City Administrator Jobs
City Administrator jobs are open across local governments, municipalities, and public agencies, from entry-level administrative coordinator roles to senior city manager and chief administrative officer positions, with specializations in public finance, policy administration, and community development. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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About:
Temporary Provisional (TPV) appointments: This is not a permanent appointment. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment. Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.
Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
Application Opening: Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Application Deadline: Application filing will be open at least through Tuesday, November 9, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
✅ Required Supplemental Questionnaire due at the time of application: 1434 Shelter Service Representative Supplemental Questionnaire.
Please note: If you are coming across this announcement outside of the SF Careers website, you must apply directly on the SF Careers site. At this point, you should be able to view the Supplemental Questionnaire link.
About the Office of the City Administrator
The Office of the City Administrator and its 20+ divisions and departments operate core internal and public-facing essential services in to San Francisco residents and businesses. Our aim is to strengthen San Francisco by providing efficient and effective government services to increase safety and resiliency, support our local economy, and optimize capital planning and infrastructure all while prioritizing equity and inclusion.
The Office of the City Administrator’s Mission and Vision
Our vision is to lead the nation in public administration and to enable City departments to effectively deliver critical public services. We aim to help the city run better, to connect San Francisco residents and constituents to the vital public services they seek, and to create a meaningful and diverse work culture that is the place of choice for people who are invested in a career in public service.
We are committed to ensuring that the City services are inclusive, efficient, equitable, and culturally competent for San Franciscans of all races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. This commitment requires comprehensive review and thorough analysis of existing practices and policies to remove barriers to real inclusion. We are also committed to ensuring that we have a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace for individuals of all races. This includes creating opportunities for hiring, promotion, training, and development, for all employees, including but not limited to, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).
To learn more about our departments, divisions, and programs, visit: https://sf.gov/departments/city-administrator
About Animal Care & Control
The San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control (SFACC) is a taxpayer-funded, open-admission animal shelter. Since 1989, SFACC has provided housing, care, and medical treatment to wild, exotic and domestic stray, lost, abandoned, sick, injured, and surrendered animals. SFACC’s doors are open to all animals in need regardless of species, medical, or behavioral condition.
The shelter also enforces all state and local Animal Control and Welfare laws and is the first responder for animals in natural disasters and citizen emergencies.
SFACC shelters homeless, neglected, and abused animals and provide humane education and many other services to the community.
SFACC is the local agency that investigates animal cruelty, enforces animal welfare laws, rescues injured and orphaned wildlife and birds, and aids domestic animals in distress.
SFACC aims to adopt, re-home, or reunite domestic animals with their guardians and to release wildlife to their native habitat.
Work Location: Animal Care & Control, 1419 Bryant Street.
Working Hours: 5 days/week and shifting schedule, including holidays and weekends.
Job Description
1. Courteously and effectively provides animal care and control services, information and assistance to the public, both in person and by telephone; resolves issues from the public, often under stressful conditions due to the emergent nature of the work.
2. Educates the public about animal issues and responsible pet ownership and promotes a humane and caring attitude towards animals; provides information on pet adoption, spay and neuter services, pet training and other animal-related services; promotes good public relations; provides information on opportunities for volunteer work and donations.
3. Clearly and accurately explains state and local laws and ordinances, departmental policies and procedures, and information regarding pet ownership, licensing, adoption, redemption, surrender and/or other animal-related issues to members of the public.
4. Assists the public to surrender, redeem and adopt animals in accordance with animal control laws and departmental procedures; collects information about animals and persons in accordance with animal control laws and departmental procedures; interviews potential adopters regarding animal adoptions and makes decisions about suitability of prospective adopters; demands independent judgment to follow-up on securing required or additional information, and reunite lost and found animals with their owners or place with a suitable new home.
5. Handles animals humanely and safely; transports animals and wildlife to adoption events, for veterinary care and treatment, and to other animal shelters, humane societies or wildlife centers; may perform a variety of errands and delivery of lab specimens, animals and documents.
