Gallery Program Associate (Job Code 1840 Exempt), San Francisco Arts Commission

City and County of San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 70,000; Part time

Job summary

City and County of San Francisco is seeking a Gallery Program Associate for the SFAC Galleries, a 0.5 FTE role (~1,040 hours/year). The position is part-time, with evenings and weekend work around Gallery programs and events.

Staff interact with visitors, artists and colleagues to ensure a high-quality public experience. Responsibilities include supporting exhibitions, programs, administration, and visitor services, as well as coordinating with partners and vendors.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university.
• Substitution: Qualifying experience in program/office/operations management, budget development/administration, or contract/grant administration may substitute on a year-for-year basis.
• Note: 1 year full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours and 40-hour weeks are used for calculations.

Responsibilities

• Staff the Gallery during public hours and support exhibitions, programs, events, and related operations.
• Provide administrative, financial and marketing support, including scheduling, filing, purchasing, invoices, inventories, and social media outreach.
• Coordinate with Gallery and departmental staff, security, facilities, vendors, artists, and community partners.
• Monitor visitor flow, assist with installations/deinstallations, and help maintain a welcoming public space.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Public-facing experience

Arts administration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Application Opening: Friday, October 9, 2026

Application Deadline: Friday, October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Salary Range: $42.1750 - $51.2750 (Hourly)

Appointment Type: This position is a Permanent Exempt (PEX) Appointment. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Work Schedule: This position is a part-time position (.50 full time equivalent [FTE]) and will work around the Gallery's public operating schedule. This will include work during the week, Saturdays, and other evening and weekend availability to be scheduled around Gallery programs and special events.

SFAC Racial Equity Statement

The San Francisco Arts Commission is committed to creating a city where all artists and cultural workers have the freedom, resources and platform to share their stories, art and culture and where race does not predetermine one’s success in life. We also acknowledge that we occupy traditional and unceded Ohlone land. Fueled by these beliefs, we commit to addressing the systemic inequities within our agency, the City and County of San Francisco and the broader arts and culture sector. This work requires that we focus on race as we confront inequities of the past, reveal inequities of the present and develop effective strategies to move all of us towards an equitable future.

Job Description

The San Francisco Arts Commission is seeking a Gallery Program Associate to support the day-to-day operations, exhibitions, public programs, administration, and visitor experience of the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries. This is a 0.5 FTE position, working approximately 1,040 hours annually. The position is primarily responsible for staffing the Gallery during public hours and supporting exhibitions, programs, events, and related Gallery operations. Because the Gallery also serves as a public-facing entry point to the Arts Commission, the Gallery Program Associate helps visitors connect with other SFAC programs, resources, and services when they come to the Gallery with general questions. The ability to interact professionally with the general public, artists, and colleagues, as well as a strong arts administrative background is essential for this position.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Gallery Attendant and the primary public point of contact during Gallery hours, welcoming visitors and providing information about Gallery exhibitions and programs, as well as helping visitors connect with other San Francisco Arts Commission programs, resources, and services. Manage and facilitate gallery tours.
• Open and close the Gallery and help maintain a welcoming, accessible, safe, and presentable public space.
• Monitor exhibitions and promptly communicate artwork, facilities, security, accessibility, or visitor concerns.
• Track attendance, maintain visitor and exhibition materials, and support basic Gallery recordkeeping.
• Support exhibition openings, artist talks, performances, community programs, and special events, including setup, breakdown, visitor flow, and artist or presenter needs.
• Working closely with the Lead Preparator, assist with exhibition logistics, including installation and deinstallation, rental equipment, signage, deliveries, supplies, and coordination with artists, vendors, and contractors.
• Provide administrative, financial and marketing support, including scheduling, filing, purchasing, invoices, inventories, expenditures, social media outreach and other Gallery documentation.
• Coordinate as needed with Gallery and departmental staff, security, facilities, vendors, artists, and community partners.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong customer service, communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to create a welcoming, respectful, accessible, and inclusive experience for members of the public.
• Ability to work independently in a public-facing environment and exercise sound judgment.
• Interest or experience in contemporary art, galleries, museums, cultural organizations, or community arts.
• Ability to support events and exhibitions, maintain accurate records, and use standard office technology.
• Ability to work collaboratively with artists, colleagues, vendors, community partners, and members of the public.

Schedule and Availability

This is a part-time, 0.5 FTE position, working approximately 1,040 hours annually. The position is structured around the Gallery’s public operating schedule, and regular staffing during public hours is an essential responsibility. The Gallery Program Associate must also be available to work regularly on evenings and weekend hours for exhibition openings, artist programs, public programs, receptions, installations, and special events.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of a Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited college or university.

Substitution: Qualifying experience performing professional-level administrative duties in functional areas such as: program/office/operations management, budget development and/or administration, or contract/grant administration may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis. One (1) year (2000 hours) of qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units.

Note: One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in a gallery, museum, cultural organization, community arts program, or other public-facing cultural environment.
• Experience providing customer service or serving as a primary point of contact for the public.
• Experience working with artists, curators, cultural workers, or community partners in the presentation of exhibitions, performances, public programs, or special events.
• Experience with scheduling, purchasing, invoices, recordkeeping, facilities coordination, or event logistics.

Verification of Education and Experience

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.

Selection Process

The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to the minimum qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.

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
• 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.