Air Quality Specialist (Technology Advancement Office)

South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) is one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated environmental regulatory agencies in the nation, serving a four-county region that includes Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and the Coachella Valley. South Coast AQMD's headquarters is located in Diamond Bar, 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, at the junction of the 57 and 60 Freeways. With a highly diverse "Clean Air Team" of over 850 employees, an annual budget of $216.5 million, and a state-of-the art air quality laboratory, our mission is to ensure clean air and a healthy environment. South Coast AQMD is an organization you can be proud to work for -- we make a difference in the quality of life in Southern California!

South Coast AQMD is committed to creating and maintaining a work environment that appreciates the unique backgrounds, skills, and experiences of our employees and fosters professional development and growth. South Coast AQMD respects the ideas and perspectives of our stakeholders and works to bring them together toward the common goal of clean air.

ABOUT THIS POSITION

We are recruiting for Air Quality Specialist in our Technology Advancement Office (TAO). From this recruitment process, we expect to establish an eligible list from which current and future vacancies may be filled, during the life of the list. We anticipate filling one immediate vacancy. The primary responsibility of this position will be to support activities within the Technology Demonstration unit of the TAO. In this case, this position will also work in collaboration with other governmental agencies, the public, private institutions, and environmental and community organizations to identify and evaluate clean technologies and equipment, discuss their potential applications, and serve as subject-matter experts in these fields.

The primary responsibility of the individual hired for this position will be to support a wide range of activities within Technology Demonstration, leading the technology advancement and commercialization efforts to achieve significant NOx emission reductions and accelerate deployment of clean fuel technologies. Within the Technology Demonstration unit, the successful candidate will work with others to support a portfolio of clean technologies at different technology readiness levels to develop new technologies across many mobile sectors for emission reductions and health benefits to achieve the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and will be required to conduct extensive outreach and evaluate several factors such as current and projected economic costs and cost effectiveness of emission reductions associated with the transition to clean technologies and equipment, potential health effects, and other factors.

The Air Quality Specialist will be required to recommend co-funding actions and administer and provide oversight for research and development, demonstration, and early deployment of pre-commercial technologies and equipment. This includes zero-emission battery-electric and fuel cell electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks; supporting charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure; port and construction equipment; marine vessels; clean-fuels production and emissions characterization studies; clean energy storage and charging microgrid applications – all of which support South Coast AQMD’s progress toward achieving the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

More details about this program can be found at: https://www.aqmd.gov/home/technology/research-development-and-demontration

Duties for this position may include, but are not limited to:

• Planning and implementing mobile source emission reduction programs and projects
• Conducting research and analysis of complex technical issues with emphasis on mobile sources, alternative fuels, zero emission technologies and supporting infrastructure
• Working closely with staff at the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, Department of Energy, U.S. EPA, as well as academia and private entities, including OEMs and technology providers
• Research, development, demonstration and deployment of low-emitting on- and off-road technologies and associated infrastructure through South Coast AQMD's Clean Fuels Fund and other similar programs
• Working independently in areas of project and contract management
• Evaluating and selecting of projects based on various criteria and managing projects and data related to funded programs
• Helping implement and oversee grant funded projects
• Writing Board letters, contracts and grant proposals
• Serving as a subject-matter expert in various low-emitting on- and off-road technologies and associated infrastructure, including related regulatory requirements
• Representing the agency at public meetings, workshops, bidder's conferences, technical conferences, outreach/community meetings, and other events by providing oral presentations, incentive program information, written reports, position papers, graphs, charts, and statistical summaries
• Working in close collaboration with other members of the technology demonstration team and/or technology implementation team
• Performing various other staff work unique to the unit to which assigned.

• Works with engineers, planners, other environmental professionals, Information Management staff, and other personnel to develop and implement methods and techniques for the analysis and evaluation of air quality studies and plans.

• Applies mathematical, statistical, and engineering modeling and analytical techniques to the analysis of research and survey data; prepares graphs, charts, and statistical summaries from derived data; determines appropriate data collection methods for use in research projects; and may assist in determining methods for more complex studies.

• Assists in developing or develops recommendations concerning air quality management programs, plans, and rules and prepares related reports and correspondence.

• Assists in preparing technical analyses and recommended positions on proposed and pending legislation relating to air quality management.

• Reviews and analyzes a wide variety of environmental documents; conducts air quality impact analyses and assessments; and writes or coordinates the writing of Environmental Impact Reports.

• Evaluates economic impacts of air quality regulations and develops economic incentives to achieve designated air quality standards.

• May assist in organizing and participating in workshops and meetings, and provide consultation and advice to individuals and businesses in matters related to area of expertise.

• May assist in preparing and making presentations on proposed rules, rule amendments and other air quality-related projects and studies.