6. Records transactions at the animal shelter, including narrative reports of public interactions and contacts; processes a variety of forms; documents information regarding the impoundment, condition, release and/or adoption of animals; produces and maintains accurate records regarding animal shelter office activities; uses a computer to access information in the shelter database, enter and update data, and print out documents, receipts and reports; reconciles invoices for charges to the department.
7. Collect and process information necessary to follow-up and enforce the City’s dog licensing program; issues dog licenses and citations for violations of animal control law.
8. Collects fees, produces receipts, makes change and balances daily receipts.
9. Receives, records and relays requests for routine and emergency services from the public to appropriate personnel or division; using a two-way radio in accordance with FCC rules, communicates with personnel in the field.
10. Ensures cleanliness and neatness of work area.
11. Performs related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
Experience:
1. Six months experience providing customer services and information in an animal care and control operation or a related animal welfare/protection facility; OR
2. Two years experience as a customer service representative in an office or facility with heavy face-to-face public contact.
License and Certification:
Possession and maintenance of, or the ability to obtain and maintain, a valid California Class C Driver's License.
Note(s):
One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 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 employment.
A valid out-of-state driver’s license is acceptable during the application process. A valid California driver's license must be obtained prior to appointment and maintained throughout employment.
Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Verification:
Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. 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 may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application and/or departmental selection process.
Note: Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores. 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. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
What else should I know?
Selection Procedure
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements and assessment of candidates’ job-related knowledge, skills and abilities. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to evaluate candidate qualifications. This typically includes an oral interview and/or a written or performance exercise.
If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the Department needs will be invited to continue in the selection process. Applicants meeting the minimum requirements are not guaranteed advancement in the selection process.
To find Departments which use this classification, please see: Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.
Additional Information
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:
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal by the filing deadline. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. Select the “Apply Now” button on the job announcement you are interested in, and follow the on-screen instructions:
- All candidates must complete a supplemental questionnaire as part of the employment application. Please follow the instructions at this link to submit the supplemental questionnaire:
- 1434 Shelter Service Representative Supplemental Questionnaire.
- All work experience, education, training and other information provided should also be included in the work history and/or education sections of your application and is subject to verification
- You may contact Melanie S. Bautista via email at melanie.sotto@sfgov.org with questions regarding this opportunity.
- Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Mailed, hand delivered or faxed documents/applications will not be accepted. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
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.
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).
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.
About:
Temporary Provisional (TPV) appointments: This is not a permanent appointment. A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service examination for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for permanent appointment. Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.
Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
Application Opening: Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Application Deadline: Application filing will be open at least through Tuesday, November 9, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
✅ Required Supplemental Questionnaire due at the time of application: 1434 Shelter Service Representative Supplemental Questionnaire.
Please note: If you are coming across this announcement outside of the SF Careers website, you must apply directly on the SF Careers site. At this point, you should be able to view the Supplemental Questionnaire link.
About the Office of the City Administrator
The Office of the City Administrator and its 20+ divisions and departments operate core internal and public-facing essential services in to San Francisco residents and businesses. Our aim is to strengthen San Francisco by providing efficient and effective government services to increase safety and resiliency, support our local economy, and optimize capital planning and infrastructure all while prioritizing equity and inclusion.
The Office of the City Administrator’s Mission and Vision
Our vision is to lead the nation in public administration and to enable City departments to effectively deliver critical public services. We aim to help the city run better, to connect San Francisco residents and constituents to the vital public services they seek, and to create a meaningful and diverse work culture that is the place of choice for people who are invested in a career in public service.
We are committed to ensuring that the City services are inclusive, efficient, equitable, and culturally competent for San Franciscans of all races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. This commitment requires comprehensive review and thorough analysis of existing practices and policies to remove barriers to real inclusion. We are also committed to ensuring that we have a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace for individuals of all races. This includes creating opportunities for hiring, promotion, training, and development, for all employees, including but not limited to, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).
