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Job Description
Marketing Statement
Ride BART to a satisfying career that lets you both: 1) make a difference to Bay Area residents, and 2) enjoy excellent pay, benefits, and employment stability. BART is looking for people who like to be challenged, work in a fast-paced environment, and have a passion for connecting riders to work, school and other places they need to go. BART offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and the CalPERS retirement program.
Job Summary
Pay Rate
SEIU Hourly Pay Band-151
Step 76: $31.63/hourly to Step 99: $41.35/hourly
Note: External candidates will start at Step 76.
Reports To
Electrical Foreworker
This announcement will be used to establish an eligibility list to fill future vacancies within the next 12 months.
Overview
BART is seeking dedicated and proactive Electrical Helpers to join our dynamic Maintenance & Engineering team. As an Electrical Helper, you will play a vital role in supporting the electrical operations that keep our trains moving safely, stations illuminated, and systems dependable for hundreds of thousands of riders every day. This position offers growth opportunities, hands-on learning, and the chance to work alongside skilled tradespeople committed to excellence in public transportation.
Key Responsibilities & Current Operational Priorities
As a current priority, BART is focused on reliability, safety, and modernization, including initiatives to improve system redundancy, reduce downtime, upgrade aging infrastructure, and incorporate greener energy solutions. Electrical Helpers will be engaged in:- Assisting in the installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of electrical systems across stations, rail yards, and transit ways: power distribution, signal systems, communications, lighting, and/or auxiliary systems.
- Supporting planned maintenance schedules and responding to urgent repair needs to minimize service disruptions.
- Working under supervision to test circuits, pull wire, mount equipment, install components, and perform basic wiring tasks in compliance with electrical codes and safety regulations.
- Collaborating with senior electricians, technicians, and engineers to ensure compliance with drawings, work orders, and technical specifications.
- Participating in preventive maintenance and routine inspections to identify potential issues before they lead to failures or safety hazards.
- Contributing to projects that modernize systems-including upgrades to LED lighting, energy management controls, and renewable/backup power installations.
- Ensuring all work is performed safely, per BART’s safety protocols, confined space rules when applicable, and with proper lockout/tagout procedures.
- Impactful Work: Your contributions directly affect passenger safety, system reliability, and the overall rider experience.
- Skill Growth: Hands-on exposure to a broad range of electrical systems and ongoing mentorship from seasoned electricians.
- Modernization Projects: Be part of forward-looking initiatives including energy efficiency, system upgrades, and leveraging new technologies.
- Team Environment: Operate within a collaborative, cross-disciplinary team that values innovation, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.
The most qualified candidates for this position will have highly developed competencies in the following areas, which will be reinforced with related work experience and will be clearly articulated during the selection process:- Electrical theory and practices, including safe installation, wiring, circuit testing, and interpreting electrical schematics and drawings.
- Knowledge of electrical codes, safety standards, lockout/tagout, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other regulatory requirements.
- Mechanical aptitude, ability to use hand and power tools, and physical stamina for climbing, lifting, and working in varied environmental conditions.
- Troubleshooting skills, attention to detail, and ability to diagnose basic electrical faults under supervision.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to work in a team and follow detailed instructions.
- Time management, reliability, flexibility to respond to emergency or after-hours work, and commitment to meeting deadlines.
- Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement in all tasks.
Selection Process
This is a SEIU Local 1021 Bargaining unit position. However, All SEIU members must follow the "Bid Form Process", failure to comply will invalidate an employee's application.
The selection process will include a screening for minimum qualifications as listed in this posting and may additionally involve a skills/performance test, written exam, and/or a panel interview. Outside applicants will not be considered until all employees who have applied have been considered first.
Application Process
This is a SEIU Local 1021 Bargaining unit position. However, all full-time SEIU District employees must follow the "Bid Form" process and deposit their bids in the bid box. Failure to comply may invalidate the employee's bid. As actual vacancies occur, District employees on the internal eligibility list will be considered before outside candidates.
External applicants may only apply on line, at www.bart.gov/jobs. Applicants needing assistance with the on line application process may receive additional information by calling (510) 464-6112.
The Employment Office will screen Bid form applications and resumes against the minimum qualifications. Those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the hiring department for further consideration. The selection process may involve a skills/performance test, written exam, and/or a panel interview. Outside applicants will not be considered until all employees who have applied have been considered first.
All applicants are asked to complete the application in full, indicating dates of employment, all positions held, hours worked, and a full description of duties. Online applicants are invited to electronically attach a resume to the application form to provide supplemental information, but should not consider the resume a substitute for the application form itself.
Examples of Duties
Receives daily work assignments from shift Foreworker.
Performs physical work in District facilities and the trackway including aerial, grade and subway environments.
Re-lamps lighting fixtures; cleans and/or replaces lens.
Carries and stages materials, supplies, and tools required for work to specified locations, using District vehicles.
