8142-Public Defender's Investigator

Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service (PCS)

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification which can be found on DHRs website: supervision this 8142 Public Defenders Investigator position in the Public Defenders Office is responsible for conducting comprehensive investigations to support the legal defense of Public Defender clients including but not limited to those facing misdemeanor and felony charges in the adult and/or juvenile criminal legal systems immigration mental health and post-conviction units.

Duties include but not limited to:

• Client Meetings:
  • In preparation for their defense meet with individuals in the community county jail juvenile hall state and local hospitals and/or other applicable detention facilities.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality and uphold duty of loyalty to the client in all aspects of representation.
• Case Preparation and Investigation:
  • Perform in-depth investigations across a wide range of criminal and juvenile cases immigration mental health and/or post-conviction cases.
  • Review case files documents electronic recordings and all evidence to assist the attorney prepare for hearings and identify key information and inconsistencies.
  • Obtain needed records for potential use at hearings and trials.
  • Research and obtain relevant information to support the defense of the client.
  • Perform administrative tasks as needed.
• Field Work:
  • Visit crime scenes develop leads secure surveillance footage retrieve video evidence from security cameras and establish sources of information.
  • Locate and interview witnesses crime victims law enforcement personnel medical professionals mental health professionals community advocates and family members to gather information needed for the defense.
  • Transport witnesses and clients to/from court and other locations as needed.
  • Serve subpoenas.
• Trial & Litigation Support:
  • Collect and evaluate physical and material evidence; take photographs and measurements; conduct background checks.
  • Collaborate with attorneys to meet clients review evidence and develop case strategy.
  • Assist in preparation for immigration hearings post-conviction matters and/or civil hearings for clients with mental health challenges ensuring their rights and interests are protected.
  • Testify in court regarding interviews conducted investigative findings evidence integrity and other matters as needed.
  • Provide support at court hearings and trials as needed.
• Documentation & Reporting:
  • Maintain detailed records of investigation activities.
  • Draft comprehensive investigative reports for attorney review and potential use in court.
  • Draft other relevant reports for the case as requested by the attorney.
• Additional Duties:
  • Perform related duties as required.

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.

Working Conditions: Must be able to work full time within the regular office hours of 8:00am 5:00pm and to travel throughout San Francisco and the surrounding cities on a daily basis to conduct visits at varied times of the day.  

Qualifications :

REQUIRED BEFORE APPLYING

Applicants must fully meet the minimum qualifications by the final filing deadline unless otherwise stated:

One (1) year (2000 hours) of verifiable experience as a Public Defenders Investigator a licensed private investigator or experience performing investigative work in a professional field such as law social justice media/journalism public health/welfare human/civil rights education social sciences public policy or non-profit work;

OR

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

AND

License and Certification:

Possession of a valid CA drivers license.

Substitution:

One (1) year (2000 hours) of verifiable investigator training may substitute for the one (1) year of required experience.

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification: Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Bilingual Spanish or Cantonese speaking.

• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Proven experience advocating on behalf of individuals in the adult or juvenile criminal justice system demonstrating deep understanding of legal processes and client needs.
• Prior experience working as a defense team member supporting immigration mental health and/or post-conviction work.
• Strong problem-solving skills and initiative with the ability to work independently and develop proactive solutions.
• Collaborative and supportive team player with a clear vision passion and unwavering commitment to social justice.
• Maintains high standards of personal and professional ethics exercising sound judgment and ensuring integrity in all actions and decisions.
• Energetic creative and solution-focused bringing innovative approaches to complex issues.
• Dedicated to treating clients with empathy and respect building trust and rapport with individuals from diverse backgrounds and creating a safe open environment that encourages honest communication.
• Works collaboratively to foster a positive and supportive environment and treats colleagues with respect and professionalism.
• Committed to continuous improvement and delivering exceptional client service while striving for excellence in all aspects of work.
• Calm and resilient under pressure consistently maintaining professionalism and a positive outlook.

Verification of Experience and/or Education

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 Falsifying ones 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.

Selection Process:

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

• Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ)
• Public Defenders Investigator Examination (Weight 100%)

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) - Candidates are required to complete an MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicants experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Public Defenders Investigator Examination (100%): - Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to take a multiple-choice exam to determine your relative knowledge skill and ability level in job-related areas. This is a standardized multiple-choice accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4 inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in this examination.

The multiple-choice exam will be administered remotely. This computer-administered exam can be taken at home. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam. Candidates will be scheduled for a specific time and date to complete the examination. Candidates must achieve a passing score on the examination in order to be placed on the resulting eligible list.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles when directed by the Human Resources Director.

Knowledge of: applicable laws and legal techniques principles and procedures used in con-ducting criminal defense investigations and understanding and working with attorneys to understand the elements of and defenses to crimes as they relate to each particular case;

Ability: review and analyze discovery in criminal and juvenile cases; identify evaluate and collect information data and evidence in the course of investigations; exercise discretion independent judgment critical thinking and problem solve in a timely and efficient manner; detect and uncover discrepancies and inconsistencies; prioritize work by planning and organizing multiple work assignment; work effectively and reliably in teams with attorneys paralegals other investigators experts and department support staff; establish rapport and interact professionally; verbally communicate clearly and accurately with diverse groups of people including clients clients families attorneys department support staff field contacts institutional contacts court personnel law enforcement personnel witnesses and the general public; communicate and express ideas in writing; use a working knowledge of vocabulary and grammar; prepare correspondence and reports in a clear understandable manner; pro-mote establish and maintain a cooperative relationship with individuals groups officials representatives and general public; interact tactfully courteously and diplomatically with others; work effectively in an objective and impartial manner; with cultural sensitivity to various groups of people.

Skill to: operate a motor vehicle and operate/ learn to operate computer equipment electronic devices and investigation related equipment.

Additional Information :

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 eighteen (18) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Ten Scores (RO10). Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Score Banking: The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and banked for three years starting from the date of the examination. This means that during this three-year time period you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However after one year you have the option to either (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that should you re-test your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent (even if it turns out to be lower than your original score).

If a significant modification is made to this exam in the future the application of banked scores may no longer be such a rare circumstance candidates with banked scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period specified above.

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 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.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

• 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 required for Combined Promotive Entrance
• (CPE) Exams only
• 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 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 will receive a confirmation email from 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.

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit  begin the application process.

• Select the Announcement: 8142- Public Defenders Investigator
• Select the Im Interested button and follow instructions on the screen

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-t0-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 (@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and @).

Exam Analyst information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process please email Recruitment ID: RTF04672

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.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time