Port Director

Berkeley Search Consultants • San Francisco, CA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Port Executive Director is the chief executive of the San Francisco Port Commission. The position is responsible for the overall management, development, and long-term success of the Port of San Francisco, an enterprise agency of the City and County of San Francisco, which is held as a public trust for the citizens of California. Under policy oversight of the Port Commission, the Port Executive Director manages all administrative and operations activities of the Port. The Port Executive Director is appointed by the Mayor based upon nomination by the Port Commission. The Port Executive Director is exempt from the civil service provisions of the San Francisco Charter and serves at the pleasure of the Port Commission. The Executive Director is responsible for leading, planning, directing, coordinating, controlling and evaluating activities of Port staff engaged in administrative functions; fiscal activities; governmental relations and public relations; economic development and planning; port security and safety; environmental compliance and regulation; engineering; inspection of Port properties; contracting for goods and services; business development and marketing; promotion, development, rental and leasing of Port property; repair and maintenance of Port facilities and substructures; and staffing and personnel operations.

Requirements

• At a minimum, the candidate must hold a baccalaureate degree; a master’s degree is preferred.
• Qualified candidates will bring at least seven years of senior executive leadership experience, including demonstrated responsibility for leading complex, multi-layered departments and cross-functional divisions
• Ideal candidates will have a proven record of managing large, multifaceted organizations, navigating enterprise-level complexity, and delivering results within environments (private or public sector) that require strong stakeholder engagement, operational discipline, and strategic leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Enterprise-level experience within a multifaceted organization: Experience successfully navigating complex business environments large-scale development, placemaking, or real-estate portfolio management.
• Transformational, Organizational Leadership: Capable of building a high-functioning, mission-driven workforce; strengthening communication; cultivating belonging; creating career ladders; and fostering a healthy workplace culture.
• Mega-project delivery capacity and cross-agency orchestration: With the Seawall Program, major federal partnerships, and multi-billion-dollar capital and resilience initiatives underway, the Director must align engineering, planning, development, federal partners, and city departments into a unified, accountable delivery system.
• Strong Financial Stewardship: The Port requires a leader who can manage structural deficits, secure external funding, structure public-private partnerships, and make disciplined investments that advance long-term public benefit.
• Equity: Equity must be embedded as a driver of performance and trust—shaping internal culture and strengthening transparency, access, fairness, and accountability for staff and communities.
• Vision: The next Director must bring a fresh, generative vision for the future of the waterfront—one that emerges from the candidate’s own imagination and experience—paired with the discipline to deliver results through detailed planning, alignment, and consistent follow-through.
• Communication & Collaboration: The Port has a wide variety of stakeholders, including community members, Port tenants, regulatory partners, department staff, elected officials, cross-departmental leadership, and more. The Port Director must successfully represent the Port on a local, national, and international level.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive