Careers and Internships

A group of Port employees gather to take a photo at an annual event.

The Port of San Francisco is a public enterprise entity of the City and County of San Francisco that is committed to eliminating racial disparity in all its policies, processes, decisions and resource allocations. San Francisco and its waterfront is a place that welcomes everyone, celebrates diversity, and measures its success by how its services and governance champion equity. 

The Port offers many careers ranging from finance, engineering, IT and wide variety of construction trades. The Port continues to be an employer of choice for skilled, forward-thinking individuals, who are truly passionate about serving the public.

Working for the City & County of San Francisco provides professional development trainings, flexible benefit plans with pre-tax elections that include medical and dental insurance; vision care plan; flexible spending account; retirement plan; deferred compensation plan; long-term disability plan; Management Training Fund; 12 paid holidays per year; floating holidays; 10 to 20 vacation days per year depending on years of service; up to 100 hours paid administrative leave per year; 13 sick leave days per year; and a Credit Union.

Sign up for notifications about job openings at the Port.


Internship Opportunities

The Port offers mentorship, internships and other experiences to students wanting a glimpse into public sector careers through City-sponsored programs. Eligible and interested students are encouraged to apply. 

The Student Internship Program is a paid internship for eligible college students enrolled in a qualifying field of study. 

Opportunities for All (OFA) is an internship hosted by the Human Rights Commission and is an initiative of Mayor London Breed. Mayor Breed’s Opportunities for All initiative, launched in the summer of 2019, provides youth and young adults ages 13 to 24, particularly from low-income families or communities that have long faced barriers to economic inclusion, with paid, work-based learning opportunities. The goal of the initiative is to not only connect young people with jobs, but more broadly to provide jobs in high-opportunity industries including healthcare, tech, finance, and more, as well as to get them started on the pathway to long-term success with lifelong mentorships.

SF YouthWorks/MYEEP are two of the many youth centered programs hosted by the Japanese Community Youth Council. JCYC’s mission is to cultivate and enrich the lives of children and youth from diverse, multi-cultural communities throughout San Francisco and beyond. SF YouthWorks and MYEEP exposes high school students to careers in the public sector.

Project Pull is an internship program hosted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commision (SFPUC). The goal of the program is to offer highly motivated high school and college students the opportunity to work in various professional paths throughout the City.

HBCU Internship Program is a collaboration with HBCUs and industry leaders. Students are invited to participate in a six-week summer session. Each session includes paid internships, seminars with guest lecturers and the opportunity to create and engage in rich cultural experiences in San Francisco. 


Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Staff closely supervise pre-apprentices during hands-on training in the program.

The Port has partnered with City College of San Francisco and Jewish Vocational Service for an automotive pre-apprentice program. This program provides hands-on technical experience in skilled trades and gives participants an opportunity to develop soft skills to confidently enter the workforce. 

Learn more about upcoming cohorts and apply to the program:

Read about the Port's participation in the pre-apprenticeship program.