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Vegetation Program Specialist I

Employer
Valley Water
Location
San Jose, California, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Aug 3, 2021

View more

Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Informatics / GIS
Discipline
Permitting
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Vegetation Program Specialist I

Valley Water

Salary: $8,677.07 - $11,105.47 Monthly

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Number: 01295-E

Location: CA, CA

Department: Watersheds Operations and Maintenance

Closing: 6/28/2021 11:59 PM Pacific

Description

NOTE Regarding Salary: A 4% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) will apply as of 6-28-21

Vegetation Field Operations Unit (Position Code 1062)

Overview:

Do you have experience working in Vegetation Field environments? Are you knowledgeable and skilled in identifying invasive and native plants and working with herbicides and pesticides? If so, check out this opportunity!

Santa Clara Valley Water District is the primary water resource agency for Santa Clara County, supplying wholesale water, providing flood protection, and serving as an environmental steward for clean, safe creeks and healthy ecosystems. Valley Water serves approximately two million people in 15 cities: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mtn. View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale, and the towns of Los Altos Hills and Los Gatos, and manages 10 dams and surface water reservoirs, three water treatment plants, a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, 400 acres of groundwater recharge ponds, and 275 miles of streams.

The Vegetation Program Specialist I (VPS) will serve as a key member in Vegetation Field Operations and represent the unit and Valley Water in interactions with employees, the public, and other agencies and organizations. While providing technical support to vegetation management program activities including writing vegetation management recommendations, ensuring Permit/BMP compliance, acquisition of associated permits along with other related duties. This position also performs field investigations and surveys, prepares annual plans of work to be performed, writes work orders using Maximo system, estimates materials and labor for work activities, and oversees work in progress. Additionally, the VPS I will prepare requests for proposal and invitations to bid for activities. Efficient preparation of reports, support of budgetary planning, working with internal and external customer concerns and providing direct support to supervisory and management staff are all imperative in order to succeed in this position.

Work under this position supports Safe Clean Water priority F1.4 (Upland Vegetation Management).

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Provide field support (prioritization of work sites for work, technical support of work being performed) for invasive plant control projects, fuel abatement projects, and CIP revegetation projects.
  • Provide vegetation support including calculating impacts, reporting, mapping, staff training, permitting, resource agency collaboration, public outreach, and other associated activities.
  • Provide administration and oversight of entries into the Notice of Proposed Work (NPW) and the Annual Summary Report (ASR) for the Stream Maintenance Program, database work, and monitoring/ reporting requirements for other vegetation programs.
  • Providing input on and assisting lead and supervisory staff in tracking daily work accomplishments associated, including internal resources, contract oversight and project budgeting/ funding.
  • Maximo work order creation including maps, photo templates, work descriptions.
  • Supporting field investigations for upland vegetation control work and other projects.
  • Performing field assessments, quantifying work to be performed and estimating impacts of work and associated mitigation
  • Site assessments, and work area flagging to identify scope of work.
  • Responding to customer concerns using Access Valley Water System.
  • Preparation of requests for contractual bids, coordinate with vegetation management contractors, and field surveys to confirm scope of work, and services performed, oversight of contract work, meeting with contractors and reconciling invoices.


Ideal Experience:

  • Three (3) years of experience in integrated vegetation management, ecological restoration, horticulture, arboriculture, forestry, or field maintenance planning.
  • Experience utilizing GPS and GIS.
  • Experience using Maximo and Oracle database systems.
  • Program development and lead experience is a plus.
  • Pest Control Adviser's License in Category E from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is desirable.


Ideal Skills and Abilities:

  • Strong project and data management skills in administering complex, technical, and sensitive vegetation field operations projects in an independent and cooperative manner.
  • Evaluate and develop improvements to vegetation field operations procedures, policies, or methods.
  • Conduct complex vegetation field operations research, assess, and evaluate alternatives, make sound recommendations, and prepare effective technical reports.
  • Establish and maintain a variety of vegetation field operations filing, record keeping, and tracking systems.
  • Organize and prioritize a variety of vegetation field operations, projects, and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner.
  • Interpret federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations, including California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Quality Act and partner with Regulatory Agencies.
  • Effectively communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
  • Assign and review the work of team members.
  • Must be able to work well independently and with a multi-disciplinary team, both in person and teleworking platforms.


Ideal Knowledge:

  • General principles, practices, techniques, and equipment related to vegetation field operations and maintenance projects.
  • Pests control processes and recommendations and Integrated Vegetation Management field operations techniques of research, investigation, analysis, and legal requirements.
  • Plants and wildlife native to Santa Clara County.
  • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Quality Act and applicable environmental regulations pertaining to Federal, State, and local laws.


Ideal Training:

Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in biology, botany, horticulture, silviculture, environmental sciences, natural sciences, or a related field.

Required License or Certificate:

Must be able to obtain a valid Qualified Applicator Certificate or Qualified Applicator License in Categories C & F issued by the State of California's Department of Pesticide Regulation within 12 months of hire.

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.

Selected candidate will be required to successfully pass a medical examination.

To review the Classification Specification, please click http://apps2.valleywater.org/About_Us/_Jobs/Salary_and_classification/_Spec_PDFs/Vegetation Program Specialist I-II - 7-2020.pdf https://get.adobe.com/reader/

Selection Process

(1) The selection process may include one or more of the following: application review, application assessment, performance test, written test and/or oral interview examination.(2) The Employment Application, Qualifying Information Questions and/or Supplemental Questions will be evaluated for minimum qualifications. Resumes are 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. The District'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 is not authorized to make copies of application materials for applicants.

To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/2309211

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