Planner III

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

• Application Opening:October 13, 2026
• Final date to receive applications:October 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM (PDT)

Appointment Type: This is a Temporary Provisional (TPV) position, limited to no more than 3 years in duration. This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. This is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process at a later date.

Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment.

The Department

The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) shapes how land is used to meet community needs and guide our city’s future, creating inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous neighborhoods. We envision an equitable San Francisco where everyone thrives—a welcoming city that honors diverse cultures, provides secure housing, strengthens environmental resilience, and drives economic stability for current and future generations.

Under direction, the Planner III in the Environmental Planning Division performs difficult and responsible environmental review work, participating in all phases of environmental review including analysis of environmental impacts and mitigation measures; coordinates difficult environmental review cases; performs complex initial environmental studies; provides information to the public on environmental review procedures; evaluates projects for compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and policies;

and coordinates with project sponsors, consultants, regulatory agencies, and other City departments on environmental review matters; and performs related duties as required.

The Planner III may also perform complex and responsible planning work in areas such as land use, zoning, urban design, economic development, housing development, open space and recreation, code enforcement, historic preservation, real estate, waterfront planning, airport planning, park planning, natural resource management, emergency planning,orother related planning fields.

Important and Essential Duties

Essential duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Performs difficult environmental impact evaluations of projects including review of technical portions of environmental impact reports (EIRs) involving mathematical modeling, surveys, analyses, and forecasts as applied to a range of environmental matters such as air pollution, water, energy, waste and endangered species
• Reviews EIRs for compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations;
• Coordinates environmental impact reviews for major public and private projects, including preliminary conferences, consultations with consulting specialists, coordination with other involved agencies and Planning Department staff.
• Prepares and presents environmental review findings, recommendations, staff reports, technical reports, correspondence, and other documents for the City Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and other decision-making bodies.
• Supervises, designs, and prepares graphic presentations including maps, reports,plans, PowerPoint (or similar) presentations,charts, models, sketches and graphs to illustrate and analyze environmental, planning and development concepts
• Reviews and/or coordinates the Federal, State, and Local permitting processes, including coordinating various stakeholders and integrating required data and documents and obtaining other regulatory approvals for projects;
• Supervises and reviews the work of…