Deputy City Attorney - Ethics & Elections Team - City Attorney's Office (8177)

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: March 3, 2026
• Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 16, 2025
• Compensation Range: $155,428-$272,350
• Recruitment ID: RTF0163587-01076960

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated attorney to join its Ethics & Elections Team. 

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 offers a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees.

To learn more about the City Attorney's Office please visit our website.

Job Description

About the Ethics & Elections Team
The Ethics & Elections Team serves as general counsel to the San Francisco Ethics Commission, Department of Elections, Elections Commission, Ballot Simplification Committee, and Redistricting Task Force. The Team regularly provides advice about ethics, conflict of interest, campaign finance, and elections-related matters to the City’s elected officials, department heads, commissioners, and employees, and drafts legislation within its subject matter expertise. The Team also provides legal ethics advice to employees in the City Attorney’s Office.

Deputy City Attorney Position and Responsibilities
An attorney on the Ethics & Elections Team performs many functions – providing legal interpretations and advice, both orally and in writing, formally and informally, on a one-on-one basis or at public meetings. The attorney’s role includes interpreting the requirements of a City ordinance or advising on the legal risks of a particular government action; drafting ordinances, ballot measures, and administrative regulations; reviewing contracts for legal sufficiency; and providing legal advice to commissioners before and during commission meetings. The attorney will also frequently communicate and coordinate with other deputy city attorneys and officials across City government and provide training on ethics issues to City employees and other deputy city attorneys.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed to practice law in California.

Desired Qualifications

• Three or more years practicing as an attorney;
• Experience serving in an advice capacity as a government lawyer, ideally with some experience in ethics, conflict of interest, campaign finance, and elections-related laws;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, especially when explaining legal concepts and rules to non-lawyer clients;
• Excellent legal analytical skills;
• Ability to listen to client concerns, and develop appropriate options and solutions;
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment;
• Strong interpersonal skills and a positive attitude;
• Ability to quickly prioritize among different leg