Q080-Captain, (Police Department)

Application Opening: August 25, 2025
Application Deadline: September 8, 2025
Compensation Range:  $254,592 Yearly
Recruitment ID: C00361

The Captain in the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is a management level position that may be assigned to the Operations, Administration, Special Operations, Investigations, Airport or Chief of Staff Bureaus. Captains report directly to a Commander or Deputy Chief.

Essential functions of the position include directing, supervising and monitoring personnel; training, developing and evaluating unit personnel; reviewing and processing documents/communications; analyzing procedures/information and developing plans; interacting with individuals other than unit personnel; and community policing. Captains routinely perform other law enforcement duties.

Experience:

1. Sworn members of the SFPD who have completed probation and have a minimum of two (2) years of experience with the SFPD at the rank of Q060 Lieutenant with permanent status as of September 8, 2025. Length of service is calculated from completion of probation.
   AND
2. Possession of a POST Management Certificate issued by California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training;
   AND
3. Possession of a valid Class C California Driver License.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications (1) and (3) above by September 8, 2025 to be considered a “qualified candidate”.

Evidence of possession of the POST Management Certificate must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025 to [email protected]. Candidates who have not provided a certificate as of eligible list posting will be placed under waiver until such time as they provide a certificate. Candidates who do not provide a certificate by December 31, 2025, will be disqualified from the selection process.

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.

Selection Procedures: 
The test will consist of an Assessment Center with various exercises. At this time, all components are tentatively planned for administration in November 2025. Qualified applicants will be notified by email of the exact date, time and location of the test components at least 10 days in advance of the test. A final passing score will be established. Only those who attain a final score above the pass point will be listed on the eligible list.

Q080 Captain Examination Preparation Guide: A description of the examination process will be included in Preparation Guides. Preparation Guides will also list the job-related duty areas and the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be evaluated in each test component. Preparation Guides for each component will be made available approximately 30 days prior to the administration of the component. Qualified applicants will be notified via email when Preparation Guides become available.

Certification:
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this test will be Rule of Ten (10) Scores.

Eligible List:
The duration of the eligible list produced from this exam will be twenty-four (24) months and may be extended up to twelve (12) months upon approval of the Human Resources Director. In accordance with CSC Rule 212.14, any eligible who fail to maintain the qualifications required by laws and by the terms of the examination announcement (including receiving a subsequent sustained allegation that involves racism) will be removed from the eligible list.

Secondary Criteria:
When making appointments, the Appointing Officer will consider the following secondary criteria:

• Assignments
• Training
• Education
• Community involvement
• Special qualifications
• Commendations/awards
• Bilingual certification and
• Discipline history

Secondary criteria items will be reviewed in totality and will not be weighted. Candidates will be asked to complete a Secondary Criteria form at a later date.

Additional Information

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.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service 211.6. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 7th business day following the issuance date of this announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and exam policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

• 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 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.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact Jen Lo 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.