To learn more about our departments, divisions, and programs, visit: https://sf.gov/departments/city-administrator
About Animal Care & Control
The San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control (SFACC) is a taxpayer-funded, open-admission animal shelter. Since 1989, SFACC has provided housing, care, and medical treatment to wild, exotic and domestic stray, lost, abandoned, sick, injured, and surrendered animals. SFACC’s doors are open to all animals in need regardless of species, medical, or behavioral condition.
The shelter also enforces all state and local Animal Control and Welfare laws and is the first responder for animals in natural disasters and citizen emergencies.
SFACC shelters homeless, neglected, and abused animals and provide humane education and many other services to the community.
SFACC is the local agency that investigates animal cruelty, enforces animal welfare laws, rescues injured and orphaned wildlife and birds, and aids domestic animals in distress.
SFACC aims to adopt, re-home, or reunite domestic animals with their guardians and to release wildlife to their native habitat.
Work Location: Animal Care & Control, 1419 Bryant Street.
Working Hours: 5 days/week and shifting schedule, including holidays and weekends.
Job Description
1. Courteously and effectively provides animal care and control services, information and assistance to the public, both in person and by telephone; resolves issues from the public, often under stressful conditions due to the emergent nature of the work.
2. Educates the public about animal issues and responsible pet ownership and promotes a humane and caring attitude towards animals; provides information on pet adoption, spay and neuter services, pet training and other animal-related services; promotes good public relations; provides information on opportunities for volunteer work and donations.
3. Clearly and accurately explains state and local laws and ordinances, departmental policies and procedures, and information regarding pet ownership, licensing, adoption, redemption, surrender and/or other animal-related issues to members of the public.
4. Assists the public to surrender, redeem and adopt animals in accordance with animal control laws and departmental procedures; collects information about animals and persons in accordance with animal control laws and departmental procedures; interviews potential adopters regarding animal adoptions and makes decisions about suitability of prospective adopters; demands independent judgment to follow-up on securing required or additional information, and reunite lost and found animals with their owners or place with a suitable new home.
5. Handles animals humanely and safely; transports animals and wildlife to adoption events, for veterinary care and treatment, and to other animal shelters, humane societies or wildlife centers; may perform a variety of errands and delivery of lab specimens, animals and documents.
6. Records transactions at the animal shelter, including narrative reports of public interactions and contacts; processes a variety of forms; documents information regarding the impoundment, condition, release and/or adoption of animals; produces and maintains accurate records regarding animal shelter office activities; uses a computer to access information in the shelter database, enter and update data, and print out documents, receipts and reports; reconciles invoices for charges to the department.
7. Collect and process information necessary to follow-up and enforce the City’s dog licensing program; issues dog licenses and citations for violations of animal control law.
8. Collects fees, produces receipts, makes change and balances daily receipts.
9. Receives, records and relays requests for routine and emergency services from the public to appropriate personnel or division; using a two-way radio in accordance with FCC rules, communicates with personnel in the field.
10. Ensures cleanliness and neatness of work area.
11. Performs related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
Experience:
1. Six months experience providing customer services and information in an animal care and control operation or a related animal welfare/protection facility; OR
2. Two years experience as a customer service representative in an office or facility with heavy face-to-face public contact.
License and Certification:
Possession and maintenance of, or the ability to obtain and maintain, a valid California Class C Driver's License.
Note(s):
One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 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 employment.
A valid out-of-state driver’s license is acceptable during the application process. A valid California driver's license must be obtained prior to appointment and maintained throughout employment.
Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Verification:
Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. 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 may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application and/or departmental selection process.
Note: Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores. 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. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
What else should I know?
Selection Procedure
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements and assessment of candidates’ job-related knowledge, skills and abilities. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to evaluate candidate qualifications. This typically includes an oral interview and/or a written or performance exercise.
If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the Department needs will be invited to continue in the selection process. Applicants meeting the minimum requirements are not guaranteed advancement in the selection process.
To find Departments which use this classification, please see: Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.
