Sustainability Specialist III Waste Reduction

Are you passionate about advancing sustainability and waste reduction solutions? Do you want to contribute to a team of enthusiastic professionals and be part of the changing ways in which local governments can develop and implement programs to address these issues and serve the San Mateo County community?

Position Overview

The County of San Mateo's Office of Sustainability (OOS) seeks qualified candidates for a Sustainability Specialist III (Sustainability Specialist) to help lead our waste reduction efforts for the County’s special districts and unincorporated communities. We want "sustainability champions" with experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are looking for candidates with excellent project management and communication skills to lead initiatives and empower our employees, community partners, and community members to take meaningful actions on sustainability. OOS is committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages candidates from varied backgrounds to apply.

Formed in July 2014 as a part of the County Manager’s Office, the Office of Sustainability strives to improve the sustainability of the County’s operations and the greater community through work in areas of climate change, energy and water conservation, waste reduction, and making our communities more livable. The Office of Sustainability identifies with the following values that guide its work: Empowerment, Equity, Collaboration, and Inspiration, and serves the diverse, multi-cultural communities in San Mateo County.

The Waste Reduction Special Districts unit works to promote and progress the ways we can reduce the waste in County Unincorporated areas that goes to landfills. Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste generated, and increase diversion of recyclables and organics from the landfill through our work with residents, businesses, schools, and others.

The position is a great opportunity to:

• Contribute to a dynamic team focused on improving public health, reducing greenhouse gases, by advancing the organics collection practices of unincorporated San Mateo County.
• Contribute to the design and launch of the new organics collection programs within the County’s unincorporated districts, working with existing and new ratepayers and waste management contracts.
• Design and implement a new enforcement program to support those programs and ratepayers.
• Collaborate with staff across multiple County departments, cities adjacent to unincorporated areas, countywide, regional, and state agencies, and consultants on organic waste management.
• Assist with the garbage collection rate processes in unincorporated San Mateo County.
• Build relationships and collaborations with stakeholder groups, represent the County in meetings, working networks and presentation opportunities.

Responsibilities

The Sustainability Specialist will be tasked with the following responsibilities and initiatives:

• Implementation of new SB1383 regulations: administer 6 new hauler non-exclusive franchise agreements; gather data, convert new subscribers to franchise agreements; coordinate outreach and inspections to waste generators; issue MOUs for three service areas; conduct annual audit of revenue, if required.
• Assist the Program Manager on Administration of the Recology Franchise Agreements for SB1383 Implementation: coordinate with SBWMA and Recology and other RCS’s on waivers, cart & route audits; conduct inspections; oversee enforcement; resolve barriers to compliance; issue waivers and commercial customers self-hauling tracking & documentation; conduct annual reporting.
• Provide technical assistance in the unincorporated County areas and address complaints; update contact relationship management database; troubleshoot barriers to compliance; coordinate & staff special events; assist in all other SB1383 related tasks. 
• Support Garbage Rate-Setting: prepare for BOS Meetings, prepare and coordinate distribution of Prop 218 notices, respond to constituent comments/questions, provide community presentations.
• Assist the Program Manager on Annual Rate Reviews.
• Development and operationalization of enforcement program: conduct site visits, route & desktop audits; issue Notice of Violation; coordinate with Waste Management Plan process.
• Attend monthly meetings and draft response to constituent inquiries. 
• Implement AB939 and AB341 Recycling Requirements for all generators over 2 cubic yards.
• Conducting quarterly reporting; review all reports and data from Recology and SBWMA and other haulers. 
• Provide program support for the Pescadero Transfer Station.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess these qualifications:

• Significant understanding of federal, state and local waste reduction practices, laws, and regulations, including AB939, AB341, SB1383, SB619
• Experience with waste reduction planning, policy development, and program implementation
• Extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise in a broad range of topics related to organic waste, waste reduction, waste-hauling structures, enforcement and operations
• Ability to engage with County staff, residents, and stakeholders to create coordination and collaboration
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Adobe Acrobat software (MS Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams)
• Apply an understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities to improve project design and implementation
• Experience working with diverse range of stakeholders and perspectives, with a customer service orientation, to identify and achieve collective goals
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate technical topics for professionals and elected officials and to communicate across multiple disciplines 
• Strong analytical skills, including experience conducting research, audits, and analyzing data
• Independence and can “hit the ground running” and work with minimal supervision
• Flexibility, with the ability to change course quickly and effectively

Education and Experience:

• Any Combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying
• A typical way to qualify is a minimum of two years of journey-level program coordination experience in the field of solid waste management, which has included program/project coordination and implementation 

Compensation

• Pay rate ranges from $44.99 to $56.24 per hour; salary is $7,798.27 - $9,748.27 monthly.

To Apply

To learn more about the position and to apply online, please click "Apply on Company Website" below.  

Applications are only accepted online. The following are required to be submitted:

• regular online employment application form;
• cover letter expressing interest in the position; and
• resume.

Note: Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form, a resume, and a cover letter. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

EOE