Sheriff's Captain (Departmental Promotional Only)

Full Job Description

Duties and Desired Qualifications: Sheriff's Captains plan, organize, direct, and coordinate the major bureaus within the Sheriff's Office Operations, Corrections, and Support Services divisions; develop and implement program goals, policies, and priorities; and provide high level, complex administrative support to senior level management within assigned areas of specialization.

Sheriff's Captains receive general direction from the Sheriff, Undersheriff, or Assistant Sheriff.

Captains exercise direct and indirect supervision over lower level supervisory, professional, technical, and clerical employees.

The ideal candidate for Sheriff’s Captain will demonstrate and model positive community engagement and collaborative problem-solving practices and possess the following qualifications:

• Four years of increasing responsibilities and experience performing a wide variety of administrative and managerial duties in a large, protective services agency, including at least two years’ experience at the Lieutenant level or an acting Lieutenant role in public safety services.
• A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in criminal justice, public or business administration, or a related field.
• Dedication and a result-oriented mindset with a vision for the future of the Sheriff’s Office.

• A vision for the future of the Sheriff's Office.

• Demonstrated management AND leadership skills, including the ability to lead sworn and professional staff, manage complex operations, make sound decisions, foster accountability, and collaborate effectively with executive leadership and stakeholders.
• A history of self-development through formal education, training, and broad experiences.
• Knowledge of the concepts of progressive law enforcement management and leadership.
• Completion of advanced training such as: the FBI National Academy, P.O.S.T. Command College, Los Angeles Police Department Leadership Program, or other Master's or Command level coursework.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will be a champion of integrity and ethics who promotes transparency through active community engagement at all levels of the organization; an approachable, politically astute leader with a passion for public service; a collaborator, conscientious team builder that will lead with humility, tolerance, kindness, consideration, and understanding; a passionate and experienced leader with the ability to give clear and consistent instructions to promote effective communication with Sheriff's Office personnel and the public and will have the ability to build strong partnerships to create and develop innovative approaches to increase public safety and the quality of life of County of San Mateo residents.

There are currently two (2) full-time vacancies, and the Sheriff’s Office is seeking to establish an eligible list of candidates with exceptional leadership qualities for the Sheriff’s Captain position.

Career Incentive: Employees holding permanent status may be eligible to receive an incentive equating to 2.5% of base pay in addition to all other compensation for possession of the basic Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Certificate, or an incentive equating up to 7.5% of base pay for the Advanced POST Certificate. The maximum allowable certification differential is 7.5%.

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

Requirements

Captains will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:

• Plan, organize, coordinate and direct the programs and activities of a division of the Sheriff's Office division/bureau.
• Consult with and advise other County staff and the public regarding pertinent policy issues and participate in the development of standards and programs relating to these policies.
• Monitor current and proposed federal, state, and local legislation to assess its impact and to develop the County's legislative response either in support of or opposition to such legislation.
• Consult and cooperate with other department managers on relevant aspects of the division; discuss organizational problems, develop alternative strategies for dealing with those problems; assist in implementation of solutions, as necessary.
• Direct and counsel assigned staff in the planning, budgeting, and record systems needed to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the assigned program responsibilities.
• Assist in the preparation and administration of the Department budget.
• Perform a variety of special assignments, prepare complex analytical and statistical reports in any of several areas of human resource planning, as assigned.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

County Status: Only current County of San Mateo employees in the Sheriff’s Office 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.

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:

Licensure/Certification:

• Possession of a Class C California driver license or equivalent
• Candidates must acquire a Management Certificate in law enforcement issued by the State of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training within one year of appointment.

To view eligibility requirements, please visit http://www.post.ca.gov/peace-officer-certificates.aspx

Other Requirements:

• Refrain from using tobacco products at any time for employees hired by the County after October 1, 2004.

Knowledge of:
Applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as codes, ordinances, and court decisions applicable to the assigned division; advanced principles and practices of modern law enforcement administration and criminal investigation; principles of financial administration, including public budgeting and financial analysis; computer systems and applications as used within the County; principles of personnel training, supervision, and evaluation.

Skill/Ability to:
Direct and participate in advanced administration and operational activities related to the division; coordinate program area activities with other divisions, departments, programs, and/or outside agencies; direct and participate in the analysis of a wide variety of moderate to complex administrative/operational problems and make effective operational and/or procedural recommendations; develop and administer policies, guidelines and procedures related to the division; use the appropriate interpersonal style and methods of communication to gain acceptance, cooperation, or agreement of a plan, activity, and/or program idea; negotiate agreements between differing individuals and groups of individuals; monitor current and proposed federal, state, and local legislation that may impact the division; supervise, evaluate, and train assigned personnel; communicate effectively both orally and in writing; establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties; meet State of California POST medical and physical standards for law enforcement personnel.

Additional Information

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the Sheriff’s Office 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.

Application Requirements

To express interest in the Sheriff’s Captain position, please submit the following materials no later than 5:00PM (PST) on Wednesday, January 28, 2026:

• A resume
• A detailed cover letter that describes why you are interested in this position and includes responses to the following supplemental questions:

1. Describe the most significant contribution you would bring to the position of Sheriff’s Captain. In your response, include the training, education, and experience that qualify you for this role, as well as why you are interested in serving as a Sheriff’s Captain.

2. Describe your experience managing a budget successfully. Provide an example of a project or operational budget you have managed, and explain the processes you use to monitor expenditures and ensure fiscal accountability.

3. What are the three most pressing issues currently facing the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office? For each issue, describe the solution(s) you would lead as a Captain to help address them.

The Examination Process

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application, resume, cover letter and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to participate in an assessment center (weight: 100%).

Details of the assessment center will be provided the day of the assessment and may include all or a combination of the following exercises:

• A critical incident.
• A role play exercise.
• A structured oral interview.
• A presentation or written exercise (The topic and detailed instructions for this assessment will be provided to qualified candidates approximately 1 week prior to the date of assessment with confirmation of assessment center appointment).

Applicants must complete all components of the assessment center for consideration of placement on the eligible list which will be used to fill current and possible future vacancies. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in the County of San Mateo, 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.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 by 5:00 PM PST
Application Screening: Week of February 2, 2026
Assessment Center: February 17 and/or 18, 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.

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