Arranges, stages and organizes parts and materials in shop environment.
Maintains tools, equipment and worksite in a neat and orderly condition.
Performs measurements and marking required for drilling, clamping, and positioning material and equipment for proper installation.
Cleans 3 rd rail insulators.
Performs installation of material such as coverboard bracket, braces, bolts, clips, pins coverboard, shields, or insulation with tools including wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, torque wrenches, drills, saws, and other hand and power tools.
Reports unusual incidents and the need for additional maintenance or repair to Foreworker.
Keeps trucks assigned to electrical/mechanical section clean: keep truck supplies and tools on trucks in good order.
Drives trucks and mobile equipment related to electrical maintenance work.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Possession of a high school diploma, GED, or recognized equivalent.
Experience
One (1) year of (full-time equivalent) verifiable general maintenance or heavy labor experience which will have provided a familiarity with semi-skilled mechanical and/or electrical equipment, tools and procedures.
Other Requirements :
Must possess a valid California Class C driver's license and have a satisfactory driving record.
Must be physically able to perform strenuous physical labor both indoors/outdoors in all types of weather.
Must be physically able to momentarily lift 50 lbs to waist, various shaped materials and equipment.
Must be physically able to walk, climb, stoop, bend, crawl, twist, work in confined spaces, work underground, and walk on uneven surfaces.
Must be physically able to climb and work from a ladder at a height of 20 feet.
Must be physically able to climb into vehicles with steps up to 25’’ from the ground in close clearances.
Must be able to wear respiratory and fall protective equipment during the performance of assigned
duties in accordance with the District Respirator Program and applicable Cal-OSHA requirements and work in dusty work environment subject to various fumes and noise levels per applicable Cal-OSHA requirements.
Must be able to understand, read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge of :- Trackway appurtenance maintenance procedures, methods, supplies, tools and equipment
- Proper use and care of hand and power tools and equipment
- Safe working practices and techniques
Skill in :- Using hand tools and power equipment to perform semi-skilled trackway maintenance and repair work
- Following oral and written directions
- Working cooperatively with others in a crew
Equal Employment Opportunity GroupBox1
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and above), religion, national origin (including language use restrictions), disability (mental and physical, including HIV and AIDS), ancestry, marital status, military status, veteran status, medical condition (cancer/genetic characteristics and information), or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
The BART Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate persons with disabilities or for religious reasons. Please advise the Human Resources Department of any special needs in advance of the examination by emailing at least 5 days before your examination date at employment@bart.gov .
Qualified veterans may be eligible to obtain additional veteran's credit in the selection process for this recruitment (effective Jan. 1, 2013). To obtain the credit, veterans must attach to the application a DD214 discharge document or proof of disability and complete/submit the Veteran's Preference Application no later than the closing date of the posting. For more information about this credit please go to the Veteran's Preference Policy and Application link at www.bart.gov/jobs .
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) prides itself in offering best in class benefits packages to employees of the District. Currently, the following benefits may be available to employees in this job classification.
Highlights- Medical Coverage (or $350/month if opted out)
- Dental Coverage
- Vision Insurance (Basic and Enhanced Plans Available)
- Retirement Plan through the CA Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
- 2% @ 55 (Classic Members)
- 2% @ 62 (PEPRA Members)
- Reciprocity available for existing members of many other public retirement systems (see BART website and/or CalPERS website for details)
- Money Purchase Pension Plan (in-lieu of participating in Social Security tax)
- 6.65% employer contribution up to annual maximum of $1,868.65
- Deferred Compensation & Roth 457
- Sick Leave Accruals (12 days per year)
- Vacation Accruals (3-6 weeks based on time worked w/ the District)
- Holidays: 10 observed holidays and 3 floating holidays
- Life Insurance w/ ability to obtain additional coverage
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
- Survivor Benefits through BART
- Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts: Health and Dependent Care
- Commuter Benefits
- Free BART Passes for BART employees and eligible family members.
Closing Date/Time: 10/3/2025 11:59 PM Pacific - Assisting in the installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of electrical systems across stations, rail yards, and transit ways: power distribution, signal systems, communications, lighting, and/or auxiliary systems.
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ABOUT THE COMPANY
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BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
Show moreThe BART story began in 1946. It began not by governmental fiat, but as a concept gradually evolving at informal gatherings of business and civic leaders on both sides of the San Francisco Bay. Facing a heavy post-war migration to the area and its consequent automobile boom, these people discussed ways of easing the mounting congestion that was clogging the bridges spanning the Bay. In 1947, a joint Army-Navy review Board concluded that another connecting link between San Francisco and Oakland would be needed in the years ahead to prevent intolerable congestion on the Bay Bridge. The link? An underwater tube devoted exclusively to high-speed electric trains.
