Recruitment: REF60173B
Published: July 01, 2026
Contact
Elaine Adams -
[email protected]
Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's
application portal.
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Department: Public Health
Job class:
2585-Health Worker I
Salary range: $67,938.00 - $82,472.00
Role type: Permanent Civil Service What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
Exam type:
Continuous
Rule:
Rule of the List
List type:
Entrance
About:
7/1/2026 - Minor revision. No need to reapply .
The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.
Application Opening : February 27, 2026
Application Deadline : Continuous
Salary : $67,938 - $82,472 Annually
Appointment Type : Permanent Civil Service
Recruitment ID : CCT-2585-H00194
Work Arrangement: Onsite
The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. Fulfilling this mission requires employees working across our hospitals, clinics, programs, and offices to deliver services and support the communities we serve. Individuals interested in joining SFDPH should expect to work in person across these settings.
The San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration are the core divisions of SFDPH. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.
Role description
Location: Positions may be located but not limited to: Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH), and various clinics.
Shift: Days, nights, weekends, and/or holiday shifts may be required, depending on the position.
Under the close supervision and guidance of health professionals and paraprofessionals, the
Health Worker 1 effectively communicates with community residents, as well as program staff
and performs a wide variety of well-defined duties designed to aid and encourage members of
the community to utilize Health Department services. The essential functions include, but are not limited to:
Participate in an intensive training program to become familiar with community resources
Provide general advice to patients and others regarding available services
Assist patients in utilizing available health and community resources
Receive, sign in, and route patients reporting for treatment or other assistance at program facilities
Set up and clean up after clinics and other meetings
Maintain needed supplies; may collect patient specimens for required lab tests
Provide language interpretation services for patients; may translate letters, pamphlets, booklets, films, and other materials
Assist patients in making appointments for needed services
Guide and process patients through clinics, hospitals, and other facilities
Visit patients and community residents at home or in hospitals to provide assistance and support
Perform routine clerical tasks related to maintaining records of the specific program involved
The Health Worker 1 may perform other duties as assigned/required.
Working Conditions: Some positions may require employees to work directly with the homeless population and individuals who have or are carriers of infectious/communicable diseases; or individuals within locked jails or psychiatric facilities. Some positions may also require exposure to inclement weather conditions and/or heavy lifting.
How to qualify
EXPERIENCE: Six (6) months of verifiable experience, performing a combination of at least two (2) of the following duties:
Serving as a liaison between targeted communities and healthcare agencies
Providing culturally appropriate health education/information and outreach to targeted populations
Providing referral and follow up services or otherwise coordinating care
Providing informal counseling, social support and advocacy to targeted populations
Escorting and transporting clients
Providing courier/dispatcher functions
Performing pre-clinical examinations of vital statistics, such as measuring a patient's weight, height, temperature and blood pressure
Substitution : Possession of a Community Health Worker Certificate from City College of San Francisco can substitute for 6 months of the required experience.
One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.)
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Depending on the department's needs, some positions may require applicants to meet additional special conditions, which may include, but are not limited:
Bilingual Proficiency in a variety of languages. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for bilingual positions
Experience providing health or social services to diverse populations
Verification of Education and Experience:
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-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.
What else should I know?
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.
Multiple Choice Examination (Weight: 100%)
The Multiple-Choice Exam is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas which may include but not be limited to:
Ability to: build and maintain effective, cooperative, and collaborative relationships in diverse, multicultural environments; manage time and materials efficiently, maintain accurate records, file, code, and schedule appointments and meetings; exercise sound judgment and make informed decisions; interview patients/clients; apply de-escalation or counseling techniques in sensitive or high stress situations; read and understand information; utilize technology and work with data using various software and systems; communicate written information in a clear, concise, and understandable manner; ability to interpret and apply policies, laws, rules, regulations and procedures;
Knowledge of health and community services
Candidates must achieve a passing score on the written multiple-choice exam in order to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.
Language Proficiency Exam:
For positions requiring bilingual fluency, candidates deemed qualified who meet the special language condition must pass a department approved language proficiency exam prior to appointment. Only those eligible candidates who pass the bilingual proficiency test will be considered for the bilingual position.
Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.
Score Banking: Scores attained on the 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam will be 'banked' for three years, from the examination date. During this period, candidates are not required to retest. If a candidate applies and qualifies for another job using the same 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam within one year of the 2585 Health Worker 1 Exam date, their score would be automatically applied to that announcement. After one year, a candidate has the option to either (a) apply their test score to the other announcement or (b) re-test. Re-testing is allowed after one year from the date of the test only if a candidate applies and is qualified. The most recent score becomes the official score if a candidate chooses to retest.
If the examination undergoes significant changes in the future, the use of “banked” scores may change. Candidates with “banked” scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period if they apply to a job opportunity using the same modified exam.
Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of List.
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.
Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months . Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply.
To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments .
