Investigator, Taxi and Accessible Services (9144) - CITYWIDE (Eligible list ID #A00014) - City and County of San Francisco

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

• Application Opening: Monday, October 7, 2024
• Application Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through Tuesday, October 15, 2024 5:00 PM (PDT) and will close any time thereafter
• Compensation Range: $107,302 - $130,390 annually
• Recruitment ID: CBT-9144-A00014

Under direction, performs professional level investigative work to evaluate, monitor and report on compliance with laws, regulations, policies and procedures by motor-vehicle-for-hire permit holders. Makes recommendations on possible disciplinary actions for regulatory violations by permit holders, including assessment of administrative penalties and suspension or revocation of permits, if applicable.

The essential functions of this position include:

1) Performs investigations, surveillance and enforcement including possible sting operations; researches and identifies permit holder violations; works directly with law enforcement personnel.

2) Visits, surveys, and patrols premises to evaluate and enforce compliance with laws, regulations, permit conditions, and established policies and procedures; confirms licensure and qualifications of operators.

3) Conducts interviews with permittees, representatives, witnesses, and others to gather data and to monitor and report on compliance with laws, regulations, permit conditions, and established policies and procedures.

4) Investigates and drafts responses to complaints from the general public by interviewing complainants, witnesses, and experts to gather information for analysis and resolution of complaints.

5) Analyzes information and evidence resulting from research and investigative activities; prepares and presents findings and recommendations; develops and improves enforcement mechanisms; assists in developing policies or modifications to rules and regulations.

6) Prepares accurate and detailed investigative reports based on observations; prepares correspondence, memoranda, and/or presentations.

7) Responds to alerts indicating violation of laws, rules, and regulations and to requests for assistance with escalating incidents; refers to emergency contact when appropriate.

8) Tracks and monitors notices, actions and collection of fines.

9) Counsels permit holders on regulatory compliance; records and explains actions taken pertaining to enforcement and discipline; advises management on training priorities.

10) Prepares declarations and testifies about results of investigations at administrative, union and judicial hearings; assists with document and witness preparation for evidence to be presented at hearings.

11) Assists in developing plan for periodic audits; performs field audits of facilities, vehicles and procedures.

12) Prepares cease and desist notices, notices of violation, and issues administrative citations to illegal operators and permit holders in violation of laws, regulations and permit conditions; assists with appeals by researching, documenting, and drafting responses.

13) Issues parking citations to vehicles of permit holders and members of the public for violations of Transportation Codes

14) Issues administrative citations to operators of illegal motor-vehicles-for hire and may order the removal of any vehicle, inactive vehicle permits or transponders to the extent authorized by law.

15) Fosters and maintains inter-agency contact by acting as a liaison between San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Taxi Services San Francisco Police Department, California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco International Airport, other state and local agencies, and the general public.

16) Interacts with and maintains good working relationships with other City, state and federal agencies and stakeholders.

17) Supports customer service staff as needed during peak filing periods.

18) Performs other related duties as required.

Education:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. AND

Experience:

Two (2) years of full-time verifiable experience performing complex research, analytical tasks and report drafting in a professional field such as law, media/journalism, public health/welfare, human/civil rights, business (e.g. finance, insurance), education, social sciences, public policy/government or a related field. AND

License and Certification:

Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

Substitution:

One (1) year of full-time verifiable experience investigating compliance with laws and/or regulations for enforcement purposes may be substituted for the two (2) years of professional experience as described above.

Possession of a law degree may be substituted for one (1) year of professional experience as described above.

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. 

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

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.

Nature of Work:

May include shiftwork outside normal business hours on weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.  Some field work may require wearing safety equipment and clothing for extended periods. May include mediating and resolving confrontational situations between the public, stakeholders and permit holders.

Verification of Education and Experience

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 Verification of Experience and/or Education.

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 Procedure: 

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Written Multiple-Choice Examination (Weight: 100%):

Candidates deemed eligible and admitted to the examination process will be administered a written multiple-choice test designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to: knowledge of pertinent state and local laws and regulations pertaining to motor vehicle for hire permits; knowledge of investigative principles and practices, including interviewing methods and techniques; and procedures for gathering, documenting, and analyzing evidence and information; ability to prioritize ongoing investigations and special assignments; ability to identify, gather, review and analyze quantitative and qualitative information from a variety of sources; identify and apply correct standards and rules to the facts found in investigations; and develop sound conclusions and make logical judgments and recommendations based upon factual information; ability to create and maintain a wide variety of complex and detailed electronic and paper documents, reports, files and spreadsheets; conduct surveys and perform routine research; assist in preparation of various reports, proposals, and correspondence; utilize a computer for internet research, email and correspondence; skill to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; work effectively in an objective and impartial manner; exercise understanding and sensitivity to various groups of people; deal tactfully and diplomatically with co-workers, contractors, permit holders, and difficult, emotionally distressed or hostile individuals.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review.

For your reference, a Multiple-Choice Test Preparation Manual is available on the DHR website: Microsoft Word - Mutiple-Choice Test Preparation Manual (sfdhr.org)    

 A passing score on the Written Multiple-Choice Test must be achieved in order to continue in the selection process and be placed/ranked on the eligible list. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Only those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be notified of the exact date, time and place to report for the examination.  Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance
Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record 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
Candidates for employment with San Francisco International Airport require that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. An application for a U.S. Customs 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.

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 resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result 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 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf

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 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

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

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. 

Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” 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 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.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst Nina Huey at nina.huey@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.