9774-Senior Community Development Specialist I

City and County of San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

City and County of San Francisco is seeking a Linkage Coordinator within the Pretrial Unit to coordinate housing, benefits, employment, and stabilization services for individuals in the pretrial process.

The role involves assessing client needs, providing referrals and warm handoffs, and developing partnerships with City departments and community organizations to reduce barriers to stability and court participation.

Qualifications

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree AND three (3) years of admin/professional experience in community development, housing development, workforce development, public benefits, finance, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice; OR
• Baccalaureate degree with a major in public/business administration, urban planning, government, social work, education, finance, human services, public policy, or criminal justice AND two (2) years of admin/professional experience in related fields; OR
• Master’s degree in public policy, planning, social work, public administration, finance, education, criminal justice, human services, or business administration AND one (1) year of admin/professional experience; OR
• Juris Doctor degree AND one (1) year of admin/professional experience in related fields
• SUBSTITUTION may apply as described in the job posting

Responsibilities

• Coordinate housing, benefits, employment, and stabilization services for clients
• Assess client needs and barriers affecting court appearances, release conditions, supervision, or stability
• Provide referrals, service navigation, and warm handoffs including transporting to City departments, community organizations, housing providers, workforce programs, and benefit agencies
• Support grant management and program development across multiple grants and contracts
• Develop referral protocols and service pathways to improve timely access to housing, benefits, and employment
• Assist clients with Medi-Cal, CalFresh, General Assistance, identification, and other benefits
• Connect clients to employment, job readiness, and workforce development opportunities
• Collaborate with staff, clinicians, case managers, and providers on complex cases
• Track referrals, engagement, barriers, and outcomes to identify trends and improve service delivery
• May supervise staff and perform related duties as assigned

Skills

Client engagement

Communication skills

Problem solving

Service navigation

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 3 years experience

Bachelor’s degree + 2 years experience (alternative)

Master’s degree in public policy/planning/social work/public administration/finance/criminal justice

Juris Doctor degree

Job description

Company Description The San Francisco Adult Probation Department (SFAPD) values the individuality and diversity of justice involved adults, recognize the unique challenges they face, and invest in their success through services designed to help them permanently exit the criminal justice system. Our reentry and rehabilitative services complement our supervision strategies by providing a unique blend of opportunity and accountability. We extend a continuum of integrated services to address our clients’ criminogenic needs and empower them to become productive members of the community. SFAPD dedicates endless energy toward enhancing public safety, seeking victim restoration and accountability, providing structured and evidence-based supervision, all on the behalf of the Superior Court of San Francisco.

Company Description The San Francisco Adult Probation Department (SFAPD) values the individuality and diversity of justice involved adults, recognize the unique challenges they face, and invest in their success through services designed to help them permanently exit the criminal justice system. Our reentry and rehabilitative services complement our supervision strategies by providing a unique blend of opportunity and accountability. We extend a continuum of integrated services to address our clients’ criminogenic needs and empower them to become productive members of the community. SFAPD dedicates endless energy toward enhancing public safety, seeking victim restoration and accountability, providing structured and evidence-based supervision, all on the behalf of the Superior Court of San Francisco.

Job Description

Under the general supervision of the Pretrial Division Director, the 9774 Pretrial Linkage Coordinator coordinates, develops, monitors, and evaluates housing, public benefits, employment, and stabilization services for individuals participating in San Francisco Adult Probation Department (SFAPD). The position works collaboratively with SFAPD staff, City departments, community-based organizations, housing and workforce providers, benefits agencies, and other partners to reduce barriers to stability, successful pretrial participation, and compliance with court requirements.

The Coordinator directly engages clients to assess needs; provides service navigation, transportation, referrals, and warm handoffs; and facilitates timely connections to appropriate City and community resources. The position identifies service gaps and emerging needs, strengthens referral and service pathways, develops partnerships, and assists in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs and services responsive to the pretrial population.

The San Francisco Adult Probation Department recognizes the diverse needs of justice-involved adults and invests in services that promote stability, accountability, successful court participation, and positive outcomes. Through the Prevention and Rehabilitative Division, SFAPD coordinates pretrial, reentry, violence response, and rehabilitative services that complement supervision and provide an integrated continuum of support and accountability.

