Environmental Specialist - Office of Sustainability

Position Overview :

Please double check you have the right level of experience and qualifications by reading the full overview of this opportunity below.

The City of Palo Alto's Office of Sustainability has an exciting opportunity for an Environmental Specialist position. The Office of Sustainability Environmental Specialist is an essential position in helping the City achieve its environmental goals in the Sustainability Climate Action Plan.

The position is the lead for the Office of Sustainability’s community engagement, data collection, and progress reporting.

The position plans, drafts, and creates outreach strategy, stakeholder engagement, and education pieces (including print, electronic, and social media outreach) that promote sustainability and climate action.

The position leads collaboration with other city departments to ensure consistent and professional communication to the community is conducted.

The position is responsible for collecting data and tracking and reporting on progress on the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan .

In addition, the position assists in the development of policies, procedures, processes, pilots, and the City’s reporting responsibilities.

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

• A passion for sustainability and climate action
• A strong foundational knowledge of sustainability and climate change concepts, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories
• An understanding of how best to influence behavior change through community based social marketing
• Excellent customer service skills and proficient in answering verbal and written questions from the public about sustainability and climate action
• A high level of comfort working in Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, etc.)
• Experience in website management; experience in Photoshop, InDesign, or other design software is desired but not required
• Experience with ClearPath, the online software platform for completing greenhouse gas inventories and forecasts, desired but not required

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following :

• Develops design and operational procedures for environmental program that meets all requirements of various regulatory agencies having jurisdiction.
• Assists project manager for environmental programs and implementation which includes : scheduling; cost estimating; and presentation of materials for approval by department and City Manager;

analysis of equipment needs; development of operational procedures and training programs for employees.

• In conjunction with other City staff, develops and explores new concepts and ideas related to environmental maintenance programs.
• Assists in preparing the Division's operating budget, quarterly reports, and other related reports required by various regulatory agencies;

develops and prepares management information system to monitor and control operation.

Reviews and analyzes environmental and solid waste regulations as required by regulatory agencies.

Sufficient education, training and / or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities, which would typically be acquired through :

• Bachelor of Science degree in environmental sciences or equivalent, including civil engineering course work or other related curriculum.
• Two years related experience.

Special Requirements :

Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS :

Attaching a cover letter is required. In your cover letter, please provide a response to the following questions :

• Why are you the ideal candidate for this position?
• Describe in detail your experience developing outreach and education campaigns to promote sustainability, climate action, or environmental programs and activities.

What are some of the factors to consider?

• What is your experience with community engagement, marketing, public speaking, event planning, and communicating with residents and businesses?
• What is your experience with GHG inventories, data collection, and progress reporting?

The Selection Process :

• Applicants will receive email recruitment status notifications. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
• Depending on the number of qualified applications received, the examination process may consist of supplemental questions, online assessment, written examination, practical performance, oral examination, or any combination to determine which candidate will move forward in the hiring process.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

This position is represented by Service Employee International Union position (SEIU)

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