Air Quality Specialist I/II (Engineering)

The Bay Area Air District (Air District) is a regional government agency, committed to achieving clean air to protect the public's health and the environment. The Air District accomplishes this goal through regulation of industrial facilities and various outreach and incentive programs designed to encourage clean air choices.

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.

The Air District is currently accepting applications for the position of Air Quality Specialist I/II in the Engineering Division. This is an open recruitment for one (1) vacancy which is a full-time, represented position.

About the Position

The Engineering Division administers the permitting program for equipment and operations that emit air pollutants in the Air District’s jurisdiction and provides technical support to internal and external entities with issues related to permitting and permitted facilities.

Beyond specific permitting work, some of the important programs and projects in which the Engineering Division are actively engaged include but not limited to:

• Verification of emissions inventories
• Database development & testing, including user interfaces
• Data management
• Emissions modeling
• General technical support of Air District programs

A person in this position will perform a variety of duties in support of Engineering Division programs. Duties include but are not limited to processing permit applications, handling permit renewal tasks, data management (extracting, organizing, validating, maintaining), calculating emissions, drafting & updating program documentation (e.g., policies, procedures, guidelines, job aides, reports, webpages) and customer support.

DEFINITION

Under direction, performs a variety of professional level technical and administrative duties in the areas of inspection, investigation, air monitoring instrument and equipment operation, air quality planning, rule development, enforcement and compliance operations, and other air quality program areas; performs related work as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Air Quality Specialist I is the journey-level class in the Air Quality Specialist series. Incumbents are fully proficient to perform the full range of activities, with assignments of moderate difficulty. This class is alternately staffed with Air Quality Specialist II and incumbents may advance to the higher-level classification after gaining experience and demonstrating proficiency which meet the qualifications of the higher-level class. Air Quality Specialist II is the advanced journey-level class of this series. Incumbents are expected to exercise more independent judgment, initiative and decision making, and are responsible for assignments requiring a higher degree of working knowledge, ability and initiative with minimal day-to-day supervision. Incumbents may provide training and technical guidance to staff.  This class is distinguished from Senior Air Quality Specialist in that the latter provides lead direction and is responsible for more complex work.

(Illustrative Only)

General duties:

 

Develops new and revises existing various air quality programs, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures to achieve air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and reduce the public exposure to air pollutants; researches technical feasibility and new control proposals for new or revised rules.

 

Develops plans and documentation for the measurement, quality control and quality assurance, and analysis of emissions and air quality data. 

 

Extracts, analyzes and ensures the quality of data including but not limited to devices/operations that emit air pollution, emissions,   greenhouse gas, facilities, and meteorological data; prepares graphs, charts, statistical summaries, and reports from data; and may assist in more complex studies. 

 

Reviews and develops recommendations concerning air quality and greenhouse gas reports, programs, plans, legislation and regulations and prepares related reports and correspondence. 

 

Administers air quality programs including reviewing plans and recommending resolution of problem situations.

 

May calculate emissions reductions and assess emissions inventories, conduct economic impacts analyses, and perform other technical work.

 

Confers with industry representatives, Air District staff, the public and other agencies to obtain and disseminate technical and operational information.

 

Drafts, reviews and analyzes air quality and greenhouse gas reports and other documents; conducts inquiries, compiles and researches information.

 

Reviews and summarizes data, prepares special and periodic reports and monitors effectiveness of Air District programs.

 

Researches and studies air quality and climate issues.

 

Drafts, implements, recommends and revises forms, webpages, and other program tools.

 

Maintains data and data systems supporting Air District programs.

 

Responds to oral and written requests for technical, operational and administrative information about air quality programs; explains and interprets technical policies, rules and regulations.

 

Prepares and coordinates technical and safety program training for Air District staff; develops and coordinates training aids and materials; may conduct staff training; monitors training needs for staff.

 

Interacts and represents the Air District with industry, attorneys, the public and other agencies.

 

Organizes and participates in workshops and meetings, and provide consultation and advice to individuals and businesses in matters related to area of expertise. 

 

Prepares technical reports and policy documents and gives presentations on Air District projects, including Air District staff, executives, board members, and community groups and other external stakeholders; briefs executives and board members.

 

Maintains detailed technical records, standard operating procedures, and logbooks to comply with regulatory guidelines. 

 

Administers the records management program.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Representative Duties (by program area) 

Some positions in this classification may be assigned to one or several program areas; an exhaustive list of program-area specific duties is not provided. 

In addition to the duties listed above, the following duties (illustrative only) may be performed for positions in the select program areas:

Engineering

 

Develops, implements, and administers permitting, registration, and emissions banking programs including evaluating certain permit applications and data used to calculate emissions and fees; maintains permit data including permit conditions; performs tasks necessary to renew permits and registrations.

 

Processes, maintains, and ensures data quality used for issuing permit documents, maintaining the emissions bank, and developing the emissions inventory.

 

Evaluates, recommends, and tests permit system improvements.

 

Performs job duties for Rule Development projects.

A typical way to obtain the knowledge and skills is:

Education:

Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university with major coursework in chemistry, computer science, electronics, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, meteorology, physical sciences, physics, or a closely related field.

 

AND

 

Experience:

Air Quality Specialist I: Two (2) years of experience performing duties equivalent to the Air District’s Assistant Air Quality Specialist II, including performing air quality inspections; installing, operating and maintaining air monitoring and quality assessment instruments and equipment; or developing and administering air quality programs.  

Air Quality Specialist II: Four (4) years of experience performing air quality inspections; installing, operating and maintaining air monitoring and quality assessment instruments and equipment, or developing and administering air quality programs, of which at least two (2) years included performing work equivalent to the Air District’s Air Quality Specialist I.

Substitution:  Any combination of relevant training and work experience in the listed or related fields may substitute for the education criteria on a year for year basis.

Interested individuals must submit a completed Air District application, chronological resume, and responses to the supplemental questionnaire by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025. Applications are accepted online; please visit our website at www.baaqmd.gov/jobs to apply.

Resumes must be attached to the application and will not be accepted in lieu of the required application materials. 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 Questions Instructions
Individuals who apply for this position must respond to each of the required supplemental questions. Applications must be received by the Human Resources Office no later than the time and date specified in this vacancy announcement. The responses to the supplemental application questions will be used in accordance with the procedures indicated under the Selection Criteria section.

Please limit your responses to no more than one page (500 words) 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. This information will be evaluated as is and may be used to determine those applicants with the most directly related experience, education, and training to continue in the selection process. It is very important to provide a concise, clear, legible, complete response to each question.

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.

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.

The District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Salary : $103,401 - $138,568