Operating Engineer, Universal

• Application Opening: 11/14/25

• Application Filing Deadline: updated to 12/10/25; previously 11/30/2025 

• Recruitment ID: RTF0161501, RTF0161505, RTF0161507 (TPV-7328-161502)

APPOINTMENT TYPE: PROVISIONAL (TPV)

This is not a permanent appointment. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment. Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.

The department currently has three (3) vacancies they are looking to fill.

WHO ARE WE?

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) (https://youtu.be/inc4CF4VKFE)

Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

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.gov.

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.gov/about-us/careers-sfpuc

About the San Francisco Water Division:

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s San Francisco Water Division (SFWD) is responsible for directing approximately 325 employees in the operation and maintenance of the water distribution system within the City and County of San Francisco. These activities include, but are not limited to: operating and maintaining 11 pump stations, 13 reservoirs, 9 storage tanks, and other ancillary appurtenances and equipment; installing, repairing and maintaining over one thousand miles of water distribution mains including service connections and meters; four water systems comprised of the Potable, Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS), Recycled Water and Groundwater;  engineering and designing new main and feeder extensions; managing over 1,000 acres of city owned property and rights-of-ways; and responding to all two-alarm or greater fires to assist the Fire Department in maintaining adequate water volume and consistent pressure while fighting fires.

This is a temporary provisional (TPV), full-time position with the Construction and Maintenance unit at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s San Francisco Water Division (SFWD) located at 1990 Newcomb Avenue in San Francisco.  Under the direction of the 7134 Construction and Maintenance Superintendent, the 7238 Operating Engineer, Universal operates heavy construction equipment in conjunction with the maintenance and construction of roads, streets, and underground utilities and performs servicing on equipment. The essential functions of this job include: operating backhoes, loaders, cranes, motor graders, bulldozers, rollers, pavers, milling machines, forklifts, extended boom forklifts, tractors and tub grinders; and performing related duties and responsibilities as required. Operating Engineers also perform maintenance tasks such as greasing, cleaning and inspecting equipment; and may be required to calculate loads using equipment load charts. This position may require the ability to wear appropriate forms of safety protection equipment such as ear protectors, eye goggles and respirators and safety vests.

Nature of Work:

This position requires sustained physical effort frequently under adverse weather conditions and/or disagreeable working conditions, being exposed to hazardous materials, raw sewage, loud noises; and may include working weekends, nights, holidays and/or temporarily outside the San Francisco city limits.

Essential Functions:

• Operates backhoes, loaders, cranes, forklifts, and extended forklifts to hoist machinery, construction materials, chemicals, vegetation, etc. in connection with various construction and maintenance projects.

• Operates motor graders, bulldozers, rollers, planers, pavers, milling machines, and tub grinders in connection with construction and maintenance projects.

• Services and makes minor repairs to heavy equipment; tasks include lubrication of equipment, changing oil and oil filter, etc.

• Operates backhoes, loaders and bulldozers to trench and excavate areas and remove debris; or to load and backfill materials in connection with sewer and street repair, mudslide prevention, dam maintenance and other projects, and heater, planer in excavating and making street repairs. Operates milling machines, pavers, and rollers in connection with asphalt paving.

• Operates tractors with agricultural attachments such as rototillers and rotary mowers to clear areas for weed and fire control.

• Operates an air compressor to operate pneumatic tools and other construction equipment.

• Prepares and maintains routine records of equipment operations.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Training and Experience: Three (3) years of verifiable operating engineer experience. At least one (1) year of this experience must have been in operating a backhoe.

License and Certification:

Possession of a Class B Driver’s License and a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. A copy of the license and certificate must be submitted at the time of appointment.

For crane operation, must have a valid certificate of competency issued in accordance with Cal/OSHA by an accredited certifying agency for the type of cranes operated by City Deparments.

Special Condition(s):

• LIC044 - Crane Operators (CCO) Cert

• LIC072 - NCCCO MoblCrnOp TSS-Fixed Cab

The above minimum qualifications reflect special conditions associated with the position(s) to be filled. They may differ from the standard minimum qualifications associated with this class code.

Verification of Education and Experience:

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 (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#qualifications)  and Verification of Experience and/or Education (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#verification)  for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and 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.

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. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Safety Sensitive Position Requirements: The City and County of San Francisco’s Substance Abuse Policy, in compliance with the Department of Transportation Omnibus Transportation Employer Testing Act of 1991 employing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations, requires drug and alcohol testing for employees in “safety-sensitive” positions. This Class 7328, Operating Engineer - Universal position qualifies as “safety-sensitive” as defined by the FMCSA and FTA regulations. The selected applicants for “safety-sensitive” positions will be required to pass a Pre-Employment drug test prior to appointment and shall be subject to Random, Post-Accident, Reasonable Suspicion, Return-To-Duty, and Follow-Up testing during employment. Prior to appointment to an FMCSA “safety-sensitive” position, each applicant who has participated in a DOT drug and alcohol testing program within the immediately preceding three (3) years will be required to sign a consent form authorizing the City to contact his/her prior employers concerning his/her drug and alcohol test history. 

• Information About the Hiring Process (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/)

• Conviction History

• Employee Benefits Overview  (https://careers.sf.gov/benefits/)  

• Equal Employment Opportunity (https://www.sf.gov/what-equal-employment-opportunity-and-how-file-claim)  

• Disaster Service Worker (https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers)

• ADA Accommodation

• Veterans Preference (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#veteranspreference)

• Right to Work

• Copies of Application Documents (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#copies)

• Diversity Statement

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov 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.

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 updated. 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 from notification@careers.sf.gov 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, Crystal Liu at cliu@sfwater.org.

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.