Emerging Technologies Director, Department of Technology (0953) - City and County of San Francisco

Why Work for the Department of Technology (DT)? DT is the centralized technology services provider in the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF). We deliver technology infrastructure and services to approximately 33,000 employees! With an annual operating budget of over $160M and approximately 260 employees. DT provides services through the following Department divisions:

• IT Project Management Office
• Enterprise Application Services
• Cloud Center of Excellence
• IT Operations and Support including the Service Desk and NOC
• City Infrastructure including the Network, Telcom and Data Centers
• Office of Cybersecurity including Cyber Defense, Identity Management and Disaster Recovery
• Public Safety Systems and Municipal Broadband Fiber
• SFGovTV Broadcasting Services
• IT Finance and Administration Services
• Emerging Technologies

Benefits of Working for CCSF:  In addition to challenging and rewarding work, CCSF provides a generous suite of benefits to its employees.

• Competitive pay, as well as pension, and robust retirement options
• Hybrid Work with a minimum of 20% of time spent in our office in San Francisco, California for all IT related roles
• Generous paid time off, family leave, and more!
• Diverse work environment in a diverse city
• Career development and growth — move between departments, learn on the job, or take subsidized/reimbursed classes!

PEOPLE-CENTERED SOLUTIONS — have a powerful, meaningful effect on the community each day with people at the heart of every solution!

CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE — bring the benefits of the internet to low-income and marginalized residents!

SHINE A LIGHT ON WHAT MATTERS — join an award-winning production team at SFGovTV to help residents watch legislators or learn more about what makes this City great!

DRIVE INNOVATION — deliver new, cutting-edge technology to residents and city partners to help San Francisco serve its residents!

The rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence, smart city solutions, and advanced digital and sensor platforms is fundamentally reshaping how governments operate and deliver public services. As these innovations continue to accelerate, local governments must proactively adapt to meet the growing expectations of residents and ensure efficient, transparent, ethical public service delivery through new technologies.

As the City and County of San Francisco’s inaugural Director of Emerging Technologies, you will be an imaginative technology leader, guiding the organization in identifying emerging technology trends, evaluating and mitigating their potential impact on City services, and driving the development of innovative policies and technical solutions to improve services to San Franciscans. You will play a pivotal role in fostering a culture of technology innovation and collaboration across multiple IT organizations in the City.

The Emerging Technologies Director reports directly to the City Chief Information Officer.

The ideal candidate is already a well-regarded leader among the government technology and policy ecosystem with an established track record of successfully shaping and driving technology policy, leading large scale governance efforts, and delivering innovative technology projects across multiple governmental organizations. The ideal candidate will show acumen in using communications to engage wide range of technical leaders inside the City, from the Bay Area community, and vendors. This candidate will have a demonstrated understanding of the political and legislative landscape of the City, State and Federal levels to establish and drive a clear policy agenda and represent San Francisco with regulatory and legislative bodies.

This hands-on leader and expert will collaborate with key City partners such as Mayor's Office on Innovation (MOI), the Board of Supervisors (BOS), the Committee on Information and Technology (COIT), Digital and Data Services (DDS), City leaders, including the City’s many departmental Chief Information Officers and other technology teams to improve City service delivery through adoption of emerging technologies to further the mission of the City.

