ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST

Description

The City of Palo Alto’s Watershed Protection Group has an exciting opening for an Environmental Specialist on its Public Education and Policy Team. We seek an energetic and resourceful individual with proven environmental compliance experience, a strong knowledge of water pollution prevention, and experience in science-based public education and outreach.

WATERSHED PROTECTION TEAM OVERVIEW :

Public Works– Watershed Protection is part of the City of Palo Alto Public Works Department–Environmental Services Division. The team is charged with protecting water quality in local creeks and the San Francisco Bay by working with industry, businesses, residents, and City operations to reduce pollutants entering surface waters by way of the sanitary sewer and storm drain systems. Public Works–Watershed Protection creates and implements innovative watershed protection projects and programs, develops policies, ordinances and public education, and ensures compliance with the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit. In addition, the Watershed Protection team oversees the City’s programs for industrial wastewater pretreatment, recycled water, and maintains regulatory compliance for the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, a wastewater treatment plant serving Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, East Palo Alto Sanitary District, and Stanford University.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES :

The following are the position responsibilities for the Environmental Specialist :

• Provides outreach, education and public engagement for the Watershed Protection programs including those related to pollution prevention for stormwater and wastewater, recycled water, and sea level rise planning efforts
• Oversees consultants and contractors to prepare outreach campaigns and collateral including print, web and other material; keeps data metrics and evaluates program success
• Under direction, sets outreach goals and develops annual workplan
• Attends a selection of meetings with regional groups including Bay Area Pollution Prevention Group (BAPPG), and Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program (SCVURPPP)
• Creates and maintains Watershed Protection web content for the City website
• Leads and staffs public events, including tabling at events like Earth Day, Municipal Services Day, Rain Barrel and Rain Garden Workshops, Creek Cleanups, and tours of the wastewater treatment plant
• Under direction, ensures the City maintains compliance with select components of the City’s wastewater discharge (NPDES) permit stormwater permit and select Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit provisions
• Prepares regulatory reports in compliance with the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, including the Pollution Prevention Report for the wastewater treatment plant and select components of the stormwater annual report
• Oversees the City’s stormwater rebate program

IDEAL CANDIDATE :

The ideal candidate will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience :

ESSENTIAL DUTIES ( to see the full job description click here.