Additional Information
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:
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal by the filing deadline. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. Select the “Apply Now” button on the job announcement you are interested in, and follow the on-screen instructions:
- All candidates must complete a supplemental questionnaire as part of the employment application. Please follow the instructions at this link to submit the supplemental questionnaire:
- 1434 Shelter Service Representative Supplemental Questionnaire.
- All work experience, education, training and other information provided should also be included in the work history and/or education sections of your application and is subject to verification
- You may contact Melanie S. Bautista via email at melanie.sotto@sfgov.org with questions regarding this opportunity.
- Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Mailed, hand delivered or faxed documents/applications will not be accepted. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
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.
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).
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.
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Find City Administrator JobsCity Administrator Job Market
Who's Hiring
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in city administrator jobs.
- Bachelor's degree in public administration, political science, or a related field
- Demonstrated experience managing municipal budgets and capital improvement plans
- Knowledge of local government law, ordinances, and intergovernmental relations
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for council and public presentations
- Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree preferred for senior-level positions
- Experience with public procurement, contract administration, and grant management
Tips for Your City Administrator Job Search
Tailor your resume to municipal priorities
City administrator postings often score resumes against specific competencies like budget oversight, intergovernmental relations, and council communications. Mirror those exact phrases in your resume so automated screening systems flag your application before a hiring manager ever reads it.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists city administrator openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Highlight measurable outcomes in public service
Generic government experience reads as filler. Quantify what you delivered: budget reductions achieved, service response times improved, or capital projects completed on schedule. Hiring committees want administrators who connect daily decisions to community outcomes, not just officials who managed processes.
Target the right jurisdiction size for your level
A deputy administrator in a city of 300,000 residents competes in a very different pool than a solo administrator for a town of 8,000. Filter openings by population served or operating budget when possible, since your past scope should roughly match the role you're applying to.
Prepare for a multi-stage public interview
Most city administrator searches include a public presentation before the city council in addition to panel interviews. Practice presenting a governance challenge and your recommended response in plain language, since elected officials prioritize clear communication over technical depth.
Negotiate total compensation, not just base pay
Municipal roles often carry defined benefit pension contributions, car allowances, and professional development stipends that have real dollar value. Understand the full package before you respond to any offer, and confirm whether relocation assistance is available if the role requires you to establish residency.
City Administrator Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most city administrators?
City and County of San Francisco, DECOMA, and APL Logistics are hiring the most city administrators right now, with openings concentrated in California, Nevada, and Missouri, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand tends to be steady in growing municipalities managing infrastructure expansion and population increases.
How many city administrator jobs are remote?
About 50% of city administrator openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the in-person nature of most public governance roles. The sub-areas most likely to offer remote or hybrid arrangements include policy analysis, grant writing, and administrative support functions that do not require daily council or constituent interaction.
How do you become a city administrator?
Start with a bachelor's degree in public administration or a related field, then gain experience in local government through roles like budget analyst, department director, or assistant city manager. Many city administrators earn an MPA to deepen their policy and finance expertise. Building relationships through professional associations and demonstrating results in progressively larger jurisdictions accelerates your path to a top administrative role.
Can I get hired as a city administrator without direct experience?
Entry-level administrative coordinator and analyst roles inside city government are realistic starting points if you lack direct experience. Focus applications on smaller municipalities or county offices where generalist skills matter more than specialized tenure. Internships with city manager offices, volunteer board service, and graduate coursework in public finance or land use planning all signal commitment and help close the experience gap.
What does the city administrator interview process look like?
The process typically begins with a phone or video screen conducted by an HR representative or executive recruiter, followed by panel interviews with department heads and key staff. Finalists are usually invited for a full-day visit that includes a public presentation before the city council and a community forum. Reference checks and background screenings are standard before an offer is extended.
Where can I find and apply to city administrator jobs?
You can find and apply to city administrator jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search for roles that match your experience and jurisdiction preference, then apply directly to each listing that fits your background and career goals.
See All 10 City Administrator Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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