Job Description

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt - This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Application Opening: August 12, 2026

Application Deadline: 11:59pm Pacific Time on September 2, 2026

Division, Section/Unit: Administration Division, Human Resources

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm

⚠️ IMPORTANT⚠️ A cover letter and resume must be attached to the online application.

About Us

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), a department of the City and County of San Francisco, is responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the City. SFMTA keeps people connected through the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), the nation’s seventh largest public transit system. The Agency’s additional responsibilities include managing parking and traffic, bicycling, walking and the regulation of taxis.

The Human Resources Director provides overall direction and leadership for the Human Resources Department. Under the general direction of Administration Division leadership, the Human Resources Director oversees Talent Acquisition, HR Analytics and Reporting, Labor and Employee Relations, Workforce Development, Employee Wellness, Workers’ Compensation, Leave Management, and Compliance, and leads the execution of agency-wide HR compliance policies, goals, and objectives.

The Human Resources Director is a strategic leader and operational manager who aligns human resources programs with organizational objectives, ensures regulatory compliance, oversees core HR functions, and fosters a productive and positive workplace culture. This role requires strong leadership, HR expertise, and sound business judgment to support the workforce and advance the agency’s success.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties

• Oversee recruitment for exempt and civil service positions, including onboarding, classification, and examination.
• Provide labor relations support and guidance for more than 18 labor unions; oversees employee relations and compensation. Leads contract labor negotiations and manages PERB charges, meet-and-confers, and litigation support.
• Provide HR analytics and reporting to the executive team and directors.
• Oversee workforce development, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, and employee wellness programs.
• Ensure compliance with DOT medical certification requirements, FTA/DOT drug and alcohol program regulations and OSHA Hearing Conservation Program (HCP).
• Oversee the Risk Management program including workers’ compensation, leave management, and administration of applicable federal and state benefits.
• Provide leadership and support to five senior HR leaders who collectively manage approximately 90 HR employees.
• Develop and execute human resources strategies that support the organization’s overall business objectives.
• Align and empower the HR team to execute with excellence against strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and the executive team.
• Act as a mediator in conflicts, addresses grievances, and promotes a respectful, inclusive, and safe work environment.
• Foster a positive organizational culture by promoting employee engagement, productivity, and professional growth.
• Analyze organizational trends, HR metrics, and reports to inform strategic decisions.
• Recommend and implement improvements to HR processes and programs.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record and ability to exercise the following competencies and areas of experience which are the most critical to the Director of Human Resources role.

Experience - The ideal candidate is a results-oriented professional with proven experience and breadth of knowledge in all human resources functions.

Strategic Leadership – Ability to develop and execute HR strategies aligned with business objectives.

Policy Management and Compliance– Knowledge of state and federal labor laws, federal and state employment laws and laws regarding employee benefits, FTA / DOT Drug and Alcohol Regulations and effective HR operations.

Team Collaboration – Strong leadership skills to work closely with executive leadership, Directors and managers and other departments. Work collaboratively with other city agencies and the Office of the City Attorney.

Results-oriented and creative in solving challenges - Be responsive and ensure that work is advancing rapidly to achieve key performance indicators. Support creative solutions and provide guidance not only on what cannot be done but also what can be done to address an issue.

Exceptional Communication Skills - The candidate must communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. The candidate will be confident and comfortable presenting to regulators, elected officials, the Civil Service Commission, and other stakeholders.

Strategic Planning and Prioritization - Candidates should demonstrate exceptional long-term planning and execution skills with the ability to prioritize competing needs under potential resource and delivery timeline constraints. The ideal candidate needs to promote and advance the Agency’s mission, vision, values and goals.

Exceptional Leadership - A successful candidate will value staff development, foster team cohesion, and promote accountability. Emotional intelligence, collaboration skills, and the ability to work effectively with the SFMTA’s diverse staff are critical for success in this role.

Qualifications

1. Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; AND
2. Ten (10) years of full-time professional verifiable experience in Human Resources of which four (4) years of this experience was in a supervisory or management capacity supervising professional-level staff.

Education Substitution: Additional years of the required experience in professional-level human resources may be substituted for the required education in Minimum Qualifications on a year-for-year basis. One year (2000 hours) of qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to thirty (30) semester units/forty-five (45) quarter units.

Each application is checked to make sure the applicant meets the job’s minimum qualifications. Please review our guides on Employment Application and Minimum Qualificationsand Verification of Experience and/or Educationto understand how we review applications.

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

One-year of 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 forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time experience.

Desirable Qualifications

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.

• HR experience working at a transit agency.
• HR experience and knowledge of the civil service system as it relates to hiring.
• Experience in HR data reporting, analysis and utilization.
• Labor Relations experience.
• Communicates clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Excels at building effective working relationships.
• Experience in long-term planning and the ability to prioritize competing needs under potential resource and delivery timeline constraints.
• Fosters team cohesion and promote accountability.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse staff and diverse demographics.
• Breadth of knowledge across core HR domains.
• SHRM - Certified Professional (CP) or SHRM - Senior Certified Professional (SCP).

Additional Information

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information 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.

Selection Process

Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all the steps in the selection process. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications. Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

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

Right to Work

Copies of Application Documents

Diversity Statement

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

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. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account. Applicants must ensure that emails from CCSF are 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 from notification@careers.sf.gov 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.

For questions or inquiries, please contact Kingsley Yee at kingsley.yee@sfmta.com

This recruitment may be utilized to fill similar positions in this classification at the SFMTA.

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.