9922 Residential Zero Waste Associate - SF Environment Department

Who We Are
The San Francisco Environment Department (SF Environment) advances climate protection and enhances quality of life for all San Franciscans. SF Environment is a department within the City and County of San Francisco, a local government committed to innovation, leadership and collaboration in creating environmental change. SF Environment is recognized worldwide for its environmental policies and programs, which center on achieving zero waste, reducing toxic chemical hazards, advancing environmental justice, promoting sustainable transportation modes, expanding clean energy infrastructure, greening our built environment, and protecting our urban forest. We’re a passionate, mission-driven team that values credibility, collaboration, impact, innovation and equity. SF Environment is also a great place to work, offering an attractive benefits package that includes healthcare and retirement.

Position Details:

• Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt
• Application opening: September 12, 2025
• Application Deadline: October 2, 2025
• Salary: $60,008/annually 

To Apply

1. Submit your application online by clicking on "I'm Interested" and completing the application.
2. Please include a cover letter and resume.
3. Complete the Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) by Thursday, October 2, 2025: https://forms.office.com/g/y4WGeR5swe

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

SF Environment - Statement on Racial Equity
For over 20 years, SF Environment has worked with San Francisco’s Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities to mitigate environmental burdens, increase accessibility of environmental programs and benefits, engage community members, and improve health outcomes. BIPOC communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental stressors that include air and soil pollution, illegal dumping of toxics and other materials, industrial land uses and transportation impacts. They are more likely to live in housing conditions with limited access to green space and where poor indoor air quality from pests, mold, and the use of toxic products contributes to the prevalence of asthma and other health disparities. They are more likely to be employed in areas with high levels of exposure to toxics. Now, they are the first communities feeling the impacts of climate change, with the fewest resources to respond. SF Environment has a longstanding commitment to the principles of environmental justice, whereby communities most impacted by environmental stressors and climate change are prioritized and the long-time work of community leaders is recognized and supported. We are committed to uplifting the contributions of local environmental leaders of diverse racial backgrounds and ensuring that racial equity is the cornerstone of all of our programs, policies, and services.

As the Residential Zero Waste Associate, you’ll support the City’s sustainability goals by working with property managers, residents, nonprofits, events, and festivals of San Francisco to maximize zero waste practices and follow the City’s zero waste policies. You will also assist in administering, developing, and conducting outreach campaigns and grants in support of zero waste. You can expect to work collaboratively with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders that include City departments, San Francisco property management companies, nonprofits, community groups, event producers, and residents—so you’re someone who has excellent communication skills, and values working in a collaborative setting with an expectation of innovation, inclusivity, and impact.

The Residential Zero Waste Associate is an entry-level role designed to offer exposure to a career pathway in environmental communication, outreach, and policy compliance. Through work duties, mentorship, and professional development opportunities, you’ll build foundational experience in environmental policy compliance, community-based social marketing, public outreach, program administration, project management, and customer support, while meeting designated position objectives. Knowledge and experience gained will position you for success as an environmental professional equipped to serve San Franciscans and beyond—plus career advancement opportunities in related fields.

What You’ll Do - The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this position and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

• Assist with residential outreach, including maintaining web information, tracking action plan progress, and supporting outreach.
• Provide administrative support for zero waste grants and contracts, including processing invoices, reviewing reports, and conducting grantee site visits.
• Assist with implementation, monitoring and improvement of zero waste programs and policies in the residential sector including technical assistance such as conducting site visits and/or presentations.
• Communicate with service providers, apartment property managers, tenants, nonprofits and community groups to increase residential waste prevention and material recovery.
• Research, analyze, maintain spreadsheets, and respond to surveys and residential inquiries.
• Support events in complying with applicable zero waste requirements, and assist with quarterly zero waste events workshops.
• Perform other tasks as required.

Exempt Employment Status - This is a three-year position contingent upon Department budget conditions and demonstrated competence and professionalism. Appointment to the position does not guarantee subsequent years of employment nor any future employment with SF Environment or the City and County of San Francisco. In addition, the position is exempt from the Civil Service examination and selection process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointing officer.

Minimum Qualifications

• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; or
• Two years of college education from an accredited college or university, and six (6) months of work experience, including internships, research positions, or other experience, relevant to the duties described in the job description.

Desirable Qualifications - The desirable qualifications may be used to select among finalists at the end of the selection process. We don't expect any one candidate to have all the qualifications listed below - please know that you can be a great candidate without all of the below qualifications. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have a mix of the desirable qualifications and a passion for this work – please don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

• Knowledge of environmental and zero waste principles and issues
• Excellent speaking, writing, organizational and project management skills
• Commitment to customer service and working for the public
• Responsible, motivated and able to work independently and in a team
• Familiarity with San Francisco
• Fluency in other languages used commonly in San Francisco (especially Chinese, Spanish or Russian)
• An understanding of equity, inclusion, and diversity concepts.

All persons employed by the City and County of San Francisco are required to comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 by presenting documents to verify identity and authorization to work in the United States. The SF Environment Department currently does not sponsor work visas.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Requires an indicated interest and aptitude in those skills associated with zero waste, conservation, green building, environmental policy, or a related field and a willingness and ability to acquire the needed skills through training and work experience.

How to Apply
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. 

• Please include a cover letter and resume.
• Complete the Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) by Thursday, October 2, 2025: https://forms.office.com/g/y4WGeR5swe

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Exempt Employment Status - This is an exempt appointment with an anticipated duration of three years, contingent upon City budget conditions, demonstrated competence and professionalism in the first year of employment. Participation in this program does not guarantee future employment with the San Francisco Department of the Environment or the City and County of San Francisco. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive civil service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointing officer.

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 minimum qualifications must be included in 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, or disqualification.

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

Supplemental Information - After submitting your application you will receive a request for additional information about your education and experience. In addition, 3-5 days after submitting your application, you will be emailed a Supplemental Questionnaire with position-relevant questions about your work experience and interest in the position. Please check junk/spam folders to ensure you receive these information requests.

Selection Process and Timeline - Due to the volume of inquiries we receive, we are unable to give application status updates. While we are not able to reach out to every applicant, the hiring manager will contact you directly after the filing deadline if your skills and experiences are a strong match for the position.

Stage 1 of the selection process will consist of an evaluation of applications. Stage 2 - Based on the evaluation of applications, candidates whose skills and experiences are a strong match for the position will be invited to a phone interview. Stage 3 - Candidates who most closely meet the needs of the position will be invited to participate in the panel interview selection process, including an assessment of relative job-related skills and abilities. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to Stage 2 or Stage 3 of the hiring process.

For any questions regarding the position or hiring process- please contact the recruitment analyst, Sana Ahmed at [email protected]

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

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.

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.

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.