Hansel and I first met on the JFK Promenade during the spring of 2022. He introduced himself to me because at the time I had just been appointed the Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. He was wearing his signature eye glasses and had his trusted bicycle. He was just one of many people I met that day, but what made our meeting so memorable for me was his absolute joy and sincere enthusiasm about his ability to ride his bicycle on the JFK Promenade.  

Hansel was raised in San Francisco by his hard-working immigrant parents. He did not have the opportunity, or even a safe space, to learn to ride a bicycle when he was young. He learned to ride in May 2018 in one of our Adult Learn to Ride classes, but really began to thrive in his cycling skills during the pandemic, on the newly created car-lite and car-free spaces. 

Hansel once admitted to me that he never felt like he belonged in the biking community or “looked like a cyclist.” Spaces like Slow Streets, the Great Walkway, and the JFK Promenade gave him the opportunity to blossom as a cyclist in his own way and feel part of the larger biking community in San Francisco.

Over the months, I would encounter Hansel at outreach events or in the park, and we became fast friends. He genuinely connected with other people, whether they were biking, walking, or rolling along treasured places like the Promenade or Great Walkway. He helped them feel like they too were a part of the movement to transform our streets into safer and more bikeable spaces. He showed others that safer streets are for everyone. 

When we chose Hansel to be our 2023 Bike Champion of the Year, we read multiple nominations sharing heartfelt stories of Hansel’s impact on others in the biking community.

My dear friend had a tragic bicycle crash a few weeks ago, and it deeply touched our bicycling community. The crash happened with no cars in sight, among friends and loved ones together on a bike camping trip. He was having a wonderful time and was filled with a tremendous amount of joy. The outpouring of love for Hansel’s partner and his family is a testament to what I have always known exists within our community, a deep love and support for others. 

Hansel set the perfect example of what our movement is all about – the joy of riding bikes, connecting and strengthening our communities, and fighting for safer streets so that more people can join our movement. We continue to honor Hansel’s memory by creating inclusive spaces for all people who love to ride a bike and removing barriers for people to join our movement. 

The next time you are riding your bike along the Great Walkway on a clear evening and you see the gorgeous sun setting on the water, remember the joy, freedom, and feeling of being connected to your city and to your community. Honor Hansel’s memory and keep on riding. 

Rest in Power my friend. 

-Janelle Wong

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition transforms our streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. We’re seeking a passionate, highly motivated individual to power this crucial work by supporting the organization’s bicycle education program. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Bicycle Education Coordinator leads and shapes our Bicycle Education program, reflecting our core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition partners with government agencies and private companies to provide free, multilingual bicycle education for San Franciscans of all experience levels. Our bicycle education programming lives out our core values by breaking down barriers that folks may face to bicycling. We offer around 50 adult classes annually, and teach nearly 1,000 adults each year; learn more about the classes we offer here.

The Bicycle Education Coordinator oversees fulfillment of education contracts with the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and micro-mobility companies, and seeks additional opportunities to present high-quality, culturally competent, multilingual bike education throughout the city. This position reports to the Director of Community Programs and collaborates with a dynamic Community Programs Team focused on our Bike It Forward program, and valet bicycle parking, and will coordinate a part-time staff of 15+ Bicycle Education Instructors.

Commitment to Equity and Justice

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition acknowledges the harm that biking culture and unequal access to transportation have inflicted upon underserved communities — especially people of color, people with disabilities, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do; therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

APPLY HERE

Primary responsibilities include:

• Act as content expert on all matters of mobility education, providing vision to the Bicycle Education programming and ensuring that the program’s work aligns with the organization’s mission, strategic plan, and goals, especially regarding equity, accessibility, and cultural competency and responsiveness;
• Execute multiple education contracts (with the SFMTA, bike share companies, Golden Gate Transit and others) to ensure deliverables are met on time and within budget, as well as solicit feedback, testimonials, and track data related to contracts;
• Craft curriculum to ensure high-quality bicycle safety education classes are available for adult bike riders and professional drivers, emphasizing equity and cultural competency. Update curricula regularly to conform to the California Vehicle Code, local regulations, and emerging infrastructure and mobility trends;
• Coordinate a team of 15+ part-time, multilingual bicycle educators, including scheduling instructors and providing training and feedback; 
• Work with the Director of Community Programs to solicit and secure contracts with private companies and public agencies to expand bicycle education training and professional driver training, including renewal and extension of existing bicycle education contracts;
• Generate revenue for the organization through a variety of fee-for-service educational opportunities (such as in-office trainings).
• Build relationships with community-based organizations that serve low-income, non-English speaking, and BIPOC communities, and;
• Collaborate within the Programs team and across departments to augment the work of each department and best serve community needs, and to effectively promote and market classes and communicate the stories of success that emerge from our education programs.

