Airfield Safety Officer

Job Description

Under general supervision, the Airfield Safety Officer performs patrol and inspection duties of airfield and other facilities and conducts investigations for the enforcement of the Airport Security Program and to ensure compliance with Federal, Airport and Transportation Security Regulations.

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job class and are not intended to be an inclusive list; may include additional duties as assigned. The essential functions of this classification include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Inspects and evaluates airfield facilities, such as; runways, taxiways, safety areas, paved & non-paved surfaces, lighting, signage, markings, security related assets (i.e., fences/gates, navigational aids) and other aeronautical facilities for conformance with safety and security regulations.
2. Closes and reopens airfield facilities, including runways, taxiways, ramps, aircraft gate positions, and security related assets (i.e., fences and gates) dependent upon safe and secure conditions.
3. Monitors and directs the movement of vehicles, persons, and equipment on the airfield, and provides escort and safety/security support to ensure safe and efficient operations.
4. Notifies aeronautical users through various communication channels; monitors multiple radios to ensure safety and security of any changes in airfield conditions.
5. Verifies compliance with assigned aircraft parking space to ensure maximum utilization of facilities.
6. Enforces Airport regulations and issues citations for violations; enters and/ or submits citations in database.
7. Responds to security breaches, violations, and all emergencies; acts as first responders to all incidents or accidents on the airfield/ramp area, and, as required, administers first aid. Maintains emergency equipment and supplies to be used to respond to any Airport incidents or accidents; sets up and operates the Mobile Command Post.
8. Investigates airfield incidents and accidents, and identifies potential contributing factors for airfield safety and security; recommends corrective action, including facility repairs/ upgrades, and/or new or improved procedures and policies.
9. Identifies proper placement and storage of hazardous materials on the airfield; maintains and coordinates removal of ground handling equipment; participates in safety risk assessments; compiles hazard data into Safety Management System (SMS) reports.
10. Prepares detailed informational and operational reports related to safety/security incidents, injuries, and accidents. Attends briefings for updates and shares information.
11. Conducts wildlife surveys and performs wildlife management and eradication duties, including habitat control, harassment and depredation.
12. Develops and administers training programs, standard operating procedures, and other related programs; presents to groups and provides operations related training to airline tenants, service companies or other aeronautical or non-aeronautical users.
13. Monitors and coordinates maintenance and construction work sites on the airfield to ensure safety and security; implements and adjusts maintenance and construction site closures based on operational conditions.
14. Perform other duties associated with the 9213 classification.

Nature of Work
Nature of work involves working under stressful physical and emotional conditions including adverse weather, exposure to radioactive materials, and high noise levels. This also involves rotating shifts including day, swing, and night shifts, and weekends and holidays. Employees may be required to work overtime. Emergency situations may require working outside of your normally scheduled hours. 

Qualifications

1. Education: High school diploma or equivalent (GED or High School Proficiency Examination); AND
2. Experience: Two (2) years of safety and/or security operations experience at an airport, airbase, airline, or military base performing safety, security and inspection duties, of which six (6) months must include recent airfield operations experience*; AND
3. License and Certification: Possession of or ability to obtain a valid California Class C driver license prior to employment.

*Note: Recent airfield operations experience (within the last seven (7) years) must have included inspecting and analyzing airfield surfaces, assets, and related facilities for safety, security, and compliance related data and to develop recommendations to enhance an airport, airbase, FBO, airline ramp, or military operation, including composition of related letters, memoranda and reports.

Experience Substitution:

• Possession of an Associate's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Aviation Management or a related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required safety and/or security operations experience only.
• Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Aviation Management or a related field may substitute for the two (2) years of required safety and/or security operations experience only.
  • Six (6) months of recent airfield operations experience is still required.
• Completion of a six (6) month program equivalent to the City and County of San Francisco’s Airside Operations Training Program may substitute for the required six (6) months of recent airfield operations experience.

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

• Thorough knowledge of CFR Part 139, Part 77, and FAA Advisory Circulars 150 series.
• Working knowledge of CFR Part 1542.
• Expert-level knowledge in aviation phraseology and public safety communications with ability to communicate via two-way radio with FAA Air Traffic Control, Operations Dispatcher(s), and team members.
• Experience as a First Responder on an airfield including direct incident response.
• Knowledge of and experience with FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS).
• Pilot’s Certificate.
• Experience at commercial, domestic, regional or international airports.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills and report writing.
• AAAE Airport Certified Employee (ACE) Operations and/or ACE Security.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

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 verification is required, information on how to verify education 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.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

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

Multiple-Choice Exam (Weight: 100%)
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in the online, multiple-choice examination, designed to measure their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas. The multiple-choice examination component may include, but not be limited to:Knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Rules and Regulations and Transportation Security Regulations (TSR); knowledge of Airfield and Airport Safety & Security principles, method, practices and equipment; ability to read maps, diagrams, and airfield plans; ability to exercise good judgment when making a decision.

Examination Notice: This computer-administered test can be taken at home or at a time and location of one’s convenience, but only within the time period specified on the test notification. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam.

An invitation to the exam will be emailed to you with more information regarding test details. The remote, Multiple-Choice Exam will be administered on the following dates below.

• Week of November 17, 2025
• Week of January 19, 2026
• Week of March 16, 2026
• Week of May 18, 2026
• Week of July 20, 2026
• Week of September 21, 2026

Score Banking: Scores attained on the Multiple-Choice Exam will be 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, candidates need not take this test again. Rather, if another announcement you applied to and are deemed qualified for requires this Multiple-Choice Exam and is held within one year of your Multiple-Choice Exam date, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, a candidate has the option to either (a) apply their test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the test and only in association with a candidate’s eligibility for another announcement to which the candidate has applied and is deemed qualified. If a candidate opts to re-test, the re-test score becomes the candidate’s official score since it is the most recent.

If a significant modification is made to this exam in the future, the application of “banked” scores may no longer be appropriate. In such a rare circumstance, candidates with “banked” scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period specified above should they apply to another job opportunity where the modified exam is used.

Additional Information

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 are 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.

Upon passing the exam, candidates will be placed on the eligible list for a period of 12 months.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: 
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. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Customs Clearance: This position requires that the incumbent be qualified for unescorted access to the San Francisco International Airport U.S. Customs Security Area. Employment in this position requires that the incumbent submit an application for, successfully acquire and maintain a Customs Access Seal. Per Civil Service Commission Rule 110.9.1, every applicant must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for this examination. Failure to acquire or maintain customs access, a requirement for this position, may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission. Customs Access Seal requirements and procedures are located in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 122, Sections 181 or 189.

Medical Examination: Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine their ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the minimum physical requirements.

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

Where to Apply
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] 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.

Exam Analyst: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact Lilimae Santander at [email protected].

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.