City and County of San Francisco
Air Quality & Compliance Lead (5642) - San Francisco International Airport - (163094)
🇺🇸San Francisco, California, United States21 hours ago
$124K – $151KEntry
EXTENDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
This announcement has been amended and extended to reflect changes with the application deadline date. Applicants who already applied under recruitment PBT-5642-163094 during the filing period of May 5, 2026 through May 18, 2026 need not to reapply and will be included in the applicant pool.
5/18/26: Extended application deadline to May 26, 2026.
This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: Understanding the hiring process.
Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a world-class, award-winning airport that served more than 54 million guests in Fiscal Year 2025. SFO offers non-stop flights to 60+ international cities on over 40 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport also connects non-stop with 80+ U.S. cities on 10 domestic airlines.
As an enterprise department of the City & County of San Francisco, SFO has a workforce of approximately 1,900 City employees. In Fiscal Year 2021, SFO generated more than 28,000 direct jobs and $6.1B in business activity. SFO is more than an airport— we are a dynamic organization where employees collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to support global travel, economic development, and public service. We are recognized as a leader in safety, environmental sustainability, and forward-thinking infrastructure, and continue to be at the forefront of transforming the travel experience.
Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values shape our culture and operations as we continue to build a supportive, purpose-driven workplace where all employees can thrive. Our mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first. Learn more about careers at SFO at flysfo.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads.
Under general direction of the Environmental Operations Manager, the Air Quality & Compliance Lead serves as the Airport’s technical and programmatic authority for air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) compliance and related regulatory programs.
This position is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations while advancing a data-driven approach to improving ambient air quality and protecting the health and wellbeing of airport employees, tenants, and travelers.
Develop, implement, and enforce complex strategic plans, policies, and goals to ensure compliance required under the following environmental regulatory bodies: Bay Area Air District (BAAD), California Air Resources Board (CARB), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); state and local departments of public health; Environmental Health Hazard Assessment; Department of Toxic Substance Control; Department of Pesticide Regulations and other regulatory agencies;
Ensure continuous compliance with all air quality permits, permit conditions, and reporting obligations, including point and area source emissions associated with aircraft operations, ground support equipment, vehicles, buildings, portable engines, generators, and infrastructure systems;
Preparation and submission of Title V and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) compliance reports, including but not limited to CARB’s Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (MRR) and gas-insulated equipment; criteria pollutant and GHG emission savings for Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) grant applications; and the Airports’ annual Environmental Compliance Report;
Lead investigations and prepare written documentation related to air quality incidents, exceedances, violations, complaints, and enforcement actions in coordination with legal and government affairs staff;
Lead planning, deployment, and operation of an airport-wide air quality monitoring and sensor network, including integration of fixed, mobile, and emerging monitoring technologies;
Track and monitor the refrigerant inventories, leak detections, and repairs;
Support the evaluation, planning, and implementation of strategies to transition equipment into electric or lower-emission alternatives and identify new opportunities to reduce operational emissions and improve air quality;
Support the section’s operational budget process and related expenditures by preparing budgets, allocating permits, fees, capital investments, and contributing to long-term strategic planning to maintain critical assets;
Provide guidance by recommending, interpreting, and applying policies, laws, and regulations within assigned environmental compliance specialty areas;
Act as the liaison with regulatory agencies, tenants, and the public by representing Airport, maintaining working knowledge of applicable laws, and engaging with agencies on air quality issues. This position also involves frequent coordination with Airport’s Facilities departments and other internal stakeholders;
Develop and conduct presentations to stakeholders and public officials;
Supervise and lead subordinate staff, as needed;
Perform other duties as listed in the 5642 Senior Environmental Specialist class specification, which can be found on DHR’s website.
1. Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university;
AND
2. Experience: Six (6) years of professional experience in planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating qualifying programs or policies. Qualifying programs and policies include those in the field of environment, public health, community engagement, or a field related to the position for hire.
Education Substitution: Additional experience as described above may substitute for the required degree on a year-for-year basis. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equal one year.
Experience Substitution:
One-year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.
Applicants must meet the minimum qualification by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Desirable Qualifications:
The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.
Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.
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.
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.
Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to interview.
Notes: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all the steps in the selection procedure.
Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight: 100%) - Qualified candidates will be emailed a Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire). The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas as described within this announcement. Applicants must achieve a passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation in order to be ranked on the eligible list.
Knowledge of: federal, state, and local environmental compliance, laws and regulations relating to air quality, public health, and greenhouse gases; permit management; data tracking, analysis, and reporting; program planning, implementation, coordination.
Eligible List/Score Report:
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 are resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., because 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 six (6) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. To find Departments which use this classification, please see Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2023-24.pdf.
Certification:
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Ten (10). The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.
What else should I know?
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.
Customs Clearance: This position requires that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco International Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. An application for a U.S. Custom Access Seal may be submitted to Customs ONLY after employment has commenced. Employment in this position requires that the incumbent submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a Customs Access Seal. Per Civil Service Commission Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for this examination. Failure to acquire or maintain customs access, a requirement for this position, may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission. Customs Access Seal requirements and procedures are located in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 122, Sections 181 or 189.
Medical Examination: Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine his/her ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the physical minimum requirements.
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 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:
Where to Apply:
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. No other methods of application will be accepted.
• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen.
Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Department of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.
Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.
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, @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).
Upon successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive it, your application was not submitted successfully.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
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.
Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Carmen Ng via email at carmen.ng@flysfo.com.
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.
