Sustainability Specialist, Stormwater

Are you passionate about sustainability and environmental issues, being part of a team of enthusiastic and creative professionals, and being part of the changing ways in which local governments can develop and implement programs to address sustainability and environmental issues and serve the San Mateo County community?

Overview of Positions

Are you passionate about protecting water quality in San Mateo County? Do you want to contribute to a team of climate resilient enthusiastic professionals and help the County of San Mateo develop and implement stormwater management programs throughout the County’s diverse rural and urban communities?

The County of San Mateo’s Office of Sustainability (OOS) is looking for two full-time Sustainability Specialists (Stormwater) who have knowledge in water quality-related planning and implementation, experience coordinating stormwater programs, and the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with local governments and community partners.

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. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage candidates from varied backgrounds to apply.

The Stormwater Program protects and enhances environmental water quality in San Mateo County through coordination and implementation of the Municipal Regional Stormwater National Discharge Elimination System Permit. Reducing pollutant runoff, monitoring water quality, conducting community outreach, and improving infrastructure can all help to protect water quality in our creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and Pacific Ocean.

The Sustainability Specialist (Stormwater) will:

• Coordinate and work across agencies to ensure compliance with the Municipal Regional Stormwater National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System Permit and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements, including reporting.
• Work collaboratively and proactively with external agencies and multiple County departments to embed stormwater planning and implementation into department processes.
• Provide support for development of new stormwater and green infrastructure projects, including grant writing and management, project design review, and cross-agency coordination.
• Track and coordinate watershed TMDL compliance efforts at multiple sites with internal and external partners, including new TMDLs expected in the next few years.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Have significant understanding of federal, state, and local stormwater regulations and best management practices for watershed management and stormwater pollution prevention.
• Have extensive knowledge and expertise in a broad range of topics related to environmental water quality and associated sustainability issues.
• Be able to track, audit, and monitor pertinent regulatory mandates, laws, codes, and rules, and ensure compliance with regulatory obligations.
• Possess effective written communication skills and have experience preparing written materials such as narratives, project summaries or reports, technical charts, presentations, and public outreach materials.
• Possess effective oral communication skills and have experience delivering targeted public outreach and educational presentations to a wide variety of audiences and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and experience conducting research, audits, or analyzing data.
• Experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders and perspectives, with a customer service orientation, to identify and achieve collective goals.
• Apply an understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities to improve project design and implementation.
• Work with minimal supervision, can “hit the ground running,” and have the flexibility to change course quickly and effectively.

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Coordinate the County’s stormwater activities across multiple county departments and external agencies to ensure compliance with Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit and other regulatory requirements.
• Implement programs and projects related to water pollution prevention and environmental compliance.
• Serve as subject matter expert for County departments, Board of Supervisors, external stakeholders, community groups, and the public.
• Develop and manage contracts for consultant support services related to stormwater management.
• Analyze and interpret reports, information, and data related to stormwater compliance.
• Develop written reports for submittal to the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
• Review and provide comments on Regional Water Quality Control Board regulatory documents.
• Conduct public outreach and education.
• Research and develop applications for grant funding for future projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned, especially related to water conservation and groundwater management.

Qualifications

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 one year of experience in the field of resource conservation and/or stormwater management which has included program analysis and coordination.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of project management, implementation, and evaluation.
• Principles and practices of contract management.
• Principles, practices, trends, and technical information in the areas of environmental water quality, stormwater infrastructure, resource protection, and watershed management.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.

Skill/Ability to:

• Interpret laws, regulations, and data.
• Track and monitor compliance with pertinent mandates, laws, codes, rules, regulations, and agreements.
• Define difficult problem areas, research, audit and analyze data, and make valid alternatives and recommendations.
• Plan, implement, coordinate, and evaluate assigned programs, projects, and activities.
• Research and analyze information and data to formulate findings and recommendations.
• Serve as subject matter expert in environmental water quality and other areas of resource conservation.
• Serve as representative for various committees and community groups.
• Speak effectively and make public presentations, conduct outreach, and provide training and/or public education as necessary.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with variety of individuals at all levels including those from government, business, private and non-profit agencies, community groups, and the public.
• Integrate racial and social justice considerations into work duties.
• Supervise permanent, temporary, contract, and volunteer staff on a project basis.
• Identify problems and work to resolve them.
• Prepare comprehensive reports, letters, and other written materials.
• Provide information regarding planning, developing, and monitoring a project’s budget.
• Translate technical topics for professionals and elected officials and communicate across multiple disciplines.
• Research and develop grant applications and other project funding solutions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.