Environmental Health Specialist Trainee - San Francisco DPH (9910)

Recruitment: REF57174G

Published: October 24, 2025

Contact:
Katrina Navarro - katrina.navarro@sfdph.org

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

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Department: Public Health

Job class: 9910-Public Service Trainee

Role type: Temporary Exempt What does this mean?

Hours: Full-time

About:
The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.
Application Opening – October 10th, 2025
Application Deadline – Application filing will close on or after October 24th, 2025
Salary: $35 /hourly
Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt (TEX)
Recruitment ID: TEX-9910-EXEMPT
Location: 49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA, 94103.
The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.
✅ START with this Questionnaire https://forms.gle/xnaDq1TCWnbYvuBP8
Then submit application via Environmental Health Specialist Trainee - San Francisco DPH (9910) | City and County of San Francisco
NOTE: The qualified applicant pool will be used to fill various positions located at different
locations in the next six months.

Role description

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is accepting applications for temporary, full-time Environmental Health Specialist (EHS) Trainee positions in class 9910 Public Service Trainee. The 9910 EHS Trainee will receive training required for taking the State of California Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) exam. This trainee program has a maximum duration of 36 months.
The primary program area in the Environmental Health Branch will be the Retail Tobacco and Smoking Program, and the trainee will be provided enough hours to qualify for the REHS exam.

Essential Duties:
Under the guidance of Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS), including the
Program Manager and Environmental Health Staff, the 9910 Environmental Health Specialist Trainee will be trained to perform the following essential duties:
Conducts surveys and assists with inspections of regulated facilities.
Participates in projects involving databases used by the State Board of Equalization
permits, local Health Department Permits and the San Francisco Tax collector.
Conducts compliance checks and distributes regulatory information to the Department of Public Health permitted facilities.
Compares data and generates reports.
Provides office administrative assistance, such as processing permit applications,
answering phone calls, and filing.
Provides information to the public regarding Environmental Health Branch programs.
Assists in the investigation of public health and safety hazards.
Provides support for Environmental Health Branch programs as needed.
The Environmental Health Specialist Trainee Assistant performs other related duties as assigned/required.
Nature of Position: These positions may require sustained physical effort involving continuous walking with some bending and stooping in conducting inspections with occasional exposure to health and safety hazards and other unpleasant conditions.

How to qualify

Education: A bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Ecology, Entomology, Geology, Hydrology, Climatology, Environmental Science (e.g., Food Science, Water Quality/Hydrology, etc.), or other related natural sciences *.

• AND-

Letter of Eligibility: Must possess a valid "Letter of Eligibility" issued from the CDPH, which affirms the applicant's eligibility to work as an EHS Trainee. A legible copy of the "Letter of Eligibility" from the CDPH affirming eligibility MUST be submitted no later than two months following the hire date. You should attach an electronic copy to your online application -AND- in Google Form Questionnaire.

NOTES:
We may request additional documentation to review your degree courses.
Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

• Applicant in their last semester of a qualifying bachelor’s degree program are encouraged to apply but will not be eligible for hire until they show completion of the degree.

Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Possession of a current, valid California driver’s license.
Able to work independently or as a member of a team.
Bilingual fluency
Experience using Microsoft applications including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word and Excel
Possession of strong verbal and written communication skills.

What else should I know?

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.
Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link.
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email 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.
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 Workers
Reasonable Accommodation
Right to Work
Copies of Application Documents
Diversity Statement
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Katrina Navarro at Katrina.Navarro@sfdph.org or 628-271-6717 .
We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.
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.