Essential duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Analyze long-term trends in technology and develop the City's strategy for using emerging technologies to better serve San Francisco's residents, businesses, and visitors.
• Establish and lead emerging technology governance and processes City-wide by conducting analysis, risk assessment, feasibility studies, cost benefit analysis and ensuring alignment with ethical practices.
• Lead a collaborative and consensus-driven creation of policies for using emerging technologies, with a strong emphasis on ethics, equity, security and privacy, transparency, and accountability.
• Lead community outreach and feedback process for leveraging emerging technologies in improving transparency and fairness of public services.
• Represent San Francisco Department of Technology in emerging technology industry standards bodies and government peer and regulatory bodies.
• Partner with Department CIOs and IT Directors to develop technology solutions for improving City operations and services to San Franciscans with the use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)/Machine learning, IoT (Internet of Things), and evaluating data from autonomous vehicles, drones, and other emerging technology tools.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder committees that include representatives from various departments, including HR, IT, Legal, and DEI, to oversee potential AI adoption and usage. Liaise with external experts and regulators, ensuring that the City’s practices are not only compliant but socially responsible and aligned with the City’s commitment to diversity.
• Provide thought leadership to City departments and partner in implementing artificial intelligence algorithms and tools in government settings to improve services
• Lead a team of direct and indirect reports and assemble matrix-style teams across divisions in the Department of Technology and Digital and Data Services to prioritize, build, test, evaluate, and iterate on key projects and initiatives.
• Collaborate and partner with the City’s Department of Human Resources (DHR) to assist with informing and educating the City’s Labor Union partners regarding emerging technologies and prioritizing training for all City employees so that they are able to safely and responsibly use new technologies.
• Work with the Office of Contract Administration (OCA) and the Government Operations team to identify efficiencies, develop guidelines and policies in the procurement of emerging technologies across the City and ensure that any AI tools or services purchased comply with ethical and possible upcoming regulatory standards.
• Identify key metrics for success and lead communications with City leadership, agencies, and the public to report on the progress and impact of San Francisco's emerging technologies initiatives.
• Develop and manage relationships with internal and external technology partners throughout San Francisco, including local universities, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and technology companies to foster knowledge and resource sharing.
• Be an advocate and role model of the DT culture of high performance, innovation and excellent customer service.
• Champion strong fundamentals (reliability, resiliency, data privacy, security, compliance).
• Effectively communicate the vision and progress of technology innovation initiatives to City executive leadership, Board of Supervisors and other stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; AND
• Six years of management experience in the information technology (IT) field, all of which must include experience supervising technical and professional IT staff.

Substitution: May fully substitute education with additional years of experience.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration or a closely related field
• Ten years of professional experience in technology and eight years of experience in IT management roles.
• Strong background in information technology, with eight years of experience in IT management roles and understanding of technology trends, systems, and processes
• Deep understanding of business operations, finance, and strategy to align technology initiatives with the overall business goals of the organization
• Strong leadership abilities managing and leading diverse teams, fostering collaboration, and driving results
• Think strategically and develop long-term plans for the organization and understand how technology can contribute to the department's competitive advantage and growth.
• Track record of optimizing operational processes, improving efficiency, and managing complex projects with a keen eye for identifying areas of improvement and implementing solutions
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written to effectively convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and build strong relationships with team members, executives, and external partners
• Experience leading organizational change initiatives related to technology implementations or process improvements and adept at managing transitions and ensuring smooth adoption of new technologies or workflows
• Quick and effective decision-making with the ability to analyze problems, identify solutions, and make informed decisions
• Understanding industry trends, regulations, and challenges to make informed decisions and strategic plans for the department, department clients and City
• Network of industry contacts and relationships with other professionals that can provide valuable insights and collaborative opportunities for the organization

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application and/or departmental selection process. Written verification (proof) of qualifying experience must verify that the applicant meets the minimum qualifications stated on the announcement. Written verification must be submitted on employer’s official letterhead, specifying name of employee, dates of employment, types of employment (part-time/full-time), job title(s), description of duties performed, and the verification must be signed by the employer. City employees will receive credit for the duties of the class to which they are appointed. Credit for experience obtained outside of the employee’s class will be allowed only if recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Commission Rules. Experience claimed in self-employment must be supported by documents verifying income, earnings, business license and experience comparable to the minimum qualifications of the position. Copies of income tax papers or other documents listing occupations and total earnings must be submitted. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456.

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. 

Compensation: $187,070 - $238,810 (annually) 

How to Apply:

• Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time but not earlier than September 27, 2024. This position is open until filled.
• Your application MUST include a resume and cover letter.  To upload, please attach using the "additional attachments" function.

You may contact Lawlun Leung via email at lawlun.leung@sfgov.org or at 415-554-1728 with questions regarding this opportunity.

Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Mailed, hand delivered or faxed documents/applications will not be accepted.

Right to Work:

All persons entering the City and County of San Francisco workforce are required to provide verification of authorization to work in the United States.  Please be informed that DT will not sponsor visa applications/transfer.

Helpful Information

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Memoranda of Understandings & Labor Agreements
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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.