SFAPD is committed to enhancing public safety, promoting accountability and restoration, and providing structured, evidence-based supervision and responsive pretrial services on behalf of the Superior Court of San Francisco. Timely access to housing, public and health benefits, employment, transportation, identification, behavioral health services, and other stabilizing resources supports successful pretrial outcomes and reduces barriers to court participation.

The City and County of San Francisco is committed to connecting residents to opportunities and resources that promote safety, stability, health, employment, and long-term success. This work requires strong interdepartmental coordination, community partnership, innovation, and effective use of existing public and community resources.

DEFINITION

Under general direction, the Adult Probation Department (APD), within the Pretrial Unit of Restorative and Prevention Services Division, the Linkage Coordinator supports a full range of program operations focused on addressing socioeconomic barriers that may affect a client’s ability to successfully participate in the pretrial process.

The position coordinates access to emergency, transitional, supportive, and permanent housing resources; public benefits; employment and workforce development services; identification documents; transportation; health and behavioral health coverage and services; and other stabilization resources.

The position serves as a liaison between staff, clients, community-based organizations, housing and employment providers, City departments, the courts, and other partners and develops coordinated pathways that provide clients with timely and meaningful access to available supports.

Example Of Essential Duties

• Coordinate housing, benefits, employment, and stabilization services for clients
• Assess client needs and barriers that may affect court appearances, release conditions, supervision, or overall stability.
• Provide referrals, service navigation, and warm handoffs including transporting to City departments, community organizations, housing providers, workforce programs, and benefit agencies.
• Continuously assess service needs and gaps and take all necessary steps to fill them, including applying for grants and managing the grants. Support grant management duties across
• Develop and maintain partnerships and service pathways that improve timely access to housing, benefits, employment, healthcare, transportation, identification, and other supports.
• Assist clients with access to public benefits and essential documents, including Medi-Cal, CalFresh, General Assistance, identification, and other eligible assistance.
• Connect clients to employment, job readiness, vocational training, education, apprenticeships, and workforce development opportunities.
• Coordinate access to emergency, transitional, supportive, and permanent housing and other homelessness-response resources.
• Collaborate with staff, clinicians, case managers, and service providers on complex or high-need cases.
• Track and analyze referrals, service engagement, barriers, unmet needs, and outcomes to identify trends and improve service delivery.
• Develop and maintain referral protocols, resource directories, workflows, training materials, performance measures, and service standards.
• Support grants, contracts, procurement, interdepartmental agreements, provider monitoring, and program development related to full range of client stabilization services.
• Represent the SFAPD in meetings and collaborative initiatives; prepare reports, recommendations, presentations.
• Support development and implementation of structured referral, tracking, follow-up, and case conferencing processes to determine whether clients successfully connect to referred services.
• May supervise staff
• Perform related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND three (3) years of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing development, workforce development, public benefits, finance, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice; OR
• Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the following fields: public or business administration, urban planning, government, social work, education, finance, human services, public policy, or criminal justice AND two (2) years of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, public benefits, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice; OR
• Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, planning, social work, public administration, finance, education, criminal justice, human services, or business administration AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, public benefits, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice; OR
• Possession of a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited college or university AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, public benefits, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice.
• SUBSTITUTION

Verifiable administrative/professional experience involving community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, public benefits, finance, education, social work, human services, or criminal justice may substitute for the educational requirement in Minimum Qualification #1 on a year-for-year basis.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working with justice-involved, pretrial, reentry, homeless, or other high-need populations.
• Knowledge of San Francisco housing, homelessness-response, workforce development, and public-benefit systems.
• Experience coordinating housing placement, benefits enrollment, employment services, or client stabilization activities.
• Experience developing relationships with community-based organizations, City departments, housing providers, workforce partners, and other public systems.
• Program or project development experience.
• Strong client-engagement, problem-solving, and service-navigation skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience collecting, analyzing, tracking, and presenting program and client-outcome data.
• Contract monitoring, grant administration, or program evaluation experience.
• Experience developing referral protocols, workflows, policies, procedures, and collaborative service-delivery models.
• Public and private meeting coordination and presentation experience.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary meetings, case conferences, or collaborative initiatives.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple systems while maintaining confidentiality, professionalism, and appropriate client boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to identify systemic barriers and develop practical solutions that improve client access and program effectiveness.

Additional Information

The City offers robust health, retirement, and other benefits. For more information please visit: https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview. This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with the City that can be found at MOU.

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
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

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.