Principal Project Analyst (1824)-Office of the City Administrator

City and County of San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of the City Administrator is seeking a Principal Project Analyst to join their team. This role will be central to a portfolio of complex, high-priority initiatives led by the City Administrator’s Office. It offers a unique opportunity to serve as a senior generalist on a variety of new and time-sensitive projects across City divisions and departments, encompassing areas such as real estate, technology, policy, operations, and interdepartmental initiatives. The ideal candidate will be a highly skilled analyst with strong project management capabilities, possessing intellectual curiosity, the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, a collaborative spirit, and a talent for research and strategic problem-solving. They should be comfortable structuring ambiguous issues and take pride in producing high-quality work. This position involves close collaboration with senior leaders, department partners, and other stakeholders on sensitive, consequential, and politically nuanced issues within a fast-paced, high-performing, and supportive environment. The role is project-based with an anticipated duration of thirty-six (36) months and is a Permanent Exempt (PEX) position, serving at the discretion of the appointing officer.

Requirements

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
Five (5) years full-time equivalent experience performing professional-level analytical work. Qualifying professional-level analytical work includes analysis, development, administration, and reporting in major programs and functions of an organization in the areas of budgets, contracts, grants, policy, or other functional areas related to the duties of positions in the 182X Class series.
Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications.
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad.
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point in the application and/or departmental selection process.
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.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Nice To Haves

Leading Complex, Cross-Functional Work – leading or advancing complex projects or initiatives involving multiple functions, departments, or organizational units, particularly in a large or decentralized organization.
Conducting Qualitative and Organizational Research – conducting stakeholder interviews, qualitative research, process analysis, organizational analysis, or similar work to understand complex problems and identify opportunities for improvement.
Communicating with Executive Audiences – preparing concise written analyses, presentations, briefings, or recommendations for senior leaders and other decision-makers.
Designing and Improving How Organizations Work – developing or implementing improvements to policies, processes, operating models, organizational structures, roles and responsibilities, or other ways of working.
Navigating Diverse Stakeholder Perspectives – facilitating groups or coordinating work among stakeholders with differing responsibilities, priorities, expertise, or organizational interests.
Government or Other Complex Institutional Environments – Familiarity with government operations or experience working in another large, complex institutional or bureaucratic environment. Experience with the City and County of San Francisco is helpful but not required.
Breadth Across Public Administration or Related Functions – Familiarity with one or more areas such as policy, budgeting, contracting, capital planning, real estate, technology, organizational development, or other functions relevant to public administration. Deep expertise in any particular subject area is not required.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning and advancement of complex initiatives and workstreams.
Independently drive workstreams forward, maintaining ownership of follow-through and surfacing risks, decisions, and issues requiring escalation.
Manage competing priorities and adapt quickly as new leadership questions and time-sensitive assignments arise, while maintaining high-quality results.
Bring structure to complex or underdefined issues and develop effective analytical approaches.
Conduct independent research and policy analysis to understand complex issues and support strategic decision-making.
Synthesize complex legal, operational, and stakeholder information, identifying the findings and insights that matter most.
Interpret evidence, assess implications and tradeoffs, and develop clear, actionable recommendations, including processes, operating models, or other solutions where appropriate.
Plan and facilitate stakeholder engagement, meetings and multi-stakeholder processes.
Lead and coordinate work across organizational boundaries without formal authority, navigating differing responsibilities and perspectives and recognizing when disagreements or decisions should be surfaced or escalated.
Prepare concise briefings, slide decks, written analyses, and recommendations for senior leadership.
Distill research, analysis, and stakeholder perspectives into clear, actionable insights that support decision-making on complex, sensitive, or underdefined issues.
Respond to sensitive information requests with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.