Strong candidates will possess as many of the following qualifications as possible:
We recognize that this position encompasses a number of different responsibility areas. We are committed to training and supporting our staff to strengthen their abilities in each area and we encourage applications from people who may not have all of the qualifications listed below. 

• One year of experience in program coordination or education work (bicycle education is a plus); 
• Experience fulfilling contracts in either the private or public sector, including meeting deliverables and reporting on successes and areas for growth;
• Direct experience building strong partnerships with public agencies and community-based organizations, particularly those serving underserved communities;
• Successful project planning and strategy implementation;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Ability to both operate independently and collaborate internally with other programs and other departments;
• Experience with databases or client relationship management (CRM) systems (experience in Salesforce a plus);

Salary and Benefits: The annual salary for this exempt position is $60,000-$69,000 depending on depth of experience. Full-time benefits include excellent medical, vision and dental insurance with no employee contribution, as well as a year-long four-day workweek pilot, three weeks of paid time off (increasing with tenure), ten days of sick leave, pre-tax transit benefits, and a flexible work arrangement policy.
Hours: Full-time, exempt
Reports to: Director of Community Programs
Location: Hybrid — San Francisco Bay Area. Staff and their supervisors will work together to determine the appropriate work arrangement based on the nature of the individual’s role, and in alignment with organizational policies and departmental needs and activities. We strive to be as flexible and fair as possible while ensuring in-person accessibility when needed to interface with our volunteers, membership, community, and each other.

APPLY HERE

To apply, please submit a resume and a PDF with your answers to the below three questions. Please make your answers roughly one paragraph each:
1. What inspires you to want to work at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?
2. What does transportation justice mean to you and how do you see it fitting into your career?
3. What skills and/or experiences do you have that would make you a good fit for this role?

About the San Francisco Bicycle CoalitionThe San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. Our work is guided by our five-year strategic plan and the core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy. The organization’s culture reflects its grassroots origins and professional advocacy in equal measures. Our active membership represents San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds from all neighborhoods who are working towards safe, sustainable and more affordable ways to move around our city. The SF Bicycle Coalition is the largest city-based bicycle advocacy group in the nation and one of the largest member-driven groups in San Francisco. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. Our commitment to transportation justice includes acknowledging that society’s bad behavior disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people in society — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

2023 Director of Marketing and Communications Job Description

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition transforms our streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. We’re seeking a passionate, highly-motivated individual to power this crucial work by supporting the organization’s diverse communications and marketing efforts.

You will have the opportunity to build upon our ongoing success and help to innovate our approach, while working with a dedicated staff to promote the bicycle for everyday transportation. 

The Director of Marketing and Communications will work closely with the Executive and Deputy Directors and leadership team to help craft strategic messaging, manage cross-departmental projects and collaboration, build a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy, manage rapid response communications, respond to urgent media requests and pitch proactive media to develop and strengthen the organization’s constituent and membership engagement ladder. This position will manage a motivated and talented team of communications and marketing staff. 

Reporting to the Deputy Director, this position will serve in a leadership capacity to build new audiences and constituencies for our work, increase our voice and influence in the community, engage membership to support our mission, and manage all aspects of the organization’s brand.

Commitment to Equity and Justice

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition acknowledges the harm biking culture and unequal access to transportation have inflicted upon underserved communities — especially people of color, people with disabilities, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do; therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

APPLY HERE

Primary responsibilities:

• Manage, support and grow a team of skilled communications, design and marketing professionals; 
• As a key member of the organization’s leadership team, help set organizational priorities, measure and evaluate progress, and respond to emerging opportunities;
• Oversee, lead, and maintain the direction of the organization’s content strategy, brand, voice, and messaging
• Coach and provide constructive feedback to all organizational staff to improve storytelling, writing, and communications skills.
• Develop and deploy quarterly organizational high-level messaging as well as topical messaging and talking points;
• Manage all incoming media inquiries, develop and sustain relationships with media contacts, and proactively increase organizational visibility in the media;
• Manage the creative direction of all digital and print design
• Direct strategy across social media, paid ads, website, mass email, and print
• Manage and coordinate organization’s multi-channel communications calendar;
• Facilitate collaboration with other departments’ communications needs, especially planning and executing advocacy campaign communications; highlighting programmatic accomplishments and earning them media exposure; and ensuring the success of membership, fundraising and events appeals and invitations

Strong candidates will possess as many of the following qualifications as possible: 

We recognize that this position encompasses a number of different responsibility areas. We are committed to train and support our staff to strengthen their abilities in each area and we encourage applications from people who may not have all of the qualifications listed below.

