed management.
• Professional experience in supervising professional staff.
• Professional experience in administrative tasks.
• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

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. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification

For applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees or education from Non-Accredited Schools, please visit How to Verify Education Requirements | SF.gov

• 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

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

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

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).

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.

Job Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the job analyst at [email protected].

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.