Public Service Trainee

Job Description

Role Description
The Greenager Programis a San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Port of San Francisco Youth Stewardship and Leadership program.  The program was created and designed to offer teens a chance to play an important role in the community by improving the City’s green spaces, raising awareness, creating place-based projects and/or projects based on issues or themes that participants value and are interested in.  The program is for 9th to 11th graders who live in or attend a school in the Tenderloin, Northeast, or Southeast neighborhoods.  Greenagers are trained and provided with multiple leadership opportunities.  They lead public volunteer service projects, participate in community events, go on fun team excursions, and more.

These are general duties for Greenagers (High School Interns):

• Learn proper tool usage and safety;
• Learn how to steward the parks of San Francisco;
• Assist with outreach during community events, including but not limited to setting up, breaking down, and tabling;
• Participate in appropriate training, lesson plans, and team-building activities;
• Participate in recreational activities that involve team bonding such as camping overnight, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.;
• Motivate and support each other to encourage a strong working relationship within the team;
• Complete forms, surveys and assignments by their due dates;
• Provide feedback for staff and peer leaders;
• Be responsible for your time in & out; and
• Follow proper City and County of San Francisco Respect in the Workplace Policy guidelines and procedures.

Qualifications

1. You must be in 9th to 11th grade for the SFUSD 2026-27 school year and preferably LIVE IN or ATTEND a school in District 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, or 11.  Other students who either live in or attend a school within San Francisco may be deemed eligible.

District 3: Chinatown
District 5: Western Addition, Fillmore
District 6: Tenderloin, Treasure Island
District 9: Portola, Bernal Heights
District 10: Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Silver Terrace
District 11: Excelsior, Crocker Amazon 

 *These are not full lists of the neighborhoods in each district—please look up your supervisory district if you do not see your neighborhood listed on: https://sfelections.org/tools/districts_lookup/.

 2. You must have a current Social Security number - required for City and County employment. 

Successful candidates will be required to obtain a Work Permit. A 2.0 GPA or higher may be required for a work permit. Students should NOT request a work permit at this time until notified of a job offer. 

Desirable Qualification

Possession of at least 3 hours of volunteer work experience with SF Rec and Park or any organization in the Bay Area. (Verification of volunteer hours may be required upon request.)

Additional Information

What else should I know?
All dates below are tentative and may be subject to change.

Interview Selection Process: November 19, 2026 – November 21, 2026
Processing date: January 9, 2026
Orientation and Start Work Date for Second-Year Greenagers - February 13, 2027
Orientation and Start Work Date for First-Year Greenagers - February 20, 2027

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. 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.

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
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Applicants may be contacted by email about this announcement and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. 

Candidates for positions with the Recreation and Park Department may be disqualified from consideration should their conviction history not meet the standards established under California Public Resources Code 5164.

If you have any questions regarding the Greenager Program, please send an email to [email protected].  For questions regarding the application or selection process, please email the HR Analyst, Dorothy Young, at [email protected].

Race and Social Equity Statement
We believe that parks and open space in San Francisco provides the opportunity to model equitable access for all.  With this belief, San Francisco became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. The Recreation and Park Department’s goal is to close the gaps and improve equity and access to quality parks and open space, and recreation activities for historically marginalized communities.

We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in its internal operations.  With a multi-disciplinary team of talented individuals - gardeners, recreation leaders, park rangers, custodians, craft shop personnel, park and recreation managers and more, the department is committed to doing its part to provide equitable access to parks and programs for all the communities we serve to enjoy, as well as foster a work environment where our differences are celebrated, and everyone has what they need to thrive regardless of their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.

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.

Compensation: 25 to N/A (USD) (HOURLY)