Environmental Planner I

County of Riverside•Riverside, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The County of Riverside’s Department of Facilities Management is hiring an Environmental Planner I for its Environmental Energy Team in Riverside, California. Under general supervision, this entry-level professional position supports environmental planning and environmental equipment compliance activities. The incumbent assists with regulatory compliance for County underground storage tanks, emergency generators, chillers, hazardous materials, cogeneration equipment, and septic and water systems, including monitoring, inspections, training, contractor coordination, and permit management. The role also performs other related duties as needed. The Environmental Planner I is the entry level in the professional Environmental Planner series. Incumbents receive substantial training and generally handle routine, less-complex environmental, land use, or transportation planning assignments. Work is initially subject to detailed and frequent review, which decreases as the incumbent gains experience. The position reports to a senior-level planner class. Incumbents are expected to advance to Environmental Planner II after acquiring the necessary experience and receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation. The Department of Facilities Management provides property management and operations services for County-owned and leased facilities across Riverside County, supporting safe, comfortable, and productive buildings for County staff and the public.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, preferably with major coursework in urban planning, public administration, environmental sciences, construction management, or a closely related field; qualifying experience in environmental planning, land use planning, transportation planning, or construction management may substitute at one year of full-time experience for 30 semester or 45 quarter units of education.
Knowledge of the basic purposes and functions of a planning department, environmental or transportation planning, or development review.
Knowledge of basic research methods and report-writing elements.
Knowledge of basic statistical methods and their uses.
Working knowledge of environmental regulatory laws and processes.
Ability to learn planning principles and procedures and implement them in the work setting.
Ability to gather and analyze data, reason logically, draw valid conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations.
Ability to speak and write effectively.
Ability to meet with the public tactfully and effectively.
Ability to learn to interpret and apply laws and regulations and to read and interpret land-use maps.
Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
Ability to travel to locations throughout the County for inspections and off-site meetings.

Nice To Haves

Fundamental understanding of environmental planning principles and public administration.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact with tact, patience, and courtesy.
Basic knowledge of public relations techniques.

Responsibilities

Review and analyze proposed County facility projects and environmental studies.
Contact public agencies to gather information relevant to environmental study cases.
Visit property sites and surrounding areas to gather facts and photograph significant community and natural-resource features.
Coordinate with delineators on maps, graphs, and other visual displays; analyze project data and formulate recommendations.
Assist with master environmental assessments and requests for proposals or qualifications for environmental services; review and track consultant proposals, scopes of work, budgets, and schedules.
Review CEQA and/or NEPA technical studies and documents; prepare and manage CEQA notices of exemption for routine maintenance, small construction, expansion, improvement, and emergency repair projects; ensure implementation of Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Programs.
Conduct planning studies of human, physical, natural, economic, and governmental resources for general, regional, area, highway, or operating work plans.
Analyze existing plans and help identify policy or legal-authority deficiencies and areas for policy consideration.
Assist with oral presentations of information and recommendations to planning committees, councils, public agencies, and community groups.
Collect raw or previously compiled data from varied sources and analyze its validity and comparability for planning studies.
Apply statistical formulas to demographic, economic, environmental, and other data, and provide data for planning studies and programs.
Respond to routine public inquiries about ordinances, laws, regulations, policies, and procedures governing land use and transportation planning and development.
Use computers to support the listed planning activities as needed.
Support compliance activities for County environmental equipment and systems through monitoring, inspections, training, contractor coordination, and permit management.
Travel to County locations to conduct inspections and attend off-site meetings.