1070-IS Project Director

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

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

• Applications Open: October 21, 2025
• Applications Close: November 4, 2025 is the earliest the application process may close; however, it may be extended at the department's discretion.
• Application extension:  N/A
• Salary Range for 1070 - $165,334 - $207,974
• Recruitment ID: PBT-1070-143599

Are you passionate about Juvenile Justice, Public Safety, and the Community we serve? Are you a dedicated professional who wants to maximize their impact in the lives of some of San Francisco’s most marginalized youth? If so, we encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to join a team that is devoted to re-imagining Juvenile Justice, committed to racial equity, and focused on ensuring long-term public safety through the development, enrichment, and accountability of young people we serve throughout San Francisco. Click here to read more about the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department (JPD). 

Located near Twin Peaks with free on-site parking, JPD is easily accessible by public transportation. JPD’s IT team is currently composed of six professionals, including one IS Engineers, two IS Business Analysts, and two IT Operations Support Administrators.  

The Director of IT provides strategic planning and technical leadership for all information technology services, applications, and initiatives of the Juvenile Probation Department. This leadership role is responsible for shaping and executing agency-wide IT policies, goals, and objectives. The Director of IT oversees all operational technologies and IT support service delivery and leads the planning and implementation of major technology projects and a wide range of infrastructure initiatives. These include the Juvenile Probation case management system, network modernization, data center enhancements, telecommunications upgrades, video surveillance management systems, systems automation (e.g., the full Outlook 365 application suite), and 24/7 operational support that may require attention during the evenings or weekends.  

Under administrative direction, plans, directs and coordinates the operations and activities of a shop of moderate complexity or a distinct and/or varied unit of a complex shop; exercises discretion in applying general goal and policy statements and in resolving organizational and service delivery problems; may manage projects across sectional lines and/or major development projects; assumes supervisory responsibilities, including performance evaluations, training, selection and disciplinary actions.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

The IS Project Director class is the highest level in the IS professional series. This class is distinguished from the supervisory level in the various IS series by its higher and interdisciplinary responsibility. It is distinguished from the IS Director/Manager series by the lower complexity and scale of the units managed. Work is accomplished within a broad framework, with sole authority and responsibility in a given functional area(s) of service. Requires creative ability, resourcefulness and discriminating judgement in the analysis and solution of complex problems, and the ability to make technical decisions on specialized matters. Work is reviewed in terms of fulfillment of goals, program effectiveness and soundness of judgement.

NOTE: The degree to which size and complexity are distinguished between this class and the IS Directors/ Manager Series depends on a variety of factors: including number of employees under the manager's authority, value of assets for which the manager is held accountable number of users dependent upon the system and number of applications being run. variety of platforms and their interconnections within the organization, the level of new and emerging technologies employed in the organization, the allowable margin of error before critical operations of the users are impacted, the impact and potential for errors as measured by the likelihood of error and the cost to recover from errors, the frequency of required operational changes to meet the needs of users, and the extent that expert advice is readily available.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

Supervises a variety of professional and technical staff, as well as contractors performing information systems work for the City/County; when assigned to DTIS Project Management Office, coach, mentor, and audit IS Project Directors within the organization in all aspects of IS Project Management.

Primary Job Responsibilities Include:

1. IT Infrastructure Manager

• Direct the day-to-day information technology activities in a fast-paced public safety environment, including implementation of new systems, operations, support and administration, desktop administration and IT Help Desk support services to ensure excellent customer service for a team of 200+ employees who operate a 24/7 secure facility.
• Serve as subject matter expert overseeing IT infrastructure, systems, and technology architectures, and developing and maintaining related policies and procedures.
• Provide leadership, coordination, and serve as the primary point of contact for IT audits and assessments; develop, compose, and implement corrective action plans, progress reporting, and technology upgrades.
• Conduct information systems strategic planning with stakeholders to set and meet short and long-term initiatives and objectives; communicate regularly with management and other stakeholders on project status updates and coordination of resources.
• Oversee cybersecurity, disaster recovery and resiliency for the department’s systems, including strategies and priorities for system recovery; conduct risk assessments and audits, develop policies, provide education and training and ensure compliance with applicable policies and procedures.

1. Technology Strategist

• Develop and coordinate IT strategic plans and technology roadmaps to maximize efficiency and effectiveness across the Administration, Probation Services, and Juvenile Justice Center Divisions.
• Develop and manage the department’s ongoing project portfolio and resources to assure alignment with department mission and vision.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends, including but not limited to Generative Artificial Intelligence.  
• Utilize project management methodologies to plan, execute, and oversee information systems projects, ensuring timely delivery within budget constraints.

1. Data Management and Security

• Lead the development and implementation of IT security infrastructure and controls to ensure data integrity and compliance with strict city/county, state, and federal security requirements, including those for juvenile and criminal justice record information.
• Collaborate closely with the Grants, Analytics, and Planning (GAP) Unit to support data quality assurance and data collection optimization within the Juvenile Probation case management system.
• Coordinate with GAP Unit to perform database queries and data extraction to support the Department’s data reporting, research, and analytics portfolio.

