Senior Environmental Planner

The Position
Are you interested in improving air quality, protecting public health, reducing historical and current environmental inequities, and mitigating climate change and its impacts? Are you excited about applying your understanding of local and regional planning and policy to develop and implement actionable strategies to meet state and federal air quality standards while also addressing local air quality and health disparities in partnership with communities overburdened by air pollution on the frontlines of climate change? If yes, this role could be a perfect fit for you.

The Air District is conducting an open recruitment for the position of Senior Environmental Planner in the Planning and Climate Protection Division. This is a full-time, represented position for one (1) vacancy. The Air District may hire from this recruitment process to fill future vacancies occurring within the next 18 months including Limited Term Contract Positions.

Definition
Under direction, provides lead direction to environmental planning staff and conducts complex long range planning for land use and environmental assessments; performs related work as assigned.

Distinguishing Characteristics
This is the advanced lead level in the professional planning series. Incumbents provide lead direction to environmental planners and perform highly specialized and difficult planning functions. Incumbents are assigned to design and implement programs that require considerable professional knowledge and the use of independent judgement. This class is distinguished from Principal Environmental Planner in that the latter has responsibility for creating projects and new programs, and handling the most difficult, sensitive, novel or critical projects.

What You'll Be Doing
The Senior Environmental Planner will join a high performing and motivated team of professional planners, engineers, technical, and legal experts working on preparing and implementing plans, policies and programs to address regional air quality challenges while also bringing a specific focus on reducing longstanding air pollution and health disparities in the most overburdened communities in the Bay Area.

In this role, under direction, you will:

• Be a thought leader using innovation and creativity to integrate air quality, health, equity, and environmental justice.
• Develop and implement regional and community-based plans to accelerate air pollution and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
• Support local governments to advance health protective and equitable air quality and climate plans and policy.
• Cultivate strong working relationships and collaborations with community-based organizations, community members, local governments, regional, state and federal agency partners.

To be successful you will need strong project management, organizational and communication skills; be able to adapt to changing circumstances and priorities; and be willing to work with people of varied backgrounds and perspectives, including low-income communities of color and communities overburdened by air pollution. Experience with organizing and facilitating stakeholder meetings and interpreting, analyzing and visualizing geospatial environmental, health and socio-economic data to support plan and policy development is a plus.

The Air District's jurisdiction encompasses all of seven counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Napa, and portions of two others - southwestern Solano and southern Sonoma.

At the Air District, we take pride in our commitment to fostering a workplace that values diversity and promotes cultural awareness. We prioritize employee engagement by providing a collaborative and inclusive environment that encourages active participation and open dialogue. Additionally, we believe in pay equity and strive to create an equitable compensation structure. With a strong emphasis on work-life balance, we understand the importance of supporting our employees' well-being both inside and outside the workplace. Join us in a dynamic and inclusive culture where your contributions are celebrated and your growth is nurtured.

To view more visit: About the Air District

Prominent Duties Analyzes issues, prepares reports and recommendations relative to land use, regional development and related issues; provides input into planned development's impact on air quality. Performs research on specified administrative and technical activities necessary to achieve environmental review and planning objectives. Interfaces with local, state and federal agencies in development of regional development issues. Confers with personnel from other divisions and agencies in coordinating assigned work; meets with community organizations and other groups to encourage cooperative action or resolve problems.

Upon assignment, provides lead direction, training and work review to professional environmental planners on routine, continuing or well-defined tasks; prioritizes and follows up on work to ensure timely completion.

Upon request, provides input into selection decisions and performance evaluations.

Monitors and evaluates legislation and other governmental actions relating to air quality management planning; develops recommendations for District regulations, policies and programs.

Responds to inquiries from and represents the District with governmental officials, consultants, and the public related to environmental planning issues.

Leads and participates in preparation, review and editing of environmental impact assessment documents from other agencies; prepares District Lead Agency documents in accordance with relevant guidelines.

Participates in the preparation of non-attainment area plans related to assigned work.

Education and Experience

A typical way to obtain the knowledge and skills is:

Equivalent to graduation from a college or university with graduate degree in regional, urban, or environmental planning or a closely related field and three years of professional environmental planning experience. Additional relevant experience may substitute for the graduate degree.

Qualifications
Knowledge of:

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.
• Objectives, principles, procedures, standards, practices, information sources and trends in the field of environmental impact assessment and urban planning.
• Application of land use, physical design, demographic, environmental, and social/economic concepts as applied to regional planning.
• Objectives, principles, practices, information sources and trends in the field of air quality environmental impact assessment.
• Statistical analysis and mathematical concepts related to the planning process.
• Applicable district rules and regulations and state and federal laws.
• Terminology, symbols, methods and techniques of environmental and urban planning.

• Planning, assigning, directing and reviewing the work of others.
• Training others in work procedure.
• Directing and conducting complex environmental planning studies and activities.
• Reading and interpreting laws, policies, procedures, regulations, maps, specifications, sites and building plans, graphs and statistical data.
• Making persuasive presentations of ideas and recommendations.
• Exercising sound independent judgement within established guidelines.
• Preparing clear, concise and complete technical documents, reports and correspondence.
• Establishing and maintaining cooperative and effective relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

Application Instructions

Interested individuals must submit a completed Air District application and responses to the supplemental questionnaire by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 21st, 2025. Resumes are encouraged, but not mandatory, and will not be accepted in lieu of the required application materials. Applications are accepted online; please visit our website at www.baaqmd.gov/jobs to apply. Postmarks, faxes, and e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

Except as requested in this announcement, do not include any additional documents, such as letters of recommendation, performance evaluations, work samples, etc. They will not be considered or returned.

Supplemental Questionnaire Instructions
Individuals who apply for this position must respond to each of the supplemental questions. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Office no later than the time and date specified in the vacancy announcement. The responses to the supplemental application questions will be used in accordance with the procedures indicated under the Selection Criteria in the vacancy announcement.

Please limit your responses to no more than one page (limit word count as specified) per question. Do not combine your responses, or reference your application, resume, or any other requested documentation that you have included with your application packet to answer a question. Please be advised that the information you provide will be evaluated "as is" and incomplete or illegible applications will likely receive lower ratings. Therefore, it is very important to provide a concise, organized, and easy to follow response to each question.

You must provide the following for each question regarding experience: The name of the employer where you gained your experience, your job title, length of time in years/months performing the specific function, and detailed examples that illustrate your duties and responsibilities.

Selection Criteria

Selection may be based upon a competitive examination consisting of a written exercise, interview, or combination of the two. Depending on the number of qualified applicants, an application screening and/or panel interview may be used to determine the most qualified applicants.

The District may hire from this recruitment process to fill future vacancies occurring within the next 18 months. Updates regarding your status in the recruitment will be sent via email, unless you indicate a different preference on your application.

Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodations
Persons with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations during the application and/or selection process should notify the Human Resources Office at (415) 749-4980.

Equal Employment Opportunity
The Air District does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, ethnic group identification, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, color, genetic information, medical condition, or mental or physical disability, or any other attribute or belief protected by law. It is the Air District's policy to provide fair and equal access to the benefits of the programs or activities it administers.

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