• Experience in effectively managing and growing teams, with an emphasis on professional development support for junior staff.
• Experience in cross-team project management and facilitation
• Superlative written and verbal communications skills
• Proven track record in understanding the needs of different audiences and taking an antiracist approach to messaging strategy
• A commitment to and passion for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s mission and core values of transportation justice, sustainability, people power, and joy.
• Experience acting as an on-the-record spokesperson for an organization, as well as experience fielding media requests, developing internal media capacity, developing relationships with media contacts, and handling crisis communications.
• Experience building strategic communications plans.
• Be adaptable, thoughtful, and quick-thinking under pressure.
• Strong understanding of brand development and maintenance.
• High level of comfort with web/digital media analytics and experience evaluating performance and adapting planning/projects accordingly.
• Demonstrated track record of list and social media follower growth.
• Working knowledge of the local media landscape.
• Demonstrated experience effectively adapting to a rapidly shifting digital media landscape
• Experience working within a membership-based advocacy organization.
• Experience crafting fundraising/membership communications.
• Advanced knowledge of Salesforce, Marketing Cloud and Google Apps suite.
• Familiarity with WordPress, HTML, Google Ads and analytics.
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Canva
• Fluency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, Cantonese and Tagalog.

Salary and Benefits: The annual salary for this exempt position is $85,000-$95,000 depending on depth of experience. Full-time benefits include excellent medical, vision and dental insurance with no employee contribution, as well as a year-long four-day workweek pilot, three weeks of paid time off (increasing with tenure), ten days of sick leave, pre-tax transit benefits, and a flexible work arrangement policy.

Hours: Full-time, exempt

Reports to: Deputy Director

Location: Hybrid — San Francisco Bay Area. Staff and their supervisors will work together to determine the appropriate work arrangement based on the nature of the individual’s role, and in alignment with organizational policies and departmental needs and activities. We strive to be as flexible and fair as possible while ensuring in-person accessibility when needed to interface with our volunteers, membership, community, and each other.

To apply, please submit a resume and a PDF with your answers to the below three questions. Please make your answers roughly one paragraph each:

1. What inspires you to want to work at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?
2. What does transportation justice mean to you and how do you see it fitting into your career?
3. What skills and/or experiences do you have that would make you a good fit for this role?

APPLY HERE

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition works to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. Our work is guided by our five-year strategic plan and the core values of Transportation Justice, Sustainability, People Power and Joy. The organization’s culture reflects its grassroots origins and professional advocacy in equal measures. Our active membership represents San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds from all neighborhoods who are working towards safe, sustainable and more affordable ways to move around our city. The SF Bicycle Coalition is the largest city-based bicycle advocacy group in the nation and one of the largest member-driven groups in San Francisco. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. Our commitment to transportation justice includes acknowledging that society’s bad behavior disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people in society — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

APPLY HERE

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is seeking energetic and organized individuals interested in providing first-class service to come be a part of our famous Valet Bicycle Parking team as Bicycle Valet Attendants. Candidates must have a flexible schedule, with availability on days, nights, and/or weekends. Must be available to work August and September. If you want to further the mission of the SF Bicycle Coalition by helping provide safe and secure bike parking at events all over San Francisco, we’d love to hear from you!

Hours: Flexible, part-time to full time, seasonal work. Includes days, nights, and/or weekends.

Reports to: Valet Bicycle Parking Program Coordinator

Bicycle Valet Attendants oversee site-specific valet bike parking operations for events citywide. Bicycle Valet Attendants are responsible for representing the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, as well as our mission and policies, to event organizers, volunteers, and the general public. Bicycle Valet Attendants are also responsible for on-site volunteer training, care and management.

Job Components

A Bicycle Valet Attendant:

• Arranges drop-off/pick-up of supplies at event site
• Sets up and breaks down events
• Ensures appropriate location signage and banners are displayed, all parked bikes are tagged, outreach materials and signage is displayed on table, when available
• Troubleshoots issues and resolves problems facing the Valet Bicycle Parking Program and SF Bicycle Coalition Volunteers
• Is sensitive to opportunities to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition work
• Maintains an effective manner and demeanor and sets an example for others
• Is a proactive problem solver dedicated to ensuring a high-quality experience for all
• Keeps track of the membership envelope, any membership forms and any donations and arranges their secure return to the SF Bicycle Coalition
• Attends SF Bicycle Coalition’s Bicycle Ambassador Training at least one time per calendar year and is effective in explaining current SF Bicycle Coalition policies, goals, objectives, programs and activities.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to providing a top-quality Valet Bicycle Parking experience for all guests
• Ability to train and manage volunteers
• Ability to work individually and as part of a team
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Comfortable working outdoors
• Ability to lift 25-60 pounds required
• Ability to lift bikes and gently place them about 4 feet off the ground
• Ability to use bike to pull trailer of supplies weighing approx. 70+ pounds (trailer provided by SF Bicycle Coalition)
• Must have your own bike and be comfortable biking in San Francisco.

Volunteer experience with our Valet Bicycle Parking program is a plus.

Pay is $21/hour for all events.

