Engineering Manager, Backend (1054) - Systems and Analytics - Department of Human Resources

City and County of San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

SmartRecruiters, Inc. in San Francisco is seeking an Engineering Manager (Backend) to lead the Systems and Analytics data infrastructure team within the Department of Human Resources.

You will supervise data and backend engineers, drive data pipelines and integrations, and ensure secure, scalable HR platforms for city operations. The role emphasizes hands-on contributions when needed, collaboration with product and HR stakeholders, and strong focus on privacy, security, and efficient engineering

Qualifications

• Associate degree in business administration, public administration, information systems, economics, finance, computer science, UX/UI design, or closely related field or equivalent with credits.
• Five years of experience in information systems including system analysis, business process design, development and implementation of business applications or IT project management.
• Substitution: one year additional experience may substitute for the degree; completion of 1010 Information Systems Trainee Program may substitute for the degree.

Responsibilities

• Supervise data and backend engineers responsible for data infrastructure, system integrations and automations.
• Prioritize and triage engineering work balancing immediate demands with long-term improvements.
• Review development work and provide feedback on code quality and design.
• Contribute hands-on development when team is short-handed or urgent.
• Learn complex business processes and map them to technical solutions.
• Make technical decisions evaluating data architecture, integrations and backend design.
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications for pipelines and services.
• Communicate decisions clearly to non-technical HR and partner stakeholders.
• Oversee integrations between hiring systems and other enterprise platforms.
• Support privacy, data classification and handling of sensitive information.
• Manage multiple workstreams with shifting timelines and dependencies.
• Ensure use of work-tracking systems and visibility into progress and risks.

Skills

Team leadership

User engagement

Systems integrations

Data infrastructure

Privacy & security

Multi-project management

Work tracking systems

Education

Associate degree in listed fields

Job description

Engineering Manager, Backend (1054) - Systems and Analytics - Department of Human Resources

• Full-time
• Job Code and Title: 1054-IS Business Analyst-Principal
• Fill Type: Permanent Exempt

Application Opening: Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Application Deadline: Sunday, October 18, 2026

Work Arrangement:Hybrid Remote (1x a week), On-site (4x a week)

Salary Range: $155,298 - $195,338

Position Type:Permanent Exempt

The DHR Systems and Analytics Team is responsible for designing, maintaining, and continuously improving the technology systems that power HR operations and analytics across the City and County of San Francisco. The team manages the core platforms, integrations, and infrastructure that enable DHR to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable digital services supporting the City’s 35,000+ employees and hundreds of thousands of job applicants annually. Supporting internal and Citywide departments and programs, the Systems and Analytics Team ensures that HR platforms, workflows, and analytics function effectively at scale — supporting everything from employee service delivery and HR case management to workflow automation, data modeling and reporting, and platform integrations. The team plays a critical role in modernizing HR operations across the HR landscape Citywide.

Becoming a City employee means being a part of a team that cares about making a difference. Your work will shape both the present and future of San Francisco. When you work for the City, you’re choosing a job with purpose.

The City and County of San Francisco is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead development work buildingDHR's data infrastructure and hiring systems. Under the leadership of the Head of People Technology, this role supervises engineers developing data pipelines, integrations, and cloud applications that implement and automate HR processes. The Engineering Manager works closely with product development staff, subject matter experts, and software engineers to ensure our applications are efficient, secure, and meet the needs of users across the City.

The Engineering Manager will:

• Supervise data engineers and backend engineers responsible for data infrastructure, system integrations, and automations supporting civil service hiring.
• Prioritize and triage engineering work, ensuring the team balances immediate demands with long term improvements.
• Review development work and provide feedback on code quality and technical design
• Contribute hands‑on developmentwhen engineering team is short-handed or urgent requests require a high level of technical expertise.
• Learn complex business processes, how they relate to existing technical infrastructure and automations, and develop an understanding of how technology can streamline them further.
• Make technical decisions by evaluating tradeoffs across data architecture, integrations, and backend design.
• Translate business requirements into clear technical specifications for data pipelines, backend services, and system automations.
• Communicate technical decisions and constraints clearly to non‑technical stakeholders across HR and partner departments.
• Oversee integrations between hiring systems and other enterprise platforms, ensuring reliability, data consistency, and minimal disruption.
• Support engineering practices related to privacy, data classification, and handling of sensitive or high‑liability information.
• Manage multiple workstreams with shifting priorities, dependencies, and external timelines
• Ensure consistent use of work‑tracking systems and maintain visibility into progress, risks, and operational issues.

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification.

An associate degree in business administration, public administration, information systems, economics, finance, computer science, UX/UI design, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in one of the fields above or a closely-related field].

Experience:

Five (5) years of experience in the information systems field, including system analysis, business process design, development and implementation of business application solutions or IT project management.

Substitution:

One year of additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree.

Completion of the 1010 Information Systems Trainee Program may be substituted for the required degree.

Desired Qualifications:

• At least two (2) years of experience supervising or leading a team of software engineers.
• Experience supervising or leading engineers on mid‑sized teams within a large organization or bureaucratic environment.
• Strong ability to engage with users, gather requirements, and translate needs into technical solutions with measurable impact.
• Demonstrated experience working with systems integrations and navigating cross‑system dependencies and complexities.
• Experience handling sensitive or high‑liability data, with strong knowledge of privacy and security best practices.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects or workstreams, including those with long pauses or shifting external dependencies.
• Extensive experience using work‑tracking and project‑management systems to manage engineering workflows.
• Ability to make pragmatic, context‑aware technical decisions and advocate for best practices in design, development, and operations.

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

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://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/ .

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.

An associate degree in business administration, public administration, information systems, economics, finance, computer science, UX/UI design, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in one of the fields above or a closely-related field].

Selection Procedure:Applications will be reviewed for relevant qualifying experience. Only those applicants who most closely meet the requirements for this positionwill be invited to participate in the selectionprocess. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed an invitation to interview.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

This role is exempt from the San Francisco Civil Service Rules, and employment is at the discretion of the appointing officer.

Your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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.

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