Environmental Permitting Support Coordinator (Environmental Regulatory Coordinator - CPPW)

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) Collection System and Watershed Operations and Maintenance Group is looking for a motivated Environmental Regulatory Coordinator to support the bureau’s environmental permitting for capital projects and maintenance activities and to coordinate the Environmental Regulatory Streamlining Committee (aka Streamlining Team; www.portland.gov/bes/streamlining-team).

BES established the Environmental Regulatory Streamlining Committee more than two decades ago to provide an opportunity for early and meaningful engagement with regulatory agencies and to ensure expeditious and effective compliance with all state, federal, and local environmental regulations and permit requirements. The Streamlining Committee currently includes representatives from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW), and Portland Permitting and Development (PP&D).

BES has an annual capital budget of approximately $200 million, with about 400 active capital projects each year. This position plays a critical role in permitting and compliance for capital projects and maintenance activities that might affect regulated environmental resources, including waterbodies (rivers, streams, and wetlands) and wildlife (habitat and species). This position is directly responsible for ensuring all BES capital projects, some operations and maintenance projects, and similar projects at other City bureaus (primarily Transportation, Parks, and Water) secure and comply with all necessary federal, state, and local environmental permits.

This position is responsible for:

• convening a monthly meeting of seven state, federal, and local regulators to review projects and advise the bureaus on environmental permit requirements and pathways;
• advising project teams on environmental regulatory applications and compliance;
• ensuring that all required permits are acquired and tracked;
• tracking compliance throughout the project and post project;
• participating on capital project teams to support permitting strategy and track permitting efforts.

BES is seeking an Environmental Regulatory Coordinator to oversee, manage, and coordinate the BES Environmental Regulatory Streamlining Committee, to provide highly technical support for project managers whose project must meet state, federal, and local environmental regulations, to track compliance with environmental permits, and to be a liaison between the City and state and federal agencies that implement environmental regulations. In addition, this position will support other certain permitting needs for projects and maintenance activities, such as stormwater permitting (DEQ 1200-CA permit), City of Portland building and zoning permits, and historic compliance (Oregon State Historic Preservation Office; SHPO), as needed.

What you’ll get to do: 

• Organize and chair the Streamlining Committee, facilitate the monthly meetings, and prepare precise and complete meeting minutes. 
• Advise City project teams on which environmental permits may be necessary for their projects, and work with project teams to ensure project designs meet the requirements of the permits. 
• Serve as the City’s primary liaison between project teams and the seven federal, state, and City entities with environmental permitting authority over City projects. 
• Annually, identify and summarize monitoring and reporting requirements for each permit, and ensure all relevant BES staff meet permit reporting deadlines during the permit effective term.
• Serve as the primary contact and negotiator for all Notices of Violation and potential and actual enforcement actions.
• Evaluate changes in federal and state permitting and make recommendations to City and bureau leaders on compliance.
• Identify and implement internal process improvements in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Provide training to City project managers about how and why to utilize the Streamlining Committee to secure permits and ensure City projects comply with applicable regulations.
• Identify and implement regulatory efficiencies with agencies, such as programmatic permits and simplified review pathways.
• Foster positive working relationships with internal BES stakeholders through collaborative project planning and responsive customer service.
• Foster positive working relationships with environmental regulators by building trust, negotiating outcomes that advance City work while protecting regulated environmental resources, and improving compliance.
• Maintain and grow the City’s reputation and credibility as an environmentally responsible and compliant project sponsor working collaboratively with regulators.

An ideal candidate will demonstrate through direct or transferrable experience:

The ideal candidates will have knowledge of and/or experience complying with complex and complicated federal, state, and local environmental regulations and environmental permits. Based on this technical expertise and/or experience, they will readily exercise sound judgment when making high-level recommendations or independent decisions on behalf of the City regarding environmental regulations.

