Deputy City Attorney - Transportation Team - City Attorney's Office (8177)

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (PEX) position; individuals who are appointed to Exempt Positions are appointed at the pleasure of their appointing officer and are considered to be "at-will."

• Application Opening: July 30, 2026
• Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2026
• Compensation Range: $158,548-$277,810
• Recruitment ID: RTF0166493-01076903

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for an experienced, qualified, collaborative, and motivated attorney to join its Transportation Team, with experience in federal regulatory compliance and a specialty in contracts and procurements, including construction contracts.  This position offers the opportunity to work on complex, high‑visibility transportation projects that directly shape mobility in San Francisco.

About the Office
The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is an innovative, nationally recognized municipal law office working to protect and advance the rights and interests of the City and County of San Francisco and its residents.  With nearly 350 talented and dedicated employees, the Office provides exceptional legal services to the City’s Mayor, Board of Supervisors, officials, and departments.  Our work empowers City leaders with effective, responsive, and creative legal solutions and representation so they can deliver critical public services, and our affirmative advocacy enhances the lives and wellbeing of San Francisco’s residents and visitors.

The Office recognizes that diversity in the backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our employees enriches our workplace and enhances our work.  We aspire to recruit, employ, retain, and promote talented individuals representing the full spectrum of our community, and welcome all candidates, including candidates of any race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and age, and candidates with disabilities.  We have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of people want to come and stay, grow professionally, and find purpose and engagement, and where all employees feel welcomed and respected, and valued for their work and contributions to the Office and the City. 

The Office offers a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees.

To learn more about the City Attorney's Office, please visit our website.

About the Transportation Team
The Transportation Team is a collaborative and dynamic group of seven attorneys, one paralegal, and two legal secretaries.  The Team serves as General Counsel to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).  The SFMTA is the department of the City and County of San Francisco responsible for managing all ground transportation in the City.  With an annual operating budget of over $1 billion and approximately 6,000 employees, the SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway (Muni), the City’s public transit system, as well as paratransit, parking, traffic, taxis, and bicycling and pedestrian facilities.  The Team also advises other City departments, including the Mayor’s Office and Board of Supervisors, on transportation-related issues.  The Team works closely with other teams in the Office, including the Labor, Government, Land Use, Contracts/Construction, Tax, and Trial Teams.

Deputy City Attorney Position and Responsibilities
Attorneys on the Transportation Team are assigned a variety of advice matters, legislative drafting, and contracting.  On the advice side, attorneys handle a range of transactional issues, including federal, state, and local-funded contracting for professional services, technology acquisition, transit vehicle purchases, public works, and materials procurement; US Department of Transportation and Caltrans grant requirements; general real estate matters related to the SFMTA’s facilities including transit facilities and public parking garages; and legal advice related to emerging mobility modes, including Transportation Network Carriers (TNCs), autonomous vehicles, e-bikes, and electric scooters.  We advise the SFMTA and its Board of Directors on compliance with state and local public records and meeting requirements; state and local regulatory requirements and proceedings including in front of the California Public Utilities Commission; intergovernmental cooperation agreements; fees, fares and fines; the City’s budget process; permitting and enforcing permit conditions; data privacy; and intellectual property.  Attorneys on our Team also draft and analyze local, state, and federal legislation on a broad array of transportation issues.

In addition to the range of work described above, the ideal candidate would be qualified to advise City clients in one or more of the following areas:

• Vehicle procurements: provide advice over the life cycle of transit vehicle procurement and rehabilitation and alignment of the procurement process with industry standards, federal requirements, and best practices.  Familiarity with various types of mass transit vehicles including buses, light rail vehicles, and paratransit vehicles, and familiarity with the use of consultant agreements and cooperative purchase agreements is a plus.
• Federal and/or State regulatory and grant compliance: advice on compliance with federal Uniform Grant Guidance and other conditions on grants from the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration (usually through Caltrans), including Buy America regulations, drug and alcohol testing, and third-party procurement requirements including required contract provisions.
• Construction projects: provide advice over the life cycle of procurement and contracts related to large public works construction projects, including advising on alternative delivery methods and professional services agreements, reviewing contract provisions, addressing proposal and bidding issues, and reviewing change orders and claims.
• Technology system procurements: draft and review requests for proposals and contracts for technology systems, including related software and professional services, to support the SFMTA’s transit system operations.
• Intergovernmental agreements: negotiate agreements with other City departments and with other local government agencies, including joint powers authorities.
• Developments in public transportation law, industry and government relations: provide advice on current national issues and trends through coordination with national public transportation organizations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed to practice law in California.

Desired Qualifications

• Five or more years of legal experience in government procurement, transportation, municipal or other government law, grants law, public works, and technology/systems procurement.
• Ability to assume responsibility quickly and work independently and efficiently.
• Excellent oral and written communication and advocacy skills.
• Ability to manage and appropriately balance an active and varied workload and adjust to occasional workload increases.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Desire and ability to work successfully as part of a team.
• Ability to work closely with clients to assist them in achieving program and policy goals, and provide informed risk analyses and legal options.

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.

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.

Salary and Benefits
The Deputy City Attorney position has a 16-step salary scale ranging from $158,548 to $277,810.  The successful applicant is appointed to a salary step based on years of experience as a lawyer.  The City offers robust health, retirement and other benefits.  For more information please visit: https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview.  Attorneys are represented by the Municipal Attorneys Association.  Information about compensation and benefits is available by entering Classification Code 8177 at https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/.

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 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
• Make sure to include your CA Bar Number in the education section on your application
• Upload a Cover Letter and a Resume

Applicants who advance in the selection process must submit two references and at least one writing sample.

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, @sfcityatty.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.

Human Resources Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquires to Jumy Dang, Senior Human Resources Analyst, at [email protected].

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.