Director of Public Affairs (0953 Deputy Director III) - DPH - EXEMPT

Company Description

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.

Job Details

• Application Opening: Thursday, January 29, 2026
• Application Deadline: Continuous
• Salary: $196,612 to $250,978 Annually (Range A)
• Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt
• Recruitment ID: PEX-0953-EXEMPT
• Work Arrangement: Onsite

Job Description

The Director of Public Affairs (0953 Deputy Director III) is a senior executive-level manager responsible for department-wide public affairs, communications, public records, and media strategy affecting multiple major divisions within DPH, including Population Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, Behavioral Health, Primary Care, and Administration.

Under policy direction of the Director of Health and the Deputy Director of Health, the Director of Public Affairs operates at the highest level of department leadership, providing vision, leadership, and execution across communications, media relations, legislative messaging, and public-facing strategy. The role routinely engages with City and County department heads, elected officials, the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Supervisors, and media outlets on complex and sensitive public health matters with significant organizational, fiscal, and public trust implications.

In addition, the Director of Public Affairs is accountable for translating executive direction into coordinated action across the department’s public affairs and communications ecosystem. Acting under the policy direction of the Director of Health and the Deputy Director of Health, the Director establishes clear priorities, timelines, and decision pathways for high-impact public-facing initiatives, aligns senior leaders around those priorities, and ensures disciplined follow-through. The role elevates risks, surfaces trade‑offs, and reinforces accountability to ensure that public commitments and records are credible, coordinated, and executable within existing governance and operational frameworks.

The Director of Public Affairs plays a critical, cross‑divisional role in protecting public trust, advancing public health priorities, and ensuring the department communicates effectively during both routine operations and moments of crisis. Decisions made in this role carry department-wide and citywide impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the development and implementation of department-wide public affairs, communications, and media strategies spanning multiple DPH divisions.
• Ensure alignment between public messaging, department priorities, and operational realities.
• Represent DPH on highly complex and sensitive public health issues affecting public safety, regulatory standing, and departmental credibility.
• Provide executive oversight of public records and disclosure functions, including coordination with designated custodians and legal partners.
• Coordinate and align senior executives across DPH under deputized authority of the Director of Health and the Deputy Director of Health to resolve cross-divisional issues requiring policy, procedural, or communications solutions.
• Set department-wide priorities and sequencing of public-facing initiatives and guide leadership through decision points.
• Reinforce execution discipline through structured coordination, issue resolution, and escalation of risks and trade‑offs.
• Lead media strategy and oversee all media relations for the department.
• Consult and coordinate with the Mayor’s Office and Board of Supervisors on public health policy messaging.
• Represent the department before commissions, boards, committees, and federal, state, and local agencies.
• Lead public affairs and communications strategy during public health emergencies, regulatory actions, and other high-impact events.
• Ensure rapid, accurate, and coordinated communication and information disclosure across leadership, operational divisions, and external stakeholders.
• Directly supervise department-wide communications and public affairs functions and associated public records operations.
• Lead and support subordinate managers to promote high standards of performance and continuous improvement.
• Develop, administer, and monitor budgets exceeding $5 million, including legislative and policy matters affecting $10 million+ in revenues and expenditures.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Experience: Four (4) years of managerial experience in public affairs, communications, government affairs, media management, or a closely related field, all of which must include supervision of staff.

• Education substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis for up to 2 years. One year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester or forty‑five (45) quarter units.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience working in public‑sector public affairs, preferably within a public health, homelessness, or healthcare system.
• Knowledge of City and County of San Francisco governmental structures and public health issues.
• Experience communicating complex legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues to the public.

Additional Information

• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA AccommodationRight to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of 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.

EEO Statement

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of 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.

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