How to Apply:

To apply, please use the form to submit a resume and a PDF with your answers to the below three questions. A formal cover letter is not required. Please make your answers roughly one paragraph each:

• What makes you excited to work at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?
• What does transportation justice mean to you and how do you see it fitting into your career?
• What skills and/or experiences do you have that would make you a good fit for this role?

Commitment to Equity and Justice

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and acknowledges the harm biking culture and inequitable access to transportation have inflicted upon marginalized communities — including people of color, people with disabilities, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do; therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with relevant lived experience. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

Hey there, eco-conscious bike enthusiasts! We’ve got an incredible story to share with you. Last week, Bike It Forward teamed up with Friends of the Urban Forest for a game-changing event. We provided bicycles to the Green Teens program, giving them a greener, more sustainable way to navigate the city. Let’s dive into the highlights and find out how you can be part of this movement.

From the moment those bikes hit the pavement, magic happened. We met at India Basin Waterfront Park to help the Green Teens improve their bike-riding skills. Many hadn’t ridden a bike since childhood, so we made sure they felt comfortable and had the knowledge to stay safe on the road. After equipping them with helmets and discussing how to navigate the city, we set off on an adventure. 

Imagine a group of dedicated green teens, working tirelessly to make our urban environment greener. They face a common challenge — getting around the city efficiently and sustainably. That’s when Bike It Forward stepped in with a simple solution: bicycles. We wanted to give these passionate teens the means to travel sustainably and continue their hard work.

Together, we rode to Heron’s Head Park, embracing the joy of being on two wheels. Seeing their faces light up with freedom and connection to nature was fantastic. Once we reached the end of the Heron’s Head peninsula, some of the youth began exploring, searching for crabs under rocks, while others soaked in the view and observed birds challenging each other for fish. This experience of being outdoors and connected to nature is one of the great benefits of biking. It fosters an important developmental connection that inspires youth to care for their environment.

Join us in celebrating the power of biking and its positive impact on our environment and support Bike It Forward’s mission through donations. Right now, Bike It Forward has a special donor matching campaign, doubling the impact of your support. By donating to Bike It Forward, you’re empowering green teens and other partners to promote sustainable, active transportation.  Together, let’s ensure that more people have the means to ride towards a greener future.

San Francisco’s southeast neighborhoods have faced historical neglect from transit, non-profits, and government policies resulting in resource limitations that unfortunately have slowed conscious development and mobility.

To promote inclusivity and change this dynamic, we brought together some of our many  programs (Bike it Forward, Adult Bike Education and Youth and Family), and partnered with Monroe Elementary and local community groups like the Excelsior Collaborative and the Excelsior Bike Club to create Monroe Practice Days.Over the last year, at Monroe Practice Days, we also work together with other non-profits like Ybike to provide a safe car-free space at Monroe Elementary for adults and children to practice their skills with the help of a top notch multilingual set of bike instructors. We distribute bicycles, helmets, and u-locks to have their bikes safe and the knowledge and tips on how to ride safely on the road.

If you ride a bike, you know well that bicycles offer freedom, independence, and connection. Recognizing this, our community believes bikes could bring positive change to underserved communities. We are very grateful to have received an Excelsior Collaborative Community Action Grant in partnership between the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Office of SF District 11, Mission YMCA of SF, and the Excelsior Collaborative. Through Monroe Practice Days we have been able to provide over 70 bikes with helmets, u-locks, and the knowledge to be safe on the road in 3 different languages since June 2022.

As we continue to host Monroe Practice Days this summer, here are the main values that guide our work:

Listening to the Community:

We have been listening carefully to the community to understand the needs and aspirations of southeast San Francisco. This helps us identify that sharing a way to get around the city and the knowledge to be safe on the road truly has made a difference.

This program has been very popular and successful by being able to reach out to the monolingual Chinese and Latinx community of the southeast neighborhoods with the help of volunteers, the Excelsior Collaborative staff, and parents and family liaisons of the Monroe Elementary School.

Shifting our focus and resources towards underserved communities:

This program means more than receiving bicycles for many of the people who come and experience it. This event empowers the community with self-reliance tips on maintenance, safety, and riding skills. This has boosted recipients’ confidence among other parents and neighbors of the community. It also impacts participants in many ways by encouraging healthier lifestyles, improved accessibility, and has created new opportunities for the community to get to know each other more and grow closer together by breaking mobility barriers.

Monroe Practice Days in southeast San Francisco exemplify the potential of community-driven initiatives. Providing bicycles empowers individuals and fosters hope. Compassion, unity, and a shared vision can transform communities. By continuing to engage and collaborate, we are building a more inclusive San Francisco. If you would like to learn more about this program and provide support, please consider donating a bike that we can tune up and give to the community of the southeast side of San Francisco (ideally, the bike should be suitable for someone between 4’ 11” and 5’ 5”).