Government Affairs Manager (0923 Manager II) - Department of Public Health

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

• Application Opening: April 18, 2025
• Application Deadline: Application filing will close on or after May 2, 2025.
• Salary: $141,700 - $180,856 Annually (Range A)
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Recruitment ID: PBT-0923-155809

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

The Government Affairs Manager will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships between the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH), the Board of Supervisors (BOS), and other governmental entities. This role will identify policy and implementation issues requiring joint discussion, monitor key areas of concern, and partner with DPH leadership to develop strategic, informed responses.

The Government Affairs Manager (0923 Manager II) performs the following essential job functions:

• Builds and maintains strong, effective relationships with members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, their staff, and relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Develops a collaborative communication strategy between DPH and the BOS on legislative, community, and operational matters.
• Prepares and delivers regular updates to the BOS, ensuring timely communication on departmental initiatives, committee-related matters, and other key issues.  
• Coordinates between DPH and Board offices to gather community input and stakeholder feedback on DPH initiatives.
• Regularly provides status reports to DPH leadership to support informed decision-making and organizational alignment.
• Monitors, analyzes, and evaluates local legislative and regulatory developments that may impact DPH. Writes talking points, issue briefs, comment letters, and other appropriate responses to proposed legislation or policy issues in collaboration with Department leadership and staff.
• Maintains awareness of official DPH positions on issues of importance and provides informed responses to policy matters, implementation questions, and inquiries from the BOS, the Mayor’s office, and other key stakeholders.
• Coordinates planning for submission of grants and contracts requiring BOS approval, ensuring alignment across DPH divisions, managing timelines, and leading regular coordination meetings with DPH contracts and finance teams.
• Assists in overseeing the work of a Health Program Planner to support BOS engagement, including coordinating staff participation in committees, monitoring priorities and issues of interest, and preparing related materials.

The Government Affairs Manager (0923 Manager II) may perform other duties as assigned/required.

1. Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; AND
2. Experience: Four (4) years of professional experience in policy or legislative work for local, state, and federal government affairs, including community engagement, communications, and/or public relations.

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Additional qualifying experience as described above may substitute for the required degree on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of two (2) years. One year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units.

EXPERIENCE SUBSTITUTION: Possession of a Master’s degree or higher may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

Desirable Qualifications:
The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Ability to build relationships and facilitate complex discussions
• Ability to handle a high volume of priorities and issues in a changing and fast paced environment
• Master’s or higher in Public Administration, Public Policy or Public Health
• Significant experience in policy and legislative work
• Supervisory experience

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

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

Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ) Examination (Weight: 100%):
Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ) examination that is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to: knowledge of the legislative process and governmental operations at the local, state and federal levels that may impact the DPH and the City’s public health; ability to identify and define management issues and analyze problems by collecting relevant information, evaluating and prioritizing causal factors and effects, discarding irrelevant factors, producing solutions and taking action or recommending action to DPH executive leadership; ability to negotiate and communicate with parties from diverse backgrounds with diplomacy.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire exam to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

Eligible List/Score Report:
Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. For more information, visit https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

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

How to apply:
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted online at https://careers.sf.gov.

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account.

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.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
This is a Position Based Test (PBT) administered in accordance with Civil Service Rule 111A.

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.sf.gov/. 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 Workers
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst Jerome Anabu at [email protected] or (628) 271-6813. 

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

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.