1. Automation and Systems Development

• Plan, develop, and maintain IT systems, applications, and interfaces to support department operations.
• Propose and manage strategic plans to assess departmental automation needs, including a recommended budget and implementation timeline to optimize performance and efficiency.
• Develop and implement technical feasibility studies for new technology initiatives, system upgrades, and integrations.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to design and implement IT solutions that meet department needs.

1. Compliance and IT Policy

• Develop and implement IT policies and procedures to achieve compliance with required local, state, and federal requirements and ensure data security.
• Consult department executives, directors, managers, and staff to plan and develop new and updated IT policies and procedures.
• Direct the operations and maintenance activities for all technology systems and infrastructure (e.g., hardware, software and networks).

1. Procurement

• Evaluate and recommend appropriate technology products and solutions; develop specifications for obtaining technology professional services, software and/or hardware; develop cost estimates for new hardware, software and technology solutions.
• Develop, prepare and analyze documents associated with cost benefit analyses, requests for proposals, and contracts that manage services, software, and hardware purchases.
• Retain and direct activities of external consultants and vendors to support and/or deliver technology solutions.

1. Supervision

• Plan, organize, and manage day-to-day operations of the IT Team, including subordinate work assignments and work schedules.
• Identify existing skill gaps in the IT team and implement training and professional development opportunities to meet the requirements of the department.

Important and Essential Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities include:

Knowledge of:

• Project management methods and techniques for ensuring timely delivery within budget requirements.

• Development and implementation of IT support ticketing systems to efficiently prioritize, route, and resolve Support Tickets and evaluate IT customer service metrics.
• Current Federal, State, and local legislation and regulations related to IT and applicable interpretations.

Ability to:

• Prioritize competing needs under potential resource constraints and expedited delivery timelines.
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in integrating new solutions to meet the evolving needs of the department.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with various City departments, Superior Court, and external public safety departments on joint technology initiatives.
• Represent the department when interfacing with City and County agencies, state and federal agencies, and other organizations for IT-related matters.
• Select, train, motivate, and evaluate staff performance; take or recommend disciplinary action, as appropriate.

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.

Education:

An associate degree in computer science or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in computer science or a closely-related field].

Experience:

Seven (7) years of experience in system administration, information systems development, maintenance and support, or information technology project management, including two (2) years of supervisory experience

License and Certification:

Substitution:

Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of two (2) years). One (1) year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester units / forty-five (45) quarter units with a minimum of 10 semester / 15 quarter units in computer science or a closely related field.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Essential duties require the following physical skills and work requirements: May require sufficient strength and coordination for lifting, pushing, pulling and/or carrying the weight of computer equipment. Requires bending, stooping and/or crawling in order to install or repair computer or printer cables. Requires hand/eye coordination for semi-skilled movements, such as taking apart casings, installing parts and reconnecting computers, and keyboard use. Involves extensive VDT exposure.

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.

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

Basic Supervisory Exam: Weight - 50% 
Candidates will be administered a written multiple-choice examination that is designed to measure basic knowledge of various supervisory practices and procedures (e.g. directing, counseling, guiding, evaluating, motivating, disciplining, developing and training subordinates, delegation, etc.) as well as customer service and reading comprehension.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review. 

The Basic Supervisory Exam will be administered either on a computer or in paper format. The type of format will depend on the size of the qualified applicant pool. Qualified candidates will be notified of the type of exam format in their exam appointment notification. 

The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. Please note this test is used for other supervisory classes therefore your test score may be applied to one or more of these classes if you choose to apply to future recruitments. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either: (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent.

Applicants must achieve a passing score on the Basic Supervisory Exam in order to be invited to the oral examination.

Written Questionnaire Evaluation: Weight - 50% 

Candidates will be invited to participate in a written examination designed to measure the knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas as described in this announcement. Candidates much achieve a passing score on the written examination to be ranked on the eligible list. 

Americans with Disabilities Act
Candidates who are invited to take the exam and have a disability requiring a reasonable accommodation, must contact me at [email protected] prior to the exam to review your accommodation request. Please submit the Request for Accommodations form and specify recruitment (PBT-1070-143599) in your correspondence. 

After the eligible list is finalized/adopted, the department may administer additional selection procedures to make a final hiring decision (e.g. interviews, written exercise, etc.). Applicants meeting the Minimum Qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all steps of the selection process.

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. 

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

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 the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/

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.

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

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit SF-Careers and begin the application process.

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

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.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst Brian Hidalgo at [email protected] or Support Analyst Joanna Luong 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.
 

We are also committed to ensuring that we have a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace for individuals of all races. This includes creating opportunities for hiring, promotion, training, and development, FOR ALL EMPLOYEES , INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO particularly for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

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.