Head Park Ranger (8210) - SF Recreation & Parks (Eligible List ID# 164997)
City and County of San Francisco
| Company | City and County of San Francisco |
| Category | Skilled Technician |
| Location | San Francisco |
| Remote | On-site (inferred) |
| Employment | Not stated |
| Level | Director |
| Salary | Not stated by the employer |
| Posted | 28 Jul 2026 |
| Last verified | 9 Aug 2026 |
| Source | Employer ATS (smartrecruiters) |
Description
APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT VERIFICATION (PROOF) OF THEIR QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE, LICENSURE, CERTIFICATIONS, AND/OR APPLICABLE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF FILING APPLICATION.
FAILURE TO SUBMIT THE REQUIRED VERIFICATION WILL RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF YOUR APPLICATION.
This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/ .
Application Opening: July 28, 2026
Application Deadline: Apply Immediately . Application filing will be open at least through August 10, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
Work Arrangement : Onsite; In-person
Salary Range: $101,608 - $123,474 annually
About the Recreation and Park Department
Amid a dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department stewards one of the premier urban park systems in America. In 2017, San Francisco became the first city in the nation where all residents have access to a park within a 10-minute walk, a direct result of the Department’s commitment to increasing and improving parkland in the city Learn More . Considered by San Franciscans to be one of the City’s most popular and effective public agencies, our Department currently manages more than 230 parks, playgrounds and open spaces throughout San Francisco, including two outside city limits—Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, golf courses, sports fields and numerous small-to-medium-sized clubhouses that offer a variety of sports- and arts-related recreation programs for people of all ages. Included in the Department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the San Francisco Zoo and Lake Merced.
More than 2,000 talented individuals are part of our team, from gardeners, foresters, and recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians, painters and more. Our core mission, as it has been throughout our history, is to provide opportunities for San Francisco residents and visitors alike to gather, play, learn, relax, and enjoy nature in the city.
About Park Patrol
The Recreation and Park Department's Park Patrol endeavor to provide a competent and effective public safety service to all persons by preserving peace, protecting life and property, and enforcing Park Code.
Under direction, the 8210 Head Park Ranger is responsible directly, and through supervision of Park Rangers, for providing public safety, park information, and protecting properties of the Recreation and Park Department. In this supervisory role, you will assign duties to Park Rangers, patrol areas on foot, by bicycle, truck, and patrol car in an effort to prevent damage, destruction or theft to parks, recreation grounds and facilities. Essential duties include, but are not limited to:
• Supervises Park Rangers in their assigned duties on a daily basis by inspecting Park Rangers to ensure that they are fit for duty and that they are in correct uniform; briefing Park Rangers in critical security issues; and maintaining regular and frequent radio communications with Park Rangers.
• Assigns equipment such as mobile units (vehicles, bicycles) and hand-held radios to Park Rangers.
• Closes park buildings and public restrooms; provides traffic control; and special detailing of Park Rangers in emergency situations.
• Prepares time reports for subordinates by keeping an accurate account of Park Rangers work hours, vacation, sick leave and comp time and forwards the recorded time rolls in a timely manner. Prepares work reports for administrative staff such as incident reports, discipline reports, worker's compensation reports, employee performance evaluations and other reports as required.
• Patrols park and recreation facilities on foot or in mobile units (vehicles, bicycles) in order to observe, report and correct, if possible, unusual occurrences, serious accidents, vandalism, or hazardous conditions.
• Secures department properties such as fields, facilities, and parks, implementing temporary safeguards to damaged entry points and initiates maintenance through proper procedures and channels; ensures closure of such properties when weather or other conditions make them unsuitable for use.
• Enforces parking regulations by issuing parking citations for vehicles illegally parked on Recreation and Park Department property.
• Enforces park code by issuing citations for violations of the Park code, such as the use of the park for special events without a valid use permit. Confirms that event organizers have valid use permits.
• Performs other duties as assigned
Reasons You May Love This Job
• Getting to work outdoors
• Having a direct effect on people’s lives
• Being challenged daily
• Working with an excellent team
• Opportunity to learn about San Francisco and its extensive history
• Developing your knowledge, skills and abilities
• You will work in a department with integrity, which trusts, engages and values its employees
Working Conditions
This classification requires considerable walking and standing, exposure to physical injury and other danger inherent in security work and arduous working conditions, including inclement weather. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so employees will be required to work any shift and assignment, including nights, weekends, and holidays, and be required to wear a uniform.
Experience: Three (3) years (equivalent to 6,000 hours) of work experience as a police officer, member of a military police unit, park ranger, security officer/guard or a similar position which actively protects life and property or issues citations and performs code enforcement (i.e., park, vehicle and/or penal code);
License and Certification
Possession of a valid driver’s license. Must obtain a valid California Class C driver’s license by the date of appointment.
Possession of a current California Penal Code Section 832 Powers of Arrest Certification
Substitution
Successful completion of Basic P.O.S.T. Academy may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience and California Penal Code Section 832 Powers of Arrest Certification.
Possession of thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units in criminal justice, administration of justice, or related field from an accredited college or university may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.
Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Desirable Qualifications
The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:
• Five (5) or more years of verifiable work experience as a police officer, member of a military police unit, park ranger, security officer/guard or a similar position which actively protected life and property or issues citations and performs code enforcement (i.e., park, vehicle and/or penal code)
• Possession of an associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, administration of justice, or related field from an accredited college or university
• Strong supervisory experience
• Current State of California security guard, baton and chemical agents (e.g., tear gas) license
• Possession of First Aid, CPR or First Responders certificate
• Demonstrated good driving history record
• Proficient technology skills to utilize basic computer programs and smart phone
• Ability to analyze a situation to make effective decisions under stressful conditions
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to communicate exceptionally with others
• Ability to write clear and concise reports
• Ability to provide strong customer service
Verification of Education and Experience
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.
Applicants are required to submit verification confirming they meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated above prior to the filing deadline . ALL VERIFICATION DOCUMENTATION MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE APPLICATION AT THE TIME OF FILING. Please see below for guidelines regarding experience and education verification:
Experience * : Verification of qualifying work experience must be on the employer’s business letterhead and include the applicant's name, job title(s), description of job duties, dates of employment, type of employment (part-time/full-time), number of hours worked per week, and signature of the employer or the employer's authorized representative.
• Verification of experience gained as an 8208 Park Ranger working for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department will be automatically verified by a review of the Human Resources Information System data. If you are employed by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department as an 8208 Park Ranger, you do not need to submit verification of experience, however, if you have other qualifying experience from another employer that you are using to meet minimum qualifications, you do need to submit verification documents to support the outside work experience.
Education : If you are submitting education verification, information on how to verify education, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/ .
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.
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, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:
Basic Supervisory Examination (Weight: 50%): Candidates will be administered a written multiple-choice examination that is designed to measure basic knowledge of various supervisory practices and procedures (e.g. directing, counseling, guiding, evaluating, motivating, disciplining, developing and training subordinates, delegation, etc.) as well as customer service and reading comprehension.
The Basic Supervisory Exam will be administered either on a computer or in paper format. The type of format will depend on the size of the qualified applicant pool. Qualified candidates will be notified of the type of exam format in their exam appointment notification.
This is a standardized written multiple-choice examination. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in this examination.
The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. Please note this test is used for other supervisory classes therefore your test score may be applied to one or more of these classes if you choose to apply to future recruitments. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that ann