About Burlingame
The City of Burlingame is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, five minutes from San Francisco International Airport and easy visiting distance to San Francisco. Convenient Bay Area-wide access is provided by nearby bridges. The developed area of the city extends from the eastern slope of the coastal range to San Francisco Bay. Coyote Point Park at the southern City limits and the Bay Trail through Burlingame along the water’s edge provide access to water oriented and developed regional recreation opportunities, including sailing, wind surfing, swimming, children’s museum and meeting facilities. Development on Burlingame’s bay front is dotted with first class hotels which are oriented to San Francisco Bay and provide visitors and residents alike with vacation-style opportunities. Burlingame’s village style, kid-friendly downtown and nearby Washington Park are popular destinations on the Peninsula, easily accessible by foot, rail and car.
The City of Burlingame is a full-service, general law City with a Council-Manager form of government. The City has approximately 220 full-time employees who deliver quality municipal services to its 30,500 citizens. The City of Burlingame prides itself on being an "Employer of Choice" and embraces a participative approach in managing the City and the Organization.
Location
Description
The City of Burlingame is accepting applications for the position of Custodian in the Library Department
Our diverse family of employees welcomes you to apply. We are a small city that gets a lot done, and each member of our team is vital to our success as an organization.
We recently asked our employees what they enjoyed most about working for the City of Burlingame, and their responses fell into five general categories:
- Colleagues
- Community
- Location
- The Work
- The Benefits
Browse the Burlingame Welcome Brochure for more information about why employees love working here or view our City of Burlingame is a Great Place to Work Video:
City of Burlingame is a Great Place to Work Video
For more detailed information regarding the qualifications and essential functions of the position, please review the Custodian job description.
Ideal Candidate
Under general supervision, the incumbent is to be responsible for the care and cleaning of the library building.
Candidates who are selected to participate and receive a passing score in the examination process will be placed on a Custodian eligibility list, from which current and future vacancies (within the next year) may be filled.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Sweeps, mops, waxes and polishes floors; vacuums carpet; dusts and polishes woodwork, fixtures, and equipment; washes windows, walls and lavatories; replaces light bulbs, switches and fixtures; moves chairs, tables and other furniture and equipment as needed to clean, dust, polish, wash and vacuum.
- Handles preventative maintenance and minor repairs; repairs plumbing and maintains restroom facilities in good working condition including toilets, sinks, faucets and drinking fountains; repairs chairs, shelving, desks and tables; drives truck to deliver and pickup materials; sets up tables and chairs for meetings, classes, etc.
- Empties waste baskets and recycle paper; sweeps, power waxes, vacuums, mops, dusts, scours and disinfects restrooms and 48,000 square feet of additional library space.
- Orders and monitors building and cleaning supplies; removes graffiti; removes and disposes of used books.
- Maintains neat and clean grounds.
- Performs minor maintenance such as repair of window latches and door hinges; orders supplies and materials; maintains equipment and arrange for repair and maintains building security.
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Sufficient education and experience to perform the above job duties, typically obtained through at least six month’s experience in janitorial and custodial work. For the library, experience in using janitorial equipment, tools and chemicals are also required.
LICENSE: Possession of a Class C drivers’ license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles
PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING CONDITIONS:
Work extended or irregular hours at times; sit at a desk and/or stand at a counter for long periods of time; stand and walk for moderate periods of time; crouch/stoop/squat occasionally. Hear phones and normal conversations; communicate with people from various cultural backgrounds; remain calm during difficult situations.
KNOWLEDGE OF:
Cleaning methods and use and care of cleaning materials and equipment; General knowledge of required O.S.H.A. standards for scheduled cleaning and disinfecting of areas within the building, includes knowledge of cleaning solutions and other chemicals commonly used for disinfecting building work stations and other areas.
SKILLS: Ability to use cleaning and polishing equipment as vacuums and polishers; and materials with speed, safety and efficiency
ABILITY TO:
Use cleaning materials and equipment with safety and efficiency; understand and carry out oral and written directions.
Benefits
BENEFITS:
- Retirement: CalPERS 2.5% at 55 for Classic members and 2.0% at 62 for New members; Classic members contribute 1.5% of the City’s contribution to CalPERS retirement via payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis
- Health Insurance: Choice of CalPERS Medical plans. City pays up to 92.5% of medical premium of most medical plans
- City contribution to Retiree Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
- Dental and Vision for employee and dependents
- Term life insurance policy in the amount of $75,000
- Long-Term Disability Insurance plan pays 60% of monthly salary ($3,500 max)
- Vacation leave of 10 days for the first 4 years and increases with years of service
- Fourteen paid holidays per year (includes 2 floating holidays)
- Sick Leave: 12 days per year
- Deferred Compensation: City contributes $45 per pay period matching contribution to a 457 plan
- Section 125 Flex Benefit: Un-reimbursed Medical and Child Care
- Transportation Incentive Program
- Reduced fee for City Recreation fitness classes
- Employee Assistance Program
Special Instructions
APPLICATION PROCESS
This recruitment will close Thursday, May 7th at 5:00 p.m. or upon receipt of the first 100 applications, whichever occurs first.
Interested candidates must submit a completed online employment application. Resumes are highly desirable, but a resume in lieu of a completed application will not be accepted.
Please note attachments need to be in a PDF format. If you are having difficulty attaching documents in CalOpps, please email hr@burlingame.org for assistance.
Unless otherwise specified, all correspondence will be conducted via the email address provided on your application.
Tentative Dates for Examinations (subject to change):
- Oral Panel Interview: Thursday, May 14, 2026.
- Department Interview: TBD
SELECTION PROCESS
All applications will be reviewed for relevant education, experience, training and other job related qualifications. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in the selection process. Based upon a review of employment applications, prequalification questionnaires, and resumes received, a limited number of the qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process.
The process will consist of an Oral Panel Interview. An eligibility list will be established from those who pass the examination process with a score of 70% or higher. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least one year unless exhausted sooner.
The department will invite qualified candidates from the eligibility list to a department interview. The City Librarian will make the final appointment.
Note: The City of Burlingame reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process.
PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT
Candidates will be required to:
- pass a fingerprint check submitted to the Department of Justice
- pass a background investigation
- comply with The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States at date of hire
This position has a 12 month probationary period from the date of hire. Whereby, the selected candidate must receive a rating of no less than 'satisfactory' at the end of the probationary period to continue forward with employment. During the 12 month probationary period, the selected candidate can be terminated with, or without cause.
The City of Burlingame is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin in its employment actions, decisions, policies, and practices. The duties described in this job announcement are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. This job announcement does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.