Wire Rope Cable Maintenance Mechanic Trainee (7473) – SF Municipal Transportation Agency (T00153)

Job Description

The Wire Rope Maintenance Mechanic Trainee is an entry (sub-journey) level position in the Cable Car Division of the Municipal Railway. 

Essential Functions:
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 409, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Under direct oversight, participates in on-the-job training including, but not limited to, the following: 

a. inspects cables for defects. 

b. repairs, splices and lubricates traction cables.

c. splices fiber and wire rope slings.

d. performs proper rigging responsibilities to complete necessary tasks.

e. installs new cables, adjusts and maintains cable and related equipment.    

f. inspects, repairs and installs sheaves, lagging and component parts.  

g. operates overhead crane and machinery.  

h. completes daily reports and other related documentation.  

2. Operates non-revenue motor vehicles.  

3. Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Nature of Work: The nature of work involves considerable physical effort to perform mechanical tasks. Incumbents may be required to work any shift including nights, weekends and holidays; wear personal protective equipment (PPE); lift up to 98 lbs; work in adverse weather and work conditions such as rain, cold, dirt and dust, and work in narrow, awkward, confined spaces and in very noisy surroundings around machinery. May work in hot environments and work in close proximity of others.

Qualifications

Experience:

One (1) year of industrial rope splicing or steel wire rope splicing experience; OR

One (1) year of mechanical experience working with repairing and maintaining propulsion cable machinery equipment and components.

Note: Experience in electrical wire splicing, telecommunication cable splicing, fiber optic cable splicing or related fields, is not qualifying.

License: Possession of a valid CA driver license to be verified at the time of appointment.

One year of full-time employment is 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.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

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.

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.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedure: (General Exam Process Information) 
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Written Multiple-Choice Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates deemed eligible and admitted to the examination process will be administered a written multiple-choice test designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include but not limited to: knowledge of tools, materials and equipment used in wire rope maintenance work; knowledge of wire rope cable splicing methods and techniques; knowledge of safety methods and procedures; ability to utilize related electronic communication technology such as 2-way radios and cell phones; and human relations ability.

This is a standardized examination and, therefore, test questions and test answers are not available for public inspection or review. For your reference, a Multiple-Choice Test Preparation Manual is available on the DHR Website.

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 Director of Transportation or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list/score report resulting from this examination process will be 24 months and may be extended with the approval of the Director of Transportation. 

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. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 410.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ATTN: Human Resources Examinations and Classification Unit, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

Medical Examination/Drug Testing: Candidates who are being considered for appointment may be required to pass a medical examination. Candidates who cannot meet the medical requirement will be placed under waiver until this requirement is met. The medical examination will be administered only to those applicants who are being considered for appointment. 

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has determined that Class 7473 Wire Rope Cable Maintenance Mechanic Trainee is a “safety-sensitive” position, under regulations issued by the Federal Transit Administration (49 CFR Part 655). Federal law requires that all transit employees who perform safety-sensitive functions be subject to random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up drug and alcohol testing. All applicants for Safety-Sensitive positions shall undergo urine drug testing prior to employment and within 90 days prior to performing Safety-Sensitive functions for the first time. Receipt by the SFMTA of a negative test result is required prior to the employee being placed on the payroll. A positive, adulterated, negative dilute or substituted test will result in a decision not to hire, and the applicant’s name will be removed from the list of eligibles for Safety-Sensitive positions. The SFMTA will not consider hiring any person who tested positive, adulterated, substituted or refused to submit to testing for a minimum of two years following the positive test. 

In addition, each applicant who has worked for a Department of Transportation (DOT)-regulated employer(s) within the last two years will be required to sign a consent form, prior to appointment, authorizing SFMTA to obtain information from his/her prior employers concerning his/her drug and alcohol test history. Each applicant will also be required to provide SFMTA with information regarding whether, during the last two years, the applicant tested positive or refused to test on any pre-employment drug or alcohol test administered by an employer to which the applicant applied for, but did not obtain, safety-sensitive transportation work covered by DOT drug and alcohol testing rules. SFMTA will not hire any applicant for a safety-sensitive position who fails to provide this information or fails to provide written consent for the release of information from prior employers. 

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
• SFMTA Employee Wellness Program

Where to Apply: 
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

1. Visit Careers with Purpose | City and County of San Francisco (sf.gov)
2. Type “7473” into the "Keyword" search box.
3. Click the link to open the Job Announcement.
4. Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen.

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 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-to-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 (@careers.sf.gov, @sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com 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, you may contact Patty Wong at Patty.Wong@sfmta.com. CBT | 7473-T00153/REF61267P | Entrance

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.

Company Description

This is a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Class Based Test.

The purpose of this announcement is to create an eligible list which will be used to fill future vacancies in this classification.

Your application to this posting is an application to take a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency exam. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

Application Opening: Monday, November 9, 2026
Application Deadline: Apply immediately. Application filing will be open at least through November 16, 2026 and will close any time thereafter.
Compensation: $105,768 annually
Recruitment ID: CBT-7473-T00153 / REF61267P

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

The SFMTA, a department of the City and County of San Francisco, oversees Muni (the historic Municipal Railway), parking and traffic, bicycling, walking and taxis. Over one million people get around San Francisco and rely on us to ensure safe and reliable travel.

Our Vision: Excellent transportation choices for San Francisco. 

Our Mission: We connect San Francisco through a safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation system.