Job Description

Appointment Type:
Temporary Exempt (TEX), Category 18: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process, is considered “at will” and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 18 months.

Application Opening: July 31, 2026
Application Deadline: May close anytime but not before August 16, 2026
Compensation Range: $173,264 and $221,052 (Range A)
Recruitment ID: REF60790Q

Who We Are

Through the provision of coordinated, compassionate, and high‐quality services, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) strives to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief, and one time. The Department provides assistance and support to homeless and at‐risk youth, adults, and families to prevent imminent episodes of homelessness and end homelessness for people in San Francisco. Services including outreach, homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, drop‐in centers, transitional housing, supportive housing, short‐term rental subsidies, and support services to help people exit homelessness. For more information about the department, please visit our website at https://hsh.sfgov.org

What We Do

San Francisco is a pioneer in homeless services and a leader in providing supportive housing as a permanent exit from homelessness. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), founded in 2016, is a national leader in the movement to end homelessness by developing a coordinated, equity-driven, client-focused system of compassionate services while piloting innovative models, and implementing best practice solutions with measurable results.

HSH’s Homelessness Response System (HRS) funds, oversees and implements a system of care that shelters, houses, and serves approximately 15,000 people daily. Major programs include: street outreach and service connection through the Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT); 3,600+ bed shelter system for transitional age youth, adults and families including shelters for members of the LGBTQ community; rapid rehousing rental subsidies for families, adults, older adults, and transitional aged youth; the Problem Solving and flexible financial assistance programs; and robust supportive housing programs with over 14,500 units which provide housing and services to formerly homeless transitional age youth, individuals, and families.

The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing seeks a Special Initiatives – Senior Fellow to accelerate high-impact initiatives under the Mayor’s Breaking the Cycle agenda, focused specifically on homelessness response systems change. The Senior Fellow will translate policy priorities into actionable program designs across prevention, shelter, transitional housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Core work includes collaborating with the Department of Public Health to transform PSH care delivery models, designing Moving On 2.0 interventions to increase system flow, shaping recovery-oriented housing models, and developing policy aligned with City Breaking the Cycle goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (non-exhaustive)

Strategic and Operational Problem Solving

• Drive collaboration with Department of Public Health (DPH) to transform PSH care delivery models and advance integrated systems-of-care goals.
• Support development of Moving On 2.0 including operational workflows, relocation pathways, and implementation planning.
• Develop recovery-oriented housing concepts and support evaluation of PSH site conversions and transitional housing pilots.
• Identify structural barriers across prevention, shelter, and housing programs and propose programmatic solutions aligned with Breaking the Cycle priorities.
• Support pilot projects and proof-of-concept initiatives that test new operational approaches across the homelessness response system.
• Develop policy and make decisions around program planning and allocation of resources.

Data, Analysis, and Systems Design

• Use qualitative and quantitative inputs (e.g., program performance trends, frontline feedback) to identify risks and opportunities.
• Prepare strategic analyses and decision-support materials to guide mayoral and departmental leadership.

Stakeholder Management & Relationship Building

• Coordinate across HSH, DPH, and other departments and City partners to align and negotiate strategy with implementation realities.
• Organize planning sessions, facilitate cross-agency working groups, and track progress against key milestones.
• Prepare executive briefings, presentations, and materials that communicate complex initiatives clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Supervise and direct the work of the 1824 Breaking the Cycle Prevention Fellow.

Learning & Exposure

• The Senior Fellow will gain direct exposure to mayoral decision-making, applied experience implementing complex homelessness system initiatives, and opportunities to build leadership and operational execution skills within a large public system.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; AND

Experience: Six (6) years of professional experience in public policy, operations, consulting, or program management related to healthcare and/or homelessness systems, of which three (3) years must include experience supervising professionals.

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.

Desirable Qualifications:

Demonstrated ability to navigate complex organizations, manage stakeholders, and translate strategy into implementation.

Additional Information

Selection Procedures: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Municipal Executive Association Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “Apply Now” 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 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).

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.

Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquires to recruitment analyst Radha Mehta at radha.mehta@sfgov.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.