Company Description

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: July 18, 2025
Announcement Reopened for additional recruitment on August 5, 2025.
Application Deadline: Application filing will close on or after August 12, 2025
Salary: $130,520 - $183,612 Annually
Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
Recruitment ID: PBT-2550-151227/REF45761G

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. 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.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be utilized to fill future and current vacancies in this class at other locations within the DPH for the duration of the eligible list. 

To apply please complete these steps:

Complete this Training and Experience Exam
Complete and submit an online application by clicking the “Apply Now” button.

Job Description

Under general direction, the 2550 Senior Occupational Therapist supervises and participates in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients in hospitals and other institutions by providing them with directed activities; assigns activities according to prescriptions of physicians; directs, plans, prioritizes and coordinates daily operations including scheduling staff. The essential duties include, but are not limited to the following.

Supervises a number of occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, rehabilitation aides, and students in-training in treating patients with occupational therapy as prescribed by referring physicians;
Interprets departmental policies, rules and regulations to subordinate employees;
Coordinates orientation for new occupational therapy staff, assigns duties, and assesses performance and competency of occupational therapy staff;
Acts as a resource and mentor for staff by assessing educational and developmental needs of staff;
Provides education programs and developmental opportunities for staff, and students to promote professional growth;
Coaches, conducts conflict resolution, corrective action and disciplinary action as necessary;
Monitors and maintains productivity and quality of care according to department standards;
Assists in directing, developing and implementing occupational therapy department goals by following existing state and federal regulations, hospital mission, vision and plans, departmental personnel policies and acceptable medical practices to ensure an efficient and effective program;
Collaborates in decision making;
Assists in recruitment, hiring and retention activities;
Assesses staffing needs and maintains appropriate staffing levels according to department procedures and prioritizations;
Contributes to performance improvement initiatives;
Assists in development of budget by analyzing the Occupational Therapy department's programs, staffing patterns and funding sources to meet current and future program needs;
Gathers pertinent client medical/occupational history from the individuals' medical record, patient, family and medical staff;
Evaluates individual's occupational performance utilizing age-appropriate tests, measures and techniques appropriate to the diagnosis, physical condition and clinical presentation of the patient;
Identifies functional limitations and develops a problem list from the evaluation of occupational performance;
Uses and applies various treatment modalities and procedures for diseases and injuries, evaluations effect and makes adjustments in accordance with accepted practice;
Observes and records patient treatment, responses and progress in accordance with legal requirements;
Re-assesses patients utilizing appropriate tests and measurements to determine the effectiveness of the program;
Provides education to patients and families by instructing and self-care activities, exercises, pain relief, modification of activities and disability or disease process;
Participates in or establishes discharge plan;
Enforces proper safety procedures in the performance of all duties in order to protect the health of the patients and staff;
Instructs ancillary personnel and occupational therapy students in basic occupational therapy techniques and procedures in order to ensure continuity of care;
Communicates with patients and staff in a professional manner that promotes customer service;
Confers, coordinates and attends conferences;
Conducts, attends and contributes to departmental meetings, and related programs/organization meetings to meet organizational strategic goals and overall regulatory compliance;
Documents all occupational therapy evaluations and treatments in the electronic health record (EHR); and
Promotes the importance of occupational therapy and sustains/maintains/enhances OT programs development to provide optimal patient care and meet SFDPH mission and values.

The Senior Occupational Therapist (2550) may perform other duties as assigned/required.

Qualifications

Experience: Three (3) years of verifiable experience as a licensed/certified Occupational Therapist; AND
License: Possession of a valid Occupational Therapy License issued by the California Board of Occupational Therapy (CBOT); AND
Twelve (12) months of Geriatrics & Rehabilitation Experience

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

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

SPECIAL CONDITIONS: The above minimum qualifications reflect special conditions associated with the position(s) to be filled. They may differ from the standard minimum qualifications associated with this classification.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

At least one year of leadership experience in related settings (acute rehab, skilled nursing facility, outpatient).

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

Additional Information

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

Assessment Component
Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in Training and Experience Evaluation that is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job related areas that have been identified as critical for satisfactory performance in this position.

Training and Experience Evaluation: (Weight: 100%)
Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Training and Experience Evaluation 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.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of Ten Scores.

Eligible List/Score Report:
Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. For more information, visit https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 12 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

How to apply:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted online at careers.sf.gov.

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account.

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.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

This is a Position Based Test (PBT) administered in accordance with Civil Service Rule 111A.

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. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Juliette Soto at Juliette.Soto@sfdph.org or (628)271-6709.

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

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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