Environmental Planner (Associate Environmental Planner)

Valley Water

Salary: $124,259.20 - $159,057.60 Annually

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Number: 01842-E

Location: CA, CA

Department: Watersheds Stewardship and Planning

Closing: 12/9/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Description

Valley Water is searching for top-tier candidates to fill this exciting opportunity. Internal candidates will get first consideration.

Overview: Would you like to join a special district working on meaningful community projects that ensure safe, clean water supply, and protect natural environments in the heart of Santa Clara County? Do you have specialized skills or experience that could be applied to a rewarding career in environmental planning and natural resource permitting? Are you versed in the fundamentals of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and/or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document preparation or regulatory compliance? If so, consider expanding your environmental planning career as an Associate Environmental Planner for Valley Water.

Valley Water is seeking an Associate Environmental Planner who will support development and execution of plans, programs, and/or projects in water supply, water utility, flood protection, and watershed stewardship. This is a journey-level environmental planning position that will perform a variety of professional duties relative to assisting project teams in planning, design, and construction phases. They will guide teams through impact avoidance and minimization, and coordinate and prepare environmental documents compliant with both CEQA and NEPA. Positions will also guide teams through the process of obtaining and implementing applicable natural resource agency permit requirements, including development of appropriate mitigation, application preparation, strategic negotiation, and environmental compliance monitoring and reporting.

Environmental Planners can look forward to working on a broad range of projects spanning creek and bay rehabilitation, wetland creation, public safety, flood protection, imported water, water treatment and conveyance system upgrade, and cutting-edge public-private partnerships. Successful candidates will join teams working on projects such as:

San Francisco Bay Shoreline Protection
Calabazas Creek Bank Rehabilitation
Guadalupe River Flood Protection
Pipeline Reliability and Maintenance Program
Water Utility Infrastructure
Water Supply and Transfers

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Work collaboratively on teams with engineers, biologists, and other technical specialists, as well as consultants, to develop project elements, identify potential environmental impacts, and evaluate opportunities to avoid or minimize impacts.
Provide advice and guidance to project teams regarding the level of CEQA and NEPA documentation required.
Oversee and carry out the appropriate CEQA process approved through internal decision memoranda, including exemptions, Negative Declarations (ND), Mitigated Negative Declarations (MND), Environmental Impact Reports (EIR), and related public notices; assist with developing project descriptions; solicit input from responsible and trustee agencies; identify potential significant adverse and beneficial impacts; identify alternatives.
Support natural resource agency permitting and regulatory compliance efforts through conducting background research, assisting in development of permitting and mitigation strategies, preparing submittals, coordinating with environmental regulators, negotiating the need for permits and permit conditions, and tracking and managing the permit acquisition and compliance processes.
Serve as a liaison with internal staff and external parties on input and questions pertaining to the environmental aspects of the project or activity; receive and respond to written comments from agencies and the public; plan logistics, including the setup of scoping meetings; prepare meeting materials; moderate public hearings; collect verbal comments as necessary; and incorporate and address comments in CEQA documents.
Assist in consultant management to promote high quality contract work products; monitor progress and maintain close contact during development of work products; review work products.
Support environmental compliance monitoring of project activities.

Ideal Candidate's Background Includes:
The successful candidate will be an environmental project manager who understands the importance of resilience and adaptability and has an in-depth knowledge of CEQA and NEPA, along with federal, state, and regional permitting regulations and processes. This position demands strong organizational skills with strategic and analytical thinking. The ideal candidate will lead with a positive attitude, possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and build positive working relationships with others. Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills are essential for this role, as is a customer-service-oriented mindset. We are open to considering journey-level candidates as well as candidates who have professional experience in another specialty (i.e., air quality, biology, cultural resources, noise, transportation/traffic, water resources, construction management, or closely related engineering field) and can demonstrate that they have transferable skills and experience.