About the Bureau of Environmental Services

BES manages wastewater and stormwater infrastructure to protect public health and the environment and is a mission-driven, high-performance organization leading the city in preserving and protecting the health of Portland's watersheds. Our assets include two wastewater treatment plants, 100 pump stations, 3,000 miles of pipes, and thousands of “green” assets. BES is committed to diversity and equity through its service delivery, internal operations, organizational culture, and in its work with partners and the community.

This is an exciting time to join the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES).  Together we are reimagining the work we do to ensure it aligns with Our Values:

• We implement equity in our workplace, business practices, and service delivery.
• We value our customers and partners.
• We carefully manage our watersheds, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and financial resources.
• We encourage leadership among our employees in our city and community.
• We support a diverse, collaborative, healthy, and engaged workforce.
• We urge respectful communication and transparency.
• We advance innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions.

BES is seeking talented individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds who have experience working with a broad range of individuals and communities, and who want to work collaboratively and creatively to broaden the innovative ways we partner with and serve all Portland communities.

To learn more about the work we do at BES, visit www.portland.gov/bes/about and read our 10-Year Strategic Plan at www.portland.gov/bes/documents/bes-strategic-plan-2018-2027/download.

Within BES, the Collection System and Watershed Operations and Maintenance Group is a newly formed group that takes an integrated, holistic approach to managing the bureau’s sanitary and stormwater collection systems, green and natural assets, and the many connections between our work and the community. Collections Systems Operations and Maintenance provides preventative maintenance and urgent/emergency repair for the stormwater and wastewater collection systems, including coordinating and managing the interagency agreement with Portland Bureau of Transportation for sewer cleaning and repair services. Watershed Operations and Maintenance provides long-term maintenance, management, inventory, and condition assessment of the bureau’s green and natural stormwater assets and implements programs and partnerships that support watershed health. The Community Partnerships Division empowers community members and groups to make a connection with their watershed and participate in the management of their city’s stormwater and wastewater systems. This group plays a pivotal role in collaborating and engaging with other City bureaus, including Planning and Sustainability (BPS), Parks and Recreation (PP&R), Transportation (PBOT), and Water (PWB).

1. Knowledge of state, federal, and local City of Portland environmental regulations, and experience and/or knowledge of how to meet environmental permit requirements. 
2. Experience forming positive working relationships with regulatory agencies and ability to work with and coordinate the Streamlining Committee, which is composed of regulators from diverse agencies.
3. Ability to interpret complex and complicated environmental regulations and provide technical assistance and advice to project staff on complying with these regulations. 
4. Ability to communicate, orally, in writing, and in presentations and to negotiate resolutions to problems or conflicts.
5. Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a diverse workforce and community.

Education, Experience and Certification Requirements:

Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the following minimum qualifications is acceptable. 

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in natural resource or utility management, environmental science, biological or physical science, or other related field; 

AND 

Experience: Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience involving analyzing, planning, negotiating, and/or evaluating environmental programs. Public agency experience preferred.

• Your responses to the supplemental questions should include details describing your education, training and/or experience, and where obtained, which clearly reflects your qualifications for each of the numbered items in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement.
• Your résumé should support the details described in your responses to the supplemental questions.
• Salary Range/Equity Pay Analysis:  Please note per theOregon State Pay Equity Lawyour salary is determined based on the experience and education listed in your resume/application.   It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all directly related and equivalent experience.
• Do not attach any additional documents.
• Please note,all completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment.   

• An evaluation of each applicant's training and paid and unpaid experience, as demonstrated in their resume and supplemental questions, weighted 100%.
• Your résumé and responses to the supplemental questions will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.
• You have 14 days from the notice of the minimum qualification evaluation results to let us know if you would like to review and discuss your evaluation result. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01for complete information.
• Additional evaluation may be required prior to establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.

• Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list.
• Please note, the selection process may take up to 90 days from the notification of being placed on the eligible list.

• Hiring bureau will review and select candidates for an interview.
• Please note, the selection process may take up to 90 days from the notification of being placed on the eligible list.

• A start date will be determined after all conditions of employment have been met.

• City of Portland Core Values
• Recruitment Process - Work Status
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Veteran Preference
• ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations

Salary : $52 - $73