• Relevant federal and State laws and South Coast AQMD environmental rules, regulations, and programs affecting mobile sources
• Commercially viable mobile source emission reduction technologies including low-emission and zero-emission technologies and supporting infrastructure
• Principles of mathematics as applied to mobile source emissions
• Budgeting, project management, grant administration, and organizational skills
• Contracting/invoicing/grant processes and outreach efforts to effectively manage projects on zero emission and low-emitting technologies
• Experience with advanced technology, zero- and near-zero emission on- and off-road vehicles and stationary equipment
• Ability to communicate incentive program requirements with outside stakeholders

Ability to:

• Cultivate and expand networks of peers and technology and regulatory experts
• Provide technical expertise in mobile source emission analyses, including the use of spreadsheets, databases, and other statistical software
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Gather and analyze complex data and prepare succinct and easy to understand reports and recommendations geared to different audiences, including South Coast AQMD management, agencies, technical experts, and community members
• Work independently and lead and collaborate with others under extremely aggressive timelines
• Discuss controversial issues and concerns raised by special interest groups, community members, and other members of the public to diplomatically and persuasively influence and negotiate win-win agreements and discover points of consensus
• Demonstrate an employment history of increasingly responsible positions and successful completion of related complex technical assignments, with strong project management and grant administration experience, and ability to work independently and collaboratively within the Technology Demonstration team

EDUCATION:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in engineering, environmental science, planning, or the physical, social, or biological sciences, depending upon the functions of the assigned unit.

EXPERIENCE:

AIRQUALITY SPECIALIST: Two years of technical air quality or professional analytical experience that would demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position to which assigned.

KNOWLEDGE OF:One or more professional disciplines, such as chemistry, toxics, statistics, economics, environmental planning, or engineering, with emphasis on its relationship to planning, rule development, or engineering activities; principles, methods, and procedures of environmental review, planning, rule development, or air quality monitoring, including related instrumentation; air quality regulations and review process; air quality modeling; emissions calculations; PC software applications commonly used in the field; research methods and techniques, including statistical and computer applications for data analysis; professional report writing; and State, federal, and local programs, guidelines, and code regulations related to air quality management.

SKILL OR ABILITY TO:Compile, analyze, and interpret technical air quality data; learn and apply South Coast AQMD air quality regulations to stationary and mobile source monitoring; monitor and evaluate the performance of consultants; oversee stationary and mobile source monitoring projects under minimum supervision; maintain accurate records of air quality planning, research, monitoring, or rule development projects and prepare clear and persuasive reports and recommendations; represent South Coast AQMD interests at public, professional, and internal meetings and communicate with a variety of technical and professional air quality and legal staff; maintain current knowledge of applicable federal, State, and local regulations and technical or scientific developments; provide expert testimony, advice, and counsel in a specialized field; apply appropriate computer-based analytical techniques to complex air pollution control problems; develop new techniques and approaches to the solution of complex air pollution control problems; proficiently use PC and mainframe software applications common to the field and to the general business environment of South Coast AQMD; read, understand, and follow verbal and written directions; communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing; and establish and maintain effective relationships with all those contacted in the course of work.

1. A completed employment application covering at least the past 10 years of employment history (or longer if you have other relevant experience), and your entire South Coast AQMD employment history if you are a South Coast AQMD employee.
2. Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ). The SQ is a form of written test and will be evaluated as such. Your responses should be well written, clear, concise, and directly responsive to the question.
3. Up to four references which include the names and phone numbers of your present and past supervisors or managers, and/or college professors or persons for whom you have directly provided services, not peers.
4. An unofficial copy of your transcripts (or equivalency evaluation if your education was obtained outside the U.S.), documenting all qualifying education claimed, submittedas an attachment to your online application*.

*You MUSTsubmit acceptable documentation for all education claimed on your application. Acceptable documentation consists of an unofficial copy of your transcripts/equivalency evaluation attached to your application. At a later date, candidates under final consideration will be required to arrange for original, official transcripts (or equivalency evaluation, if applicable) to be mailed directly from their college/university to South Coast AQMD, documenting all education claimed on their application.

Job applications must be completely filled out.A resume cannot be substituted for the required information. Be sure to detail any education, training or other relevant coursework that would make you a particularly strong candidate.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

Application packets, including responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire, will first be screened, and the most competitively qualified candidates will be invited to a multiple-choice examination, to be rated on a pass/fail basis. Candidates who pass the exam will advance to the next step in the process, which may include a panel interview. (Please note that some assessments may be conducted remotely).

Following the assessment process, a ranked eligible list is expected to be created, from which current and future vacancies may be filled, during the 6–12-month life of the list.Only those who demonstrate they are among the most competitively qualified, at each successive step of the selection process, will be advanced to the next step. (Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an invitation to the next step.)

Important note for potential candidates who do not have the continued and unrestricted right to work full time in the United States: If you currently, or will in the future, require sponsorship (i.e., H1-B Visa) in order to maintain your right to work in the United States, you are welcome to participate in this recruitment process, but there is no guarantee that a job offer with the requested sponsorship will be made to you.

South Coast AQMD reserves the right to add, delete, and modify any elements of the selection process as deemed appropriate, based on the number and quality of applicants at each step.

Candidates who may need accommodations during the selection process must call the Human Resources Department at least one week prior to any test dates.