Principal Air Quality Engineer (Compliance & Enforcement)

This is an internal recruitment for current District employees only.

Check all associated application documentation thoroughly before clicking on the apply button at the bottom of this description.

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

The 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 Compliance and Enforcement Division supports the mission of the District by helping companies comply with air quality rules and regulations by offering education, guidance, and technical assistance. The Compliance and Enforcement Division's inspection staff perform routine inspections at companies to ensure compliance with regulations, perform source investigations, respond to complaints as well as non-routine releases of air contaminants causing a major incident. When companies do not meet air quality requirements, the division takes action in proportion to the violation.

The District is conducting an internal promotional recruitment for the position of Principal Air Quality Engineer (PAQE). This is an internal recruitment for one (1) full-time, represented position, in the Compliance & Enforcement Division - Field Operations Group (FOG).

The Field Operations Group (FOG) within the Compliance and Enforcement Division focuses on more in-depth investigations or audits of a facility's operations, especially refineries, chemical & automotive plants, power plants etc. These highly specialized audits can include investigations into complex violations that require additional technical knowledge of the operation to determine the root cause of the problem or a thorough review of the facility's overall operations, thorough knowledge of abatement and continuous monitoring systems to determine any systematic problems related to either underreporting emissions or the underperformance of a system that may result in an increase of emissions. These complex investigations require a thorough knowledge of District, State and Federal regulations.

About the Position

The Principal Air Quality Engineer (PAQE) in the Compliance & Enforcement (C&E) Division FOG section is a new full-time position dedicated to conduct audit and investigations at Title V facilities. The role of the PAQE will be to provide technical and engineering knowledge within C&E to perform complex facility audits and apply enhanced investigative techniques towards refineries, landfills, chemical and power plants, and automotive plants. The PAQE will lead, support and coordinate investigations at these complex facilities with a focus on events that impact communities, such as flaring events from refineries, odors and emission impacts from landfill operations, and investigations into facilities with ongoing or persist complaints from the community. The results of the enhanced investigations will result in being able to properly quantify the emissions results from such single release events, such as flaring events or major incident releases, or persist releases from non-compliance with district, state, and federal regulations. The PAQE will investigate overall landfill operation related to odors and excess emissions, events that results in the underreporting of emissions, review of Title V permit conditions for deviations, and the issuance of Notice of Violations, as appropriate, to increase overall compliance with air quality requirements at the Bay Area refineries and landfills. The PAQE will also lead and conduct regulatory audits, including power plants, chemical plants, and composting operations, allocate resources following non-routine releases of air pollutants from major incidents in a timely manner, identifying, analyzing and resolving non-compliance with air quality standards, and conduct in-depth complex investigations to determine the cause and corrective action to deter future events.

Additionally, the PAQE will provide guidance to Engineering, and Legal staff to improve the outcomes resulting from the enhanced investigations. By leading investigations into more complex operations at the refineries and landfills, the results will provide more information to the Engineering Division when reviewing such operations and will make people aware of the emission impacts of these operations. This will lead to more enforceable permits and higher compliance rates overall. The PAQE will be coordinating to provide the technical knowledge for ongoing settlements including proposing optimization techniques to improve a facility's operations to deter the recurrence of future events. The PAQE will provide recommendations to M&M staff to improve enhanced data collection such as CEMS and source testing during these enhanced investigations.

DEFINITION

Under direction, performs the most complex and highly specialized level of assigned air quality engineering activities and may supervise staff on a project basis or lead project teams; performs related work as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This class provides highly specialized professional air quality engineering services in support of the District's goals and objectives. Incumbents are responsible for complex and sensitive engineering activities for the District, and provides project leadership for developing programs. This class is distinguished from Supervising Air Quality Engineer in that the latter supervises assigned staff on a continuing basis and conducts performance appraisals.

Examples of Duties for this Position

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES (Illustrative Only)

• Provide lead direction and work review to professional, technical and support staff, prioritizes and follows up on work assignments to ensure timely completion.
• Researches and develops new and revised rules and procedures for regulation of air quality; determines emissions and potential emission reductions and cost of controls; establishes control level and technology; writes proposed regulation; prepares technical assessment reports and conducts workshops; makes public presentations.
• Participate and review staff's handling of Hearing Board matters involving variances, Order of Abatement and public nuisances.
• Develop, participate and review field engineering compliance audits, source testing and sampling, analysis of the results and preparation of reports; observes and audits private contractor tests.
• Coordinates the District's response to public and industry inquiries regarding regulation interpretation, permit preparation, various compliance measures and emission calculation methods in person, by telephone and in writing.
• Participate and supervise staff's review of permit application and recommends permit issuance or denial.
• Recommends and implements regulatory changes and systems development to comply with the Federal permitting program.
• Participate in the preparation of the goals and objectives of the assigned section.
• Participate in the preparation of the budget of the assigned section.
• Represent the District in meeting with the public, industry and other agencies.
• Review and participate in toxic screening and assessments, development of emission factors complex facilities.
• Provide lead direction, review and participate in the study of accidental releases as complex facilities, rule effectiveness and hazardous material storage, transportation and handling.
• Provide lead direction, review and participate in community assistance program, hazardous incident investigations, and Technical Review Group.
• Conduct technical seminars for industry and other agencies.
• Testifies as expert witness before the Hearing Board.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications :

Education :

A typical way to obtain the knowledge and skills is :

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university with major course work in environmental, chemical, mechanical or petroleum engineering or a closely related field and four years of air quality environmental engineering experience.

equivalent to a Master's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in environmental, chemical, mechanical or petroleum engineering or a closely related field and four years of air quality environmental engineering experience.

Other Requirements :

Must possess a valid California's driver's license.

Must possess a valid California Professional Engineering license.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge of :

Principles and practices of employee supervision, including selection, planning, training, work evaluation and discipline.

Engineering principles and practices.

Air pollution analyses techniques and control methodologies and equipment.

Applicable District rules and regulations and state and federal laws.

Air pollution control equipment and processes.

Principles and practices of computer science including programming and data-base structures.

Industrial chemical processes and equipment.

Skill in :

Assigning, supervising, reviewing and evaluating the work for professional, technical and support staff.

Selecting and motivating staff and providing for their training and professional development.

Applying sound engineering principles and techniques in a variety of air quality engineering matters.

Computing complex engineering calculations quickly and accurately.

Performing detailed analysis of designs, specifications and plans.

Climb high structures, work in high temperatures and noise levels, and lift heavy test equipment.

Prepare and operate sampling instruments, effectively judge test conditions, and maintain test accuracy and safe working practices.

Conducting a variety of air quality engineering studies.

Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

Preparing clear and concise reports, correspondence and other written materials.

Exercising sound independent judgement.

Communicating effectively, both orally and in writing.

How to Apply & Selection Criteria

Interested individuals must submit a completed Air District application, chronological resume, and responses to the supplemental questionnaire by 5 : 00 p.m. on Thursday, January 2, 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.

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.

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