About this role

Company Description

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

- Application Opening: September 24, 2026
- Application Deadline: Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as this announcement will be closed on September 30, 2026 at 5PM (pacific time)
- Compensation: $93,028 - $113,048
- Recruitment ID: (PBT-3524-163632)
- Rule : Pending approval for Union rule expansion

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a world-class, award-winning airport that served more than 54 million guests in Fiscal Year 2025. SFO offers non-stop flights to 60+ international cities on over 40 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport also connects non-stop with 80+ U.S. cities on 10 domestic airlines.

As an enterprise department of the City & County of San Francisco, SFO has a workforce of approximately 1,900 City employees. In Fiscal Year 2021, SFO generated more than 28,000 direct jobs and $6.1B in business activity.

SFO is more than an airport — we are a dynamic organization where employees collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to support global travel, economic development, and public service. We are recognized as a leader in safety, environmental sustainability, and forward-thinking infrastructure, and continue to be at the forefront of transforming the travel experience.

Our Vision, Mission, and Core Values shape our culture and operations as we continue to build a supportive, purpose-driven workplace where all employees can thrive. Our mission is to deliver an airport experience where people and our planet come first.

Established in 1980 by the Airport Commission, SFO Museum’s mission is to delight, engage, and inspire a global audience with programming on a broad range of subjects; to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the history of commercial aviation; and to enrich the public experience at San Francisco International Airport. The Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1999 and retains the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. The Museum operates more than twenty-five sites throughout the Airport terminals, including fourteen galleries that exhibit a rotating schedule of art, history, photography, science, and cultural exhibitions. Among the sites is the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 150,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation. For additional information about SFO Museum, please visit www.sfomuseum.org .

Learn more about careers at SFO at flysfo.com , and follow us on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , LinkedIn , Bluesky and Threads .

Job Description

3524 Principal Museum Preparator

Under general direction of the Curator in Charge of Production, the 3524 Principal Museum Preparator provides critical leadership support and hands‑on production expertise for the Museum’s responsibility to prepare and install approximately 25 exhibitions annually in public spaces throughout the Airport’s terminals. The position performs complex work requiring independent judgment in preparing and installing exhibitions; designs and constructs special museum fixtures, showcases, frames, mannequins, mounts, temporary walls, and partitions; installs and arranges exhibits; packs, unpacks, and supervises the storage of valuable works of art; and performs related duties as necessary. The role is responsible for explaining and carrying out methods and procedures for handling valuable objects of art and requires a high level of manual dexterity and skill in the preparation and management of such objects. Additionally, the Principal Museum Preparator is responsible for ordering materials and supplies required by the Production Department and for maintaining adequate stores of shop materials.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

- Serve as a team leader, resource, and point of contact for the Museum’s preparation staff, including 3522 Senior Museum Preparators and 3520 TEX Museum Preparators.
- Oversee the installation and deinstallation of approximately 25 exhibitions per year, including exhibition furniture, graphics, and objects.
- Confer with exhibition design, preparation, curatorial, registration, and conservation staff in the planning and construction of exhibits and accessory materials.
- Design and draft shop drawings in collaboration with the Exhibition Designer and the Exhibition Production and Installation Supervisor when needed.
- Design and construct installations such as showcases, pedestals, settings, partitions, walls, special exhibit effects, and object display and storage mounts.
- Act as lead for the installation, removal, and salvage of exhibit fixtures as needed.
- Order materials and supplies for all Exhibition Production Shops, maintain adequate quantities of materials and supplies, and inventory supply stocks when needed.
- Utilize standard museum techniques to protect, handle, and store art objects.
- Manage for maintenance and upkeep of the assigned shop area.
- Perform related duties and responsibilities outlined in the 3524 Principal Museum Preparator (https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=3524&setId=COMMN).

Qualifications

Education:

Possession of an Associate Degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Art, Fine Arts, Museum Studies or a related field.

Experience:

Four (4) years of verifiable experience in the preparation, fabrication, installation and the care and handling of valuable art objects; making museum mounts for objects; building exhibition furniture and working closely with museum staff at a museum, gallery, or traveling exhibition program.

License and Certification:

Substitution:

Additional qualifying full time work experience (2000 hours equal one year) as described above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis. One year of work experience equals thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units.

Performance of essential duties require: considerable physical effort and dexterity in the use of fingers, limbs and body; excellent visual acuity; exposure to inclement weather and working conditions that are somewhat disagreeable in underground locations; the use of ladders and aerial lift bucket; and lifting of 51 pounds of equipment. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to identify a variety of color codes. This will be evaluated during the probationary period.

Verification:
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.

Additional Information

Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight: 100%)

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be sent a Supplemental Questionnaire (Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire). The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position. All candidates’ responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are subject to verification. All relevant experience, education and/or training must be included in the responses in order to be reviewed in the rating process.

A passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the eligible list. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Note: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be six (6) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To ﬁnd Departments which use this classiﬁcation, please visit here .

Background Investigation:
Positions with the San Francisco Airport Commission that require security clearance prior to employment may be required to have a thorough background investigation to determine the candidate’s suitability for employment. The investigation includes a search into records held by the criminal justice system, credit reporting agencies, and the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, as well as contact with references, employers, and others who have knowledge of the candidate. Reasons for rejection based on this investigation may include, but not be limited to applicable convictions, repeated or serious violations of the law, use of controlled substances and alcohol, inability to work well with co-workers, inability to accept supervision, inability to follow rules and regulations, falsification of application materials, and/or other relevant factors. Candidates may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening and must clear Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprinting. The background investigation will also meet Transportation Security Administration requirements (TSA Section 1542.209). Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Note: Candidates will be prompted to submit a completed Personal History Statement (PHS), Authorization to Release Information/Waiver form and additional documents prior to the initiation of the Background Investigation. Once prompted candidates will have approximately 2 weeks to submit all the required documentation.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance:
Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

Medical Examination:
Prior to appointment, candidates must successfully pass a medical examination to determine his/her ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or the ability to meet the physical minimum requirements.

Certification:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three (3) pending Union's approval for expansion rule. The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/ .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

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

- Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

- 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 https://careers.sf.gov/ 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 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 (@flysfo.com, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] 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.

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.

Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact exam analyst Ben Cen at [email protected] .