Since 1911, visionaries had periodically brought up this Jules Verne concept. But now, pressure for a traffic solution increased with the population. In 1951, the State Legislature created the 26-member San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, comprised of representatives from each of the nine counties which touch the Bay. The Commission's charge was to study the Bay Area's long range transportation needs in the context of environmental problems and then recommend the best solution.
The Commission advised, in its final report in 1957, that any transportation plan must be coordinated with the area's total plan for future development. Since no development plan existed, the Commission prepared one itself. The result of their thoroughness is a master plan which did much to bring about coordinated planning in the Bay Area, and which was adopted a decade later by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
The BART Concept is Born
The Commission's least-cost solution to traffic tie-ups was to recommend forming a five-county rapid transit district, whose mandate would be to build and operate a high-speed rapid rail network linking major commercial centers with suburban sub-centers.The Commission stated that, "If the Bay Area is to be preserved as a fine place to live and work, a regional rapid transit system is essential to prevent total dependence on automobiles and freeways."
Thus was born the environmental concept underlying BART. Acting on the Commission's recommendations, in 1957, the Legislature formed the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, comprising the five counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo. At this time, the District was granted a taxing power of five cents per $100 of assessed valuation. It also had authority to levy property taxes to support a general obligation bond issue, if approved by District voters. The State Legislature lowered the requirement for voter approval from 66 percent to 60 percent.
Between 1957 and 1962, engineering plans were developed for a system that would usher in a new era in rapid transit. Electric trains would run on grade-separated right-of-ways, reaching maximum speeds of 75-80 mph, averaging perhaps 45 mph, including station stops. Advanced transit cars, with sophisticated suspensions, braking and propulsion systems, and luxurious interiors, would be strong competition to "King Car " in the Bay Area. Stations would be pleasant, conveniently located, and striking architectural enhancements to their respective on-line communities.
BART employees in the 1970s.
Hundreds of meetings were held in the District communities to encourage local citizen participation in the development of routes and station locations. By midsummer, 1961, the final plan was submitted to the supervisors of the five District counties for approval. San Mateo County Supervisors were cool to the plan. Citing the high costs of a new system-plus adequate existing service from Southern Pacific commuter trains - they voted to withdraw their county from the District in December 1961.
With the District-wide tax base thus weakened by the withdrawal of San Mateo County, Marin County was forced to withdraw in early 1962 because its marginal tax base could not adequately absorb its share of BART's projected cost. Another important factor in Marin's withdrawal was an engineering controversy over the feasibility of carrying trains across the Golden Gate Bridge.
BART had started with a 16-member governing Board of Directors apportioned on county population size: four from Alameda and San Francisco Counties, three from Contra Costa and San Mateo, and two from Marin. When the District was reduced to three counties, the Board was reduced to 11 members: four from San Francisco and Alameda, and three from Contra Costa. Subsequently, in 1965, the District's enabling legislation was changed to apportion the BART Board with four Directors from each county, thus giving Contra Costa its fourth member on a 12-person Board. Two directors from each county, hence forth, were appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. The other two directors were appointed by committees of mayors of each county (with the exception of the City and County of San Francisco, whose sole mayor made these appointments).
The five-county plan was quickly revised to a three-county plan emphasizing rapid transit between San Francisco and the East Bay cities and suburbs of Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The new plan, elaborately detailed and presented as the "BART Composite Report, " was approved by supervisors of the three counties in July 1962, and placed on the ballot for the following November general election.
The plan required approval of 60 percent of the District's voters. It narrowly passed with a 61.2 percent vote District-wide, much to the surprise of many political experts who were confident it would fail. Indeed, one influential executive was reported to have said: "If I'd known the damn thing would have passed, I'd never have supported it. "
The voters approved a $792 million bond issue to finance a 71.5 mile high-speed transit system, consisting of 33 stations serving 17 communities in the three counties. The proposal also included another needed transit project: rebuilding 3.5 miles of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The new line would link muni streetcar lines directly with BART and Market Street stations, and four new Muni stations would be built.
The additional cost of the transbay tube -- estimated at $133 million -- was to come from bonds issued by the California Toll Bridge Authority and secured by future Bay Area Bridge revenues. The additional cost of rolling stock, estimated at $71 million, was to be funded primarily from bonds issued against future operating revenues. Thus, the total cost of the system, as of 1962, was projected at $996 million. It would be the largest single public works project ever undertaken in the U.S. by the local citizenry.
After the election, engineers immediately started work on the final system designs, only to be halted by a taxpayer's suit filed against the District a month later. The validity of the bond election, and the legality of the District itself, were challenged. While the court ruled in favor of the District on both counts, six months of litigation cost $12 million in construction delays. This would be the first of many delays from litigation and time-consuming negotiations involving 166 separate agreements reached with on-line cities, counties, and other special districts. The democratic processes of building a new transit system would prove to be major cost factors that, however necessary, were not foreseen.
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