AI Platform Support Engineer (1042) –Department of Technology

The Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) initiative for the City and County of San Francisco works to responsibly and equitably enhance public services and operational efficiency through strategic adoption and governance.
The AI Support Engineer role, based in DT's Support Services Division, builds and validates the operational readiness model that will allow AI platforms to scale safely across departments, establishing the access, monitoring, and compliance standards required before these platforms can responsibly expand citywide, and producing a transition framework to be absorbed into permanent operations at project close. The position designs repeatable processes, tests them against real department pilots, and documents a framework that DT's permanent staff can operate going forward. This includes evaluating emerging local AI agents and desktop applications, such as Claude Cowork and comparable agentic tools, assessing their security implications in partnership with DT's cybersecurity team, and developing deployment methods before these tools are extended to departments. This also includes building cost models for these platforms, many of which are priced on consumption (per-token or per-usage) rather than traditional per-seat licensing, for departments and DT leadership to have reliable budgetary expectations as usage scales.
Essential duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
Readiness Model Design: Design access provisioning, license management, and account administration models for the City's AI platforms (Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude), to be tested and refined through pilots.
Monitoring & Escalation Design: Build and pilot usage, performance, and service-health monitoring processes, including vendor escalation pathways.
Compliance Standards Development: Develop and validate platform configuration standards aligned with City security, privacy, and data classification requirements.
Vendor Liaison: Serve as the technical point of contact with AI platform vendors during pilot testing of service tickets, feature rollouts, and licensing changes.
Pilot Execution: Run structured pilots with onboarding departments, capturing feedback and issues to refine the readiness model.
Local Agent Testing: Test local AI agents and desktop applications (e.g., Claude Cowork) in a controlled environment to evaluate functionality, risk, and fit for department use cases.
Security Review Coordination: Partner with DT's cybersecurity team to review the security implications of local agents and desktop AI tools and incorporate findings into deployment standards.
Deployment Method Development: Develop and document methods for deploying desktop AI applications and agents to departments in a controlled, secure manner.
Findings Communication: Communicate testing and security review findings to departments to support informed decisions on adoption.
Cost Modeling: Build and maintain consumption-based cost models for AI platforms, translating usage patterns into budgetary projections, and department-facing usage-scenario estimates.
Documentation & Standards: Document lessons learned, known issues, and procedures at each project phase, building toward the final transition framework.
Transition Planning: Produce the documentation, procedures, and training materials needed to hand the finalized model to permanent operations at project close.
Technical Judgment: Exercise independent judgment in balancing platform reliability, security, and usability in a public sector context.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
An associate degree in computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in one of the fields above or a closely-related field].
Experience:
One (1) year of experience analyzing, installing, configuring, enhancing, and/or maintaining the components of a system or platform.
Substitution:
One year of additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree.
Completion of the 1010 Information Systems Trainee Program may be substituted for the required degree.
Desirable Qualifications
Experience administering or supporting enterprise SaaS/cloud platforms (e.g., Microsoft 365, Copilot, ServiceNow).
Familiarity with generative AI platforms (Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI/ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude) and their enterprise admin consoles.
Experience evaluating or piloting local/desktop AI agents (e.g., Claude Cowork or comparable agentic tools) and assessing their security posture.
Understanding of data classification, privacy, and security principles applicable to AI tool usage.
Experience with identity and access management tools (Entra ID, Intune, or similar) for provisioning and license management.
Working knowledge of IT service management practices (ticketing, incident escalation, SLAs).
Ability to work cross-functionally with cybersecurity teams on security review and risk assessment of new tools.
Experience building cost or budget models, particularly for consumption-based (usage/token-based) pricing rather than traditional per-seat licensing.
ServiceNow experience for ticketing and service management.
Experience developing deployment or packaging methods for desktop applications (e.g., via Intune, JAMF, or similar endpoint management tools).
Experience supporting multiple departments or business units with varying technical maturity levels.
Familiarity with public-sector or government IT governance frameworks (e.g., the City's GenAI Guidelines).
Ability to translate vendor technical documentation and release notes into operational, user-facing guidance.
Familiarity with cloud/API billing models and cost-forecasting tools (e.g., Azure Cost Management, vendor usage dashboards).
Verification of Education and Experience
Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. 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.

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
No