Ideal Experience:

Five (5) years of experience performing professional-level responsibilities as an environmental planner.
Experience involving the evaluation of the impact of proposed public works or capital projects or facilities on the community and the environment.
Preparation of CEQA/NEPA documents and/or successful regulatory permit negotiation and acquisition on complex projects, ideally for water infrastructure and/or environmental restoration.

Ideal Skills and Abilities:

Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to interpret and apply federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations.
Assess, mitigate, monitor, and report environmental elements and impacts; evaluate thresholds of significance.
Research and evaluate studies, reports, papers, and related literature used in the field of environmental planning.
Set priorities and exercise sound independent judgment within established procedural guidelines.
Public speaking and presentation skills.

Ideal Knowledge:

Working knowledge of the CEQA and/or NEPA processes as it relates to the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects.
Methods and techniques of scientific research, analysis, and reporting used in the field of environmental planning.
Methods and techniques of environmental impact assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting.
Principles and practices of project management, including planning, organizing, scheduling, and controlling budget.
Federal, state, and regional permitting regulations, laws, processes, and practices applied in environmental planning and natural resource management, including but not limited to: Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, California Fish and Game Code, Federal and California Endangered Species Acts, and National Historic Preservation Act.
Specialist in key aspect of environmental planning and analysis, such as: air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, hydrology and water quality, noise, and vibration, and/or traffic and transportation.

Ideal Training and Education:

Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in environmental studies, ecology, environmental planning, city and regional planning, land use planning, environmental science, natural resources management, geography, biology, chemistry, or a related field.
A Master's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in environmental studies, environmental planning, city and regional planning, environmental science, natural resources management, geography or related field is not required but may substitute for two (2) years of environmental planning experience.
Professional certification in a relevant field or subject matter is ideal but not required and may substitute for a year of environmental planning experience. This may include, but is not limited to, certification as an: AICP Certified Environmental Planner, AICP Certified Planner, AICP Certified Transportation Planner, Professional Wildlife Biologist, or other certification provided by the state of California, or a nationally recognized professional organization related to environmental planning.

Our Commitment: Racial equity, diversity and inclusion are integral to Valley Water. We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all. We believe every member of our team enriches our diversity, contributes to inclusion, and strengthens belonging by broadening our perspective and collective understanding of the world around us to accomplish our mission to equitably provide safe, clean water, natural flood protections, and environmental stewardship.

About Valley Water: Valley Water is a public agency with an operating and capital budget of $964 million, and over 900 employees. With headquarters in San Jose, Valley Water provides water supply, enhances streams and watersheds through creek restoration and habitat protection, provides flood protection for homes, schools, businesses and roadways, and partners with other agencies to provide trails and open space for the community.

Required License or Certificate

Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid California driver's license. Individuals who do not meet the driver's license requirement due to a disability will be considered for a reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

To review the Classification Specification, please click here (Download PDF reader)

Environmental Planning Unit (Position Code 1087)

Valley Water Telework Program: Eligibility for telework will depend on the type of work performed, operational needs, and the ability for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job duties while teleworking. Employment with Valley Water requires employees to live within 150 miles of their primary physical work location located in San Jose, California by their start date.

This position is eligible for a hybrid telework schedule, typically working 40% remote and 60% onsite.

Selection Process

(1) The selection process may include one or more of the following: application review, application assessment, performance exercise, written exercise and/or interview.
(2) The Employment Application, Qualifying Information Questions and/or Supplemental Questions will be evaluated based on the ideal candidate criteria listed above. Resumes are highly recommended.

NOTE: Position and start date is subject to availability of funds. Valley Water retains the right to repost this position as deemed necessary.
Consideration may be given to existing applicant pools within the same classification.
Valley Water's Equal Opportunity Non-Discrimination Policy is available for review upon request.

Valley Water will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please advise Human Resources in advance of any special needs by calling 408-630-2260.

Please be aware that once submitted all application materials become the property of Valley Water and will not be returned. Human Resources staff are not authorized to make copies of application materials for applicants.

To apply, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/scvwd/jobs/4743263/environmental-planner-associate-environmental-planner

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