Description:
Company Description:Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (PEX) position; individuals who are appointed to Exempt Positions are appointed at the pleasure of their appointing officer and are considered to be "at-will."
- Application Opening: November 4, 2025
- Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 17, 2025
- Compensation Range: $153,140 - $268,320 (https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=8177&setId=COMMN&_gl=1*1l1hjgz*_ga*NDI3NzU5MzQzLjE3MjU4NTYxNTY.*_ga_837FY6J1M1*czE3NjIzMTE1ODEkbzkyJGcxJHQxNzYyMzEyMTAzJGo2MCRsMCRoMA..)
- Recruitment ID: RTF0158080-01076956
About the Office:
The San Francisco City Attorney's Office is an innovative, nationally-recognized municipal law office working to protect and advance the rights and interests of the City and County of San Francisco and its residents. With nearly 350 talented and dedicated employees, the Office provides exceptional legal services to the City's Mayor, Board of Supervisors, officials, and departments. Our work empowers City leaders with effective, responsive, and creative legal solutions and representation so they can deliver critical public services, and our affirmative advocacy enhances the lives and wellbeing of San Francisco's residents and visitors.
The Office recognizes that diversity in the backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our employees enriches our workplace and enhances our work. We aspire to recruit, employ, retain, and promote talented individuals representing the full spectrum of our community, and welcome all candidates, including candidates of any race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and age, and candidates with disabilities. We have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of people want to come and stay, grow professionally, and find purpose and engagement, and where all employees feel welcomed and respected, and valued for their work and contributions to the Office and the City. To learn more about the Office's efforts to provide an inclusive workplace where employees feel they belong and can meaningfully contribute, please visit: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/aboutus/dei/.
The Office provides a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees.
To learn more about the City Attorney's Office please visit our website. (https://www.sfcityattorney.org/)
Job Description:
About the Tax Team and the Position
The Tax Team advises City elected officials and departments with respect to local tax issues, including drafting all tax legislation; advises the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector and Office of the Assessor‑Recorder on both tax and non-tax issues; represents the City with respect to tax claims filed against the City; and defends the City in tax suits filed by taxpayers.
This tax advice position would draft tax legislation; advise City elected officials and departments with respect to local tax issues; represent the City with respect to administrative claims for tax refund filed against the City; and work with our litigators to defend the City in tax suits filed by taxpayers. The position would advise on a wide range of local taxes, including the City's business taxes, hotel taxes, parking taxes, and others. And it would provide advice on a wide range of issues related to those local taxes, including federal and state constitutional issues (Commerce Clause, special vs. general taxes); issues interpreting federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to the City's taxes; and issues relating to the application of the City's taxes to the diverse and emerging industries comprising San Francisco's business community.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:
Licensed to practice law in California.
Desired Qualifications:
- Five or ideally more years of experience in state and local tax law, including gross receipts taxes, local excise taxes, transfer taxes, and others.
- Knowledge or background in restrictions on state and local taxes under the Federal and State Constitutions and statutes.
- Ability to assume responsibility quickly, work both independently and collaboratively, and identify and assess substantive and procedural legal issues.
- Ability to work effectively and efficiently, meet multiple competing deadlines, manage workload changes, and dive into new assignments quickly.
- Excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills.
- Ability to exercise excellent judgment, adapt to changes, and be curious.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.
- Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
- Interest and ability to work successfully as part of a team.
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://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.
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
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. 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 to participate in the oral/performance interview.
Additional Information:
Salary and benefits:
The Deputy City Attorney position has a 16-step salary scale ranging from $153,140 to $268,320. The successful applicant is appointed to a salary step based on years of experience as a lawyer. The City offers robust health, retirement and other benefits. For more information please visit: https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview. Attorneys are represented by the Municipal Attorneys Association. Information about compensation and benefits is available by entering Classification Code 8177 at https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About the Hiring Process (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process)
- Conviction History (http://sfdhr.org/conviction-history-faq)
- Employee Benefits Overview (https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview)
- Equal Employment Opportunity (https://sfdhr.org/equal-employment-opportunity)
- ADA Accommodation (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#applicantswithdisabilities)
- Right to Work (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#identification)
- Copies of Application Documents (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#copies)
- Diversity Statement (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#diversitystatement)
How to Apply:
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.
- Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen
- Make sure to include your CA Bar Number in the education section on your application
- Upload a Cover Letter and a Resume
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfcityatty.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).
