DIRECTOR OF POLICY, LEGISLATION, AND GRANTS - (0931 Manager III)

The San Francisco District Attorney's Office is one of the premier law enforcement organizations in the United States.  Our mission is to collaborate with the City’s diverse communities and law enforcement agencies to make San Francisco one of the safest cities in America.  Our office engages in public education and crime prevention efforts while maintaining the traditional role of investigating, charging, and prosecuting all criminal violations occurring within the City and County of San Francisco.  The unparalleled opportunities for challenging, meaningful, and sophisticated work have consistently drawn top candidates to our office over the years.

With the diverse nature of our community, the ability to work with people of different backgrounds is critical in the work we do. The Office of the District Attorney proactively seeks to recruit, retain and promote legal staff that reflects the diversity of the community served.

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Permanent-Exempt (PEX) Appointment.  Any person occupying a position under exempt appointment shall not be subject to civil service selection, appointment, and removal procedures. Exempt employees shall serve at the pleasure of the Appointing Officer.

Role Description: The Director of Policy, Grants & Legislative Affairs provides strategic leadership and direction for SFDA’s policy development, legislative engagement, and grant strategy. This role is responsible for advancing the department’s priorities through policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and securing external funding opportunities that align with the mission. The Director serves as a key advisor to executive leadership and represents the organization to policymakers, partners, and stakeholders.

Duties: The Director of Policy, Grants & Legislative Affairs, reports to the Chief of Staff, and under minimal supervision, has the following key responsibilities:

Policy Development and Analysis

• Lead implementation of the SFDA’s policy agenda and legislative priorities.
• Monitor and analyze federal, state, and local legislation and regulations that impact the Office’s mission, operations, or stakeholders.
• Provide strategic policy recommendations to leadership, including position statements, testimony, and issue briefs.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align policy efforts with programmatic goals and initiatives.

Legislative and Government Affairs

• Build and maintain strong relationships with elected officials, legislative staff, and government agencies.
• Represent the Office in meetings, hearings, and coalitions to advance key policy positions.
• Draft and review legislative proposals, policy letters, and advocacy materials.
• Coordinate legislative briefings, advocacy days, and stakeholder events to promote organizational priorities.

Grants Strategy and Management

• Identify, pursue, and manage grant funding opportunities that support policy and programmatic initiatives.
• Oversee grant proposal development, submission, and reporting processes in coordination with internal teams.
• Ensure compliance with all grant requirements and deliverables.
• Build partnerships with public agencies, foundations, and other funders to expand funding opportunities.

Strategic Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as a senior advisor to executive leadership on policy and legislative matters.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure policy, communications, and program strategies are aligned.
• Supervise a team of policy, research, and grants professionals (if applicable).
• Prepare briefings, reports, and presentations for senior management, boards, and stakeholders. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, Political Science, Law, Public Administration, or a related field (Master’s or JD preferred).
• 5-8 years of progressively responsible experience in policy analysis, legislative affairs, or government relations.
• Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis up to 2 years. One year (2,000 hours) of qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to 30 semester units/ 45 quarter units.

Desired Qualifications:

• 3 years of supervisory experience.
• Proven success in policy advocacy, legislative strategy, and grants management.
• Strong knowledge of governmental processes, legislative drafting, and funding mechanisms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with policymakers, funders, and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management experience.

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 or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience 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. 

How to Apply:

Should you meet the minimum qualifications and experience listed on the job announcement you are welcome to apply.  To apply, please attach a PDF packet to include a cover letter, resume, and a one-page response to the following questions to complete your application submission:

• How would you define the core responsibilities of the Director of Policy, Legislation, and Grants role? In your view, what does success in this position look like?
• What makes you uniquely qualified for this role? Why do you believe your experience and skills align with the requirements of the position?

Please submit no later than 5:00PM, Thursday, February 12, 2026, for consideration. 

What else should I know?

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 

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.   

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account.  

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 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.  

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Shavaun Tolliver at [email protected] or (628) 652-4040.  

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.