Watershed Keeper (7470) - Citywide (U00048)

Company Description

This is a Citywide Exam

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.

WHO ARE WE?
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
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.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

Application Opening: February 18, 2026

Application Deadline: March 18, 2026

This job announcement has been extended to obtain more applications.  Please do not reapply if you have already previously applied.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact ihankins@sfwater.org

Job Description

About the Position: Under general supervision, completes work that involves the general maintenance of watershed lands and reservoir properties, aqueducts, and facilities; patrols to prevent trespassing on Watershed lands, pollution to water supplies, and land encroachments on the rights-of-way; responds to various emergency conditions; takes preventative measures to reduce risk of emergency actions; and assists in fighting forest fires.

Nature of work: considerable physical effort in patrolling the watershed area; continuing exposure to inclement weather and other potentially hazardous elements and to working conditions where minor injuries may occur.

Essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Patrols and inspects rights-of-way, watershed and reservoir areas; removes debris; issues warnings to garbage dumpers, trespassers, and poachers; maintains watersheds and reservoirs, to ensure a high-quality water yield for public consumption.
2. Reads and maintains data on indicating meters and recording instruments and charts to determine water levels, water releases, water flow rates and weather station readings, including temperature, precipitation, and other variables; keeps records of unusual incidents, conditions, improvement projects, and work performed.
3. Patrols lakes and reservoirs by launch to inspect water conditions and takes samples.
4. Locates, reports, and assists in fighting forest fires, and responds to emergency situations.
5. Operates vehicles and various machinery related to flow of water to and from reservoirs, such as pipelines, flumes, spillways, sluice gates, and valves.
6. Escorts visitors, manages public access trails, conducts tours, and assists in recreational activities; issues warnings to trespassers and facilitates the removal of trespassers; and performs general labor to assist in Watershed maintenance.
7. May perform dam, penstock, pipeline and other facility inspections.

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 and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications (MQ) reflect the lowest level of acceptable education and/or experience required of an individual such that the individual reasonably could be expected to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position.  Candidates must meet all the requirements established by the MQs to be considered for the position.

• Education: Possession of a high school diploma or equivalent (GED or High School Proficiency Examination). AND
• Experience: Two (2) years of verifiable work experience performing duties which involve protection, conservation, operation, natural resource management, and/or maintenance/development of watersheds, reservoirs, and/or forestry. AND
• License and Certification: Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

Substitution: Additional education from an accredited college or university, with major coursework in either Watershed Management, Natural Resource Conservation, Forest or Park Management, Wildland/Range Management, Wildland Recreation, Biology, Natural Resources, Physical Science or other closely related fields, may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of six (6) months). Six months is equivalent to fifteen (15) semester units/ twenty-two (22) quarter units.

Note: One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) 

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

Situational Judgment Test (Weight:100%): Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be sent a Situational Judgment Test via electronic mail after the closing of this filing period. The Situational Judgment Test is designed to measure the knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas required for the position.  Applicants will be given a deadline to complete the Situational Judgment Test. Those who do not complete the Situational Judgment Test by the established deadline will not be eligible to continue in the examination process and will not be added to eligibility list resulting from this process.

A passing score on the Situational Judgment Test must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Exam Components:

Knowledge of: methods and practices employed in the operation of gates, valves, screen systems, water measuring devices and other equipment related to reservoir operations; life saving and fire fighting equipment and artificial respiration such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation; general understanding of management and maintenance of open lands and watershed properties; safety practices pertaining to open lands and watershed management.

Ability or Skill to: read gauges and measuring devices, record and report data observations; use simple hand tools; make simple arithmetical computations; write simple reports; comprehend written materials including training manuals, applicable ordinances, and written directives; communicate in an effective manner, both orally and in writing; use basic computer and computer applications; work and drive in various terrains and adverse conditions; respond to emergencies, such as firefighting and rescue operations; represent organization in a courteous manner.

Additional Information

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.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf

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.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  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 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

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 [required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• 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.

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.