Port Director

Berkeley Search Consultants • Full-time • San Francisco, California, United States • $314.63k - $401.52k / year • 3w ago

Title: Port Director

Location: San Francisco, CA

Onsite/Hybrid/Remote: Hybrid

Organization Type: Local Government

Time zone: PST

Salary Range/Compensation: $314,626 - $401,518 (A Range)

Client: City and County of San Francisco

The City:

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, renowned for its steep rolling hills, San Francisco is a city of truly international character with an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and a highly diverse cosmopolitan population. With approximately 800,000 residents in a 47 square mile area, San Francisco is the fourteenth most populous city in the United States and the fourth most populous city in California.

San Francisco is a World Class City. Internationally famous tourist destinations include Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Union Square, Lombard Street and Golden Gate Park. The City is also home to a notable cultural and performing arts scene, nationally recognized sports teams like the Giants, the 49ers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Valkyries, over thirty international financial institutions, multiple Fortune 500 companies, and a large support of infrastructure of professional services, including law, public relations, architecture, and graphic design. San Francisco is also home to multiple academic institutions such as University of California, San Francisco and is famous for the growing technology sector, its position as a leader in AI, and impact of nearby Silicon Valley.

The Port of San Francisco:

The waterfront is an iconic symbol of San Francisco that plays a vital role in the community of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the global reputation of the City. Tourism is San Francisco’s No. 1 industry, and many of the City’s leading attractions are located at the Port, including the Ferry Building, Oracle Park, the Exploratorium, Alcatraz Landing, PIER 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Hyde Street Pier. These attractions draw millions of users annually to the Port’s northern waterfront.

The Port of San Francisco is a public enterprise agency committed to promoting a balance of maritime, recreational, industrial, transportation, public access and commercial activities on a safe, secure and self-supporting basis through appropriate management and development of the waterfront for the benefit of the people of the State of California. This core mandate is stipulated in the Burton Act that entrusted the Port to the City and County of San Francisco in 1969.

Building on the City’s standing as a leader in AI development, the Port also plans to position itself as a West Coast leader in the Blue Economy.

The Port of San Francisco owns and operates maritime facilities and commercial real estate and manages most of San Francisco’s waterfront property, including a four mile seawall, from Fisherman’s Wharf in the north to India Basin in the south. The Port also oversees a broad range of maritime, commercial and public activities and is involved in a diverse range of businesses, including cargo and cruise shipping, ferries and excursion boats, ship repair, commercial fishing, harbor services, and real estate property management.

The Port has over 340 full time employees, and the FY2025-26 Proposed Budget is $143.3 million.

Job Description:

The Port Executive Director is the chief executive of the San Francisco Port Commission. The position is responsible for the overall management, development, and long-term success of the Port of San Francisco, an enterprise agency of the City and County of San Francisco, which is held as a public trust for the citizens of California. Under policy oversight of the Port Commission, the Port Executive Director manages all administrative and operations activities of the Port.

The Port Executive Director is appointed by the Mayor based upon nomination by the Port Commission. The Port Executive Director is exempt from the civil service provisions of the San Francisco Charter and serves at the pleasure of the Port Commission.

The Executive Director is responsible for leading, planning, directing, coordinating, controlling and evaluating activities of Port staff engaged in administrative functions; fiscal activities; governmental relations and public relations; economic development and planning; port security and safety; environmental compliance and regulation; engineering; inspection of Port properties; contracting for goods and services; business development and marketing; promotion, development, rental and leasing of Port property; repair and maintenance of Port facilities and substructures; and staffing and personnel operations.

Education and Experience:

At a minimum, the candidate must hold a baccalaureate degree; a master’s degree is preferred.
Qualified candidates will bring at least seven years of senior executive leadership experience, including demonstrated responsibility for leading complex, multi-layered departments and cross-functional divisions
Ideal candidates will have a proven record of managing large, multifaceted organizations, navigating enterprise-level complexity, and delivering results within environments (private or public sector) that require strong stakeholder engagement, operational discipline, and strategic leadership.

Desirable Skills:

Enterprise-level experience within a multifaceted organization: Experience successfully navigating complex business environments large-scale development, placemaking, or real-estate portfolio management.
Transformational, Organizational Leadership: Capable of building a high-functioning, mission-driven workforce; strengthening communication; cultivating belonging; creating career ladders; and fostering a healthy workplace culture.
Mega-project delivery capacity and cross-agency orchestration: With the Seawall Program, major federal partnerships, and multi-billion-dollar capital and resilience initiatives underway, the Director must align engineering, planning, development, federal partners, and city departments into a unified, accountable delivery system.
Strong Financial Stewardship: The Port requires a leader who can manage structural deficits, secure external funding, structure public-private partnerships, and make disciplined investments that advance long-term public benefit.
Equity: Equity must be embedded as a driver of performance and trust—shaping internal culture and strengthening transparency, access, fairness, and accountability for staff and communities.
Vision: The next Director must bring a fresh, generative vision for the future of the waterfront—one that emerges from the candidate’s own imagination and experience—paired with the discipline to deliver results through detailed planning, alignment, and consistent follow-through.
Communication & Collaboration: The Port has a wide variety of stakeholders, including community members, Port tenants, regulatory partners, department staff, elected officials, cross-departmental leadership, and more. The Port Director must successfully represent the Port on a local, national, and international level.

Attractive Factors:

The next leader of The Port of San Francisco will have the opportunity to lead and develop the iconic Port, continuing and strengthening its role as a center of community and commerce within the City and developing it as a leader in the Blue Economy.

Important Note: 

Candidates are encouraged to express interest early in the process. This recruitment is considered “open” until filled. For first consideration, submit your application by February 20, 2026.

Click HEREto apply.

For additional information, please contact:

Julia Morse | VP, Healthcare & Public Sector

jmorse@berkeleysearch.com

-or-

Phong Trieu | VP, Fulfillment Strategies

ptrieu@berkeleysearch.com