Painter (Departmental Promotional Only)

Full Job Description

The Department of Public Works is seeking well-qualified candidates for the position of Painter.

About The Department
The Department of Public Works plans, designs, constructs, operates and maintains facilities and equipment that are safe and accessible to the clients of County agencies, the general public, and County employees. The Department advises the Board of Supervisors on all public works issues, including rates and charges for services that are fair to both the users and service providers. Public Works has a budget of approximately $300 million and is comprised of over 300 employees in five divisions: Administrative Services, Airports, Engineering and Resource Protection, Facility and Capital Projects, and Road Services. To learn more about the department visit: https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks.

The Position
Under general supervision, Painters perform a large variety of painting and wall covering tasks on County buildings and property. The County buildings include but are not limited to office buildings, public hospitals, secure correctional facilities, and psychiatric facilities. Most work involves repainting and touch-up of interior and exterior surfaces in the facilities.

Working with a small team of highly skilled individuals to provide a safe environment for our patients, their families, and our co-workers, Painters speak with customers regarding their jobs; identify materials and time needed for jobs; purchase painting equipment, materials and supplies; calculate job costs; schedule jobs; and log/record work completed. Jobs may require coordination of work with stationary engineers working in the facilities or working independently. Painters also travel independently to different areas in the County to perform unassisted graffiti abatement on public property.

The Ideal Candidate will possess:

• At least 5 years of journey-level professional work experience.
• Completed a 4-year apprentice program.
• Color matching skills.
• Experience in organizing and keeping inventory.
• Knowledge of California's requirements for storage and disposal of painting materials.
• The ability to work independently in different locations with minimal supervision.

IMPORTANT: Painters are required to work at various locations throughout the County of San Mateo including County Facilities/Buildings, San Mateo Medical Center, Hall of Justice, Maguire Correctional Facility, Maple Street Correctional Facility, and Youth Services Center. Candidates will be required to complete an extensive security clearance package and undergo a thorough background check conducted by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office prior to hiring. The selected candidate must be cleared to work in a locked facility and around detainees.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.

• A typical way to qualify is Journey level status as a painter including demonstrated proficiency in painting and refinishing a wide variety of articles.

Licensure/Certification:

• Possession of a class C California driver's license or equivalent.

Knowledge of:

• Various paints, varnishes, and stains, paint application, and surface preparation.
• Safety procedures used in painting and work on scaffolding.
• Paint mixing procedures.
• Spray equipment, rollers, brushes, and other equipment used in painting or applying wall coverings.
• Drywall taping and finishing.
• Padded cell upkeep and maintenance techniques.
• Asbestos awareness and recognition.
• Methods of fire stop caulking.
• Lead paint awareness and abatement procedures.
• Applicable NFPA (fire) codes.

Skill/Ability to:

• Apply paint, plaster, and other surfacing materials to various surfaces.
• Mix paints to achieve the desired or previous color.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with others.
• Bend, stand and walk for extended periods.
• Lift and carry equipment and materials.

Other Requirements: Candidate must obtain and maintain a security clearance as a condition of employment. Some positions require that employees work weekends, holidays, evenings, or other shifts and be on-call.

Additional Information

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the Department of Public Works with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: Pass/Fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a performance exam (weight: 100%).

Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification.

All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination.

All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button.

If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form.

A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULERecruitment closes: Monday, February 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM PSTApplicant Screening: Tuesday, February 10, 2026Panel Interviews: Week of February 16, 2026 About the CountySan Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay.

With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment.

The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.