Job Description

About The Commission

The San Francisco Ethics Commission was created by the City’s voters with the passage of Proposition K in November 1993. Our mission is to practice and promote the highest standards of integrity in government. We achieve that by shaping and promoting compliance with the laws and by delivering impactful programs that promote fair, transparent, and accountable governmental decision making for the benefit of all San Franciscans. The Ethics Commission is responsible for the independent and impartial administration and enforcement of laws related to campaign finance, public financing of candidates, governmental ethics, conflicts of interest, and registration and reporting by lobbyists, campaign consultants, permit consultants, and major developers.

About The Enforcement Division

To fulfill the Ethics Commission’s oversight mandate as an independent administrative enforcement agency, the Enforcement Division is charged with ensuring fair, thorough, and timely investigations and case outcomes that serve as an effective deterrent and promote accountability in government. The Division has responsibility to identify, investigate, and remedy unlawful conduct within the scope of the Commission’s jurisdiction. The Division’s investigators are responsible for investigating alleged violations of the law to ensure allegations are fully and objectively evaluated and that those who violate the law are held publicly accountable for their actions. This can include imposition of monetary penalties levied by the five-member Ethics Commission as provided for under the law.

The Director of Enforcement provides strategic, operational, and staff leadership on all matters related to the enforcement of laws within the Commission’s jurisdiction. Collaborating closely with the Executive Director and other division heads in alignment with agency priorities, the Director of Enforcement provides a senior level of legal and subject matter expertise and management experience to strengthen program impact, deliver effective service, and ensure organizational efficiencies that are vital to enabling the Commission to effectively achieve its broad voter mandates.

The position has primary responsibility for the effective enforcement of laws across each of the Commission’s core programmatic areas of campaign finance, governmental ethics, lobbying, open government, and whistleblower protection. It provides direct staff supervision and program oversight for the Commission’s enforcement and enforcement-related legal affairs work. It directs and supervises staff and provides program oversight for the Commission’s administrative enforcement work, including allocation of enforcement resources and management of the Division’s daily operations. Over the last several years, the Division has implemented significant improvements to its core program and business processes to strengthen its operations and functions, including a new case management system that was launched in 2023. The Director of Enforcement will build on those achievements by developing and executing new strategic initiatives to deepen the division’s effectiveness.

Please note: The Director of Enforcement must be willing to forego involvement in all local political activity while a member of the Commission staff and publicly file an annual Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700). All positions at the Ethics Commission are required to comply with the department’s Statement of Incompatible Activities

Essential Duties

The duties and responsibilities of the Director of Enforcement include but are not limited to:

• As the manager of a multi-member team, effectively plan, coordinate, supervise, and evaluate the work of direct reports. This includes setting objectives and evaluating performance, monitoring workload, regular team and one-on-one meetings, assignment of cases and projects, reviewing work, providing constructive feedback, and coaching. This also includes primary responsibility for many administrative management tasks, including review and approval of timecards and vacation requests, ensuring effective employee training and growth, and, where appropriate, discipline.
• As a division head, collaborate with the Executive Director and Deputy Director in office-wide strategic planning, budget development, implementation of office-wide policies, recruiting, hiring, training, and developing staff, and management of personnel matters.
• As a division head, collaborate with other division heads to ensure that the Enforcement Division supports agency operations outside of enforcement.
• Manage the Commission’s investigative and administrative enforcement program and legal affairs work to ensure impartial, thorough, and timely resolution of alleged violations of the laws administered and enforced by the Commission, including supervising staff, reviewing complaints, and identifying appropriate courses of action.
• Provide subject matter expertise on laws, ordinances, and regulations pertaining to the conduct of public servants, candidates, lobbyists, and others, including the California Political Reform Act, San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code, and other laws. Serve as chief legal analyst by evaluating and recommending enforcement strategies and approaches; identify and recommend changes to laws and regulations as necessary within the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction to better promote their effectiveness and impact.
• Conduct complex legal research to ensure that all Division activities are legally sound. Conduct thorough analysis in development and implementation of effective investigative and administrative enforcement policies and practices.
• Regularly attends meetings of the Ethics Commission to present administrative enforcement matters before the Commission and carry out probable cause conferences and other pre-hearing matters.
• Analyze complex legal and structural issues involving government transparency and accountability, campaign, lobbying, ethics, and whistleblower protection laws to support agency’s effectiveness; evaluate alternative solutions; and recommend effective courses of action.
• Prepare and oversee preparation of written memoranda, including investigative reports, legal analyses, stipulated agreements, and other documents that are accurate and concise. Prepare written and oral presentations before the public and the Commission.
• Perform policy research as necessary to identify purposes of the laws, analyze facts, and apply legal principles and precedents. Interpret laws and regulations across all program areas within the Commission’s jurisdiction to ensure enforcement initiatives are well-grounded and consistent.
• Exercise sound independent judgment by effectively managing sensitive and confidential discussions and negotiations with respondents and their representatives within general policy guidelines.
• Develop and successfully implement investigative and enforcement methods to support agency goals of objective and timely case investigation and resolution. Lead continuous improvement of those operations to strengthen the effectiveness of programs agency-wide. This includes the development and refinement of operational protocols and procedures, template documents, hearing guidebooks, and writing style guidelines.
• Act as a primary liaison with other investigative and enforcement agencies and assist as appropriate to support the effectiveness of the Commission’s enforcement mandate.
• Develop enforcement-related content for outreach, training, and educational materials and conduct meetings with the public as requested.
• Support public accountability for the Commission’s fiscal and organizational performance through preparation of budget, effective administrative oversight, and timely performance tracking and reporting.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, public administration, political science, legal studies, finance, business, criminology, or a related field.
• Three years of professional experience in investigative or legal processes.

Substitution: Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of two (2) years. One (1) year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester units/forty-five (45) quarter units.

Desirable Qualifications

The following qualifications are highly desirable and may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process:

• A law degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission in good standing with the California State Bar.
• Five years of experience as a prosecutor in an administrative law setting.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience leading a team performing complex work.
• Knowledge of issues and/or practice of government accountability such as campaigns, government ethics, or lobbying.

The successful candidate will be a highly organized, analytical, self-motivated, and collaborative professional who has a track record of exhibiting the highest standards of ethical conduct and professionalism; achievement of organizational goals and priorities; and accountability for fiscal and program oversight.

Additional Information

How To Apply

Application Deadline: Thursday, July 2, 2026

To apply for this position, please complete the application and submit the following documents using the Apply Now link:

• Statement of Interest that details your interest in the position and relevant work experiences, including any related to accountable government or public integrity.
• Current Resume

Applications that do not contain the requested information will not be considered.

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience and education. Additional mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidate’s qualifications. Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to continue in the selection process. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement in the process. Applicants selected to advance to the interview process will be contacted by phone or email. Typically, interviews are conducted remotely.

The successful candidate should expect to perform their duties in a hybrid work environment with at least three days onsite per week per current City policy. Additionally, any City employee may be called in for Disaster Service Work duty or to work onsite with 24-hours’ notice.

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

If you have questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquiries to tina.lim@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.

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.