Executive Secretary I (Job Code 1450 Exempt) - San Francisco Arts Commission

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

Application Opening: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Application Deadline: Monday, July 27, 2026 – Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on July 27, 2026.
Salary Range: $91,598 - $111,410 Annually
Appointment Type:  This position is a Permanent Exempt Appointment. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. 

The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. Learn more about our work at: --arts-commission

SFAC Racial Equity Statement
The San Francisco Arts Commission is committed to creating a city where all artists and cultural workers have the freedom, resources and platform to share their stories, art and culture and where race does not predetermine one’s success in life. We also acknowledge that we occupy traditional and unceded Ohlone land. Fueled by these beliefs, we commit to addressing the systemic inequities within our agency, the City and County of San Francisco and the broader arts and culture sector. This work requires that we focus on race as we confront inequities of the past, reveal inequities of the present and develop effective strategies to move all of us towards an equitable future.

Job Description

Under the Executive Director of Arts and Culture's ("Executive Director") supervision, the Executive Secretary I provides specialized, responsible, and confidential executive administrative support to the Executive Director, and performs related duties as required.

Responsibilities
The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

Administrative & Calendar Management: Schedule and coordinate meetings, conferences, appointments, and travel; manage the Executive Director's calendar, often involving complex scheduling and conflict resolution.

• Perform responsible office work requiring considerable independent judgment in applying departmental policies and procedures.

Communication & Liaison: Serve as the primary point of contact for the Executive Director, screening calls, visitors, and correspondence. Act as a liaison with City departments, elected officials, Commissioners, artists, cultural organizations, community partners, philanthropic organizations, and the public.

• Coordinate Executive Director meetings and departmental events, including working with community partners, venues, vendors, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• May assist the Commission Secretaries of the Arts Commission and Film Commission with meeting notices, agendas, minutes and compliance with public meeting laws.

Project & Task Management: Lead or support special projects; conduct research; compile and analyze information; and manage assignments from conception through completion.

Document Preparation & Information Management: Draft, edit, and format reports, presentations, speeches, correspondence, and other executive materials; maintain confidential files and records.

Team & Office Support: Assist with office procedures and organizational improvements, including office facilities management and reception duties; support various staffing- and personnel-related functions of a sensitive and confidential nature, including staff recruitment and onboarding activities.

Ethics & Compliance Coordination: Serve as the department's ethics coordinator by supporting the administration of departmental gifts, the Ticket Distribution Policy, Statements of Incompatible Activities, conflict-of-interest disclosures, Sunshine public records requests, and other ethics and compliance reporting requirements.

Travel & Expense Management: Arrange travel and prepare expense reports.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

1. One (1) year of verifiable executive secretarial experience providing personal and confidential administrative support for a manager by arranging appointments and assisting in the preparation of meetings, responding to public inquiries, reviewing incoming documents, composing confidential correspondence, conducting research and preparing statistical reports. Job duties must be comparable to 1450 Executive Secretary I; OR
2. Three (3) years of verifiable secretarial experience encompassing editing and independently composing letters and other correspondence utilizing computer/software/systems ; researching, compiling and organizing data for various reports; and maintaining office/record systems. Job duties must be comparable to 1446 Secretary II; OR
3. Four (4) years of verifiable clerical experience performing specialized assignments, including independently composing and editing correspondence; preparing and maintaining a wide variety of records, reports and documents; researching, compiling, analyzing and organizing data for various reports. Job duties must be comparable to 1406 Senior Clerk.

Substitution:
A recognized secretarial training program of two hundred forty (240) hours OR the equivalent of fifteen (15) semester units in graded secretarial college units, may be substituted for up to six (6) months of the required experience. Proof of satisfactory completion must be submitted at the time of filing.

Note: One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Desirable Qualifications:
The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Experience working in a government and/or non-profit setting
• Experience in supporting an arts and culture organization
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office tools

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 -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.

Additional Information

Supplemental Questionnaire 
As part of the application process, candidates will be required to also complete a Supplemental Questionnaire as part of the employment application. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the minimum qualifications for this position. These responses will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications. The questionnaire will be emailed shortly after receipt of the application and must be completed by deadline stated. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

Selection Process: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to the minimum qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.

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 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.

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from  View email address on ziprecruiter.com 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.  If you have any questions, you may contact Kelly Alves at View email address on ziprecruiter.com.  

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.