Manager of Waterfront Development Projects (0931) - Port of San Francisco (160218)

Job Description

The position oversees a multidisciplinary team of professional staff and project personnel responsible for advancing the Port's waterfront development initiatives. This role is central to delivering transformative public-private partnership projects along San Francisco's 7.5-mile waterfront while balancing economic vitality, public access, environmental stewardship, climate resilience, historic preservation, and equity.

Essential Functions

• Leads and oversees the Port's most complex waterfront development, infrastructure, and public-private partnership (P3s) projects from project conception through implementation and closeout.
• Establishes project strategies, priorities, schedules, budgets, and transaction frameworks that support the Port's strategic, financial, operational, and policy objectives.
• Directs multidisciplinary teams responsible for planning, financial analysis, environmental review, regulatory approvals, real estate transactions, construction coordination, and project implementation.
• Maintains project performance, identifies issues affecting scope, schedules, or budgets, and develops solutions to advance project objectives.
• Structures, negotiates, and executes complex public-private partnerships (P3s), ground leases, disposition and development agreements, exclusive negotiation agreements, easements, and other real estate agreements for major waterfront development projects.
• Evaluates financial feasibility, business terms, project risks, and market conditions to support informed decision-making and successful project outcomes.
• Identifies and mitigates legal, financial, operational, and reputational risks associated with complex development projects.
• Coordinates public hearings, Port Commission actions, Board of Supervisors approvals, interagency coordination, and community engagement activities necessary to advance development projects.
• Represents the Port before regulatory agencies, elected officials, developers, neighborhood organizations, community stakeholders, and other public bodies.
• Develops policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives that support responsible waterfront redevelopment and implementation of the Port's Strategic Plan.
• Evaluates emerging development opportunities, legislative initiatives, industry trends, and market conditions affecting Port-owned properties and recommends strategic responses.
• Incorporates community benefits, workforce development, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and equity objectives into project planning and transaction negotiations.
• Provides leadership, supervision, mentoring, coaching, and performance management for professional staff responsible for waterfront development projects.
• Fosters a collaborative, innovative, accountable, and customer-focused work environment.
• Establishes performance expectations, allocates resources, and ensures projects are delivered efficiently and effectively.
• Promotes continuous improvement in project management practices, policies, and service delivery.
• Prepares and presents reports, policy recommendations, project updates, and transaction strategies to executive leadership, the Port Commission, City officials, developers, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Communicates complex financial, legal, technical, and policy issues to diverse audiences and facilitates consensus among competing interests.

Qualifications

• Education: Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Real Estate, Finance, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Law, or a related field; AND Experience: Five (5) years of progressively responsible management-level experience leading complex waterfront, real estate development, infrastructure development, or public-private partnership projects, including negotiating major transaction agreements and coordinating multidisciplinary teams responsible for project planning, financial analysis, environmental review, regulatory approvals, public engagement, and project implementation; AND License: Possession of a valid California driver’s license (to be presented at time of appointment).
• Experience Substitution: Additional qualifying full-time work experience (2,000 hours equal one year) as described above may substitute up to two (2) years of the required education. One (1) year of work experience equals to 30 semester units or 45 quarter units. Experience Substitution: Possession of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Master's degree may substitute for one (1) year of the required professional experience.