Job Description

Job Description and Duties

Under the general direction of a Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisory), the Biological Sciences & Permits Branch Chief, the incumbent is an interdisciplinary team member who will focus on negotiating the most complex regulatory agency permits; developing programmatic agreements; overseeing field investigations and data collection, such as botanical inventories, wetland delineations, and threatened and endangered species habitat assessments; participate as a member of special teams to develop wildlife passage recommendations; and reviewing technical reports for scientific accuracy and legal sufficiency to support the delivery of critical transportation projects throughout the vibrant nine-county Bay Area. The Senior Biologist will be expected to establish and maintain professional working relationships with internal project delivery partners and regulatory agency staff.

The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) is the advanced journey level of the series. Decision making at this level has a higher consequence of error than that of an Environmental Scientist. Incumbents may be the assigned lead for a specific project, program function, or area of expertise; may act as a mentor to lower level staff; and may act as a consultant to other technical staff, management, and other agencies. Caltrans Biologists perform a broad range of activities pertaining to the protection and conservation of natural resources. The incumbent will ensure compliance with various environmental laws and regulations; and conduct environmental protection, planning, and mitigation activities. Incumbents apply scientific methods and principles to analyze and evaluate available data on the effects of  transportation projects on all aspects of the environment; prepare and review technical documents to determine said effects; and identify and evaluate creative strategies to lessen the impact of those projects on biological resources.

The District 4 office is located in Oakland, CA. While Caltrans supports telework, in-person attendance is required based on operational needs. District 4's current schedule of two in-office days is subject to change at anytime. Employees are expected to be able to report to their  worksite with minimal notification if an urgent need arises. The selected candidate may be required to conduct business travel on behalf of the Department or commute to the headquartered location. Business travel reimbursement considers an employee’s designated Headquarters Location, primary residence, and will be subject to CalHR regulations or applicable bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate. In addition, this position may require site visits, sometimes to remote areas, which may require driving a personal or state vehicle on public roadways as well as traversing uneven terrain.

PARF# 04-6-0605/ JC-487966

Eligibility for hire may be determined by your score on the Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) exam. For those who do not have current eligibility (e.g., transfer, permissive reinstatement, or voluntary demotions) and/or who will be new to state civil services employment, you must be on the state examination list to be eligible for these positions. To apply for the exam, please click here and search by typing in the classification title.

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Please take this 1-minute Caltrans Recruitment survey to tell us how you found out about this job.

Apply today to join our team! We especially encourage applicants to check out our  Caltrans Career Compass tool! The  Caltrans Career Compass is a tool to assist and help candidates understand and succeed in applying to Caltrans positions.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Position located at 111 Grand Ave., Oakland, Alameda County.

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Caltrans’s evolving telework policy. Caltrans supports telework, recognizing that in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksites with minimum notification if an urgent need arises. The selected candidate will be required to commute to the headquartered location as needed to meet operational needs. Business travel may be required and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquartered location, primary residence, and may be subject to CalHR regulations or applicable bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Special Requirements

• Possession of a valid driver’s license is required when operating state owned or leased vehicles.
• Class "C" driver's license required.
  
• Statement of qualifications (SOQ) required.

Please include a SOQ that is no more than two pages typed, single spaced, using 12-point Arial font. Note that resumes and/or cover letters will not take the place of the SOQ. On your SOQ, please expand upon the prompts below and provide sufficient details on your career experience as it relates to each question. Provide sufficient detail with each question to indicate why you believe your knowledge, skills, and experience would make you the best candidate to take on the roles and responsibilities of this position. Your response should provide specific, job-related experiences that demonstrate the following:

1. A working understanding of federal and state environmental regulatory processes and laws as they relate to the transportation sector. Provide examples of the types of permit applications or approvals you have authored and elaborate on any successes you had in obtaining or issuing permits.
2. This position is a lead role. Provide specific examples of any experience you have had acting or performing in a leadership role and/or experience in training, guiding, or mentoring others.
3. Your ability to work cooperatively with and build partnerships internally and externally (e.g., resource agencies/local partners/land trusts and other divisions). Please be sure to include experience negotiating and resolving conflicts with partners on complex environmental resource issues.
4. Your ability to analyze scientific data and present findings and conclusions based on those data in a biological report or other applied setting. Be as specific as possible and provide citations or titles if applicable.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are basing your eligibility on education, you must include your unofficial transcript(s)/diploma for verification. Unofficial, original, or official sealed transcripts will be accepted and may be required upon appointment. Applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees must provide a transcript/degree U.S. equivalency report evaluation that indicates the number of units and degree to which the foreign coursework is equivalent. Please visit either of the following two websites for a list of evaluation agencies: or  . Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

BS/MS in biology or related field with coursework in zoology, botany, ecology, watershed management, plant taxonomy, mammalogy, limnology, marine and estuarine ecology, aquatic resources, etc. MS strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience with state and federal environmental laws and permitting in California as well as Bay Area flora and fauna. Above average attention to detail, analytical and critical-thinking and writing skills, the ability to spot discrepancies in information and find solutions, problem solving skills, ability to accept and provide constructive criticism, work interdependently and as part of a team.

Benefits

Click HERE to view the Benefits Summary for Civil Service Employees in the State of California.

Important Applications Instructions

The State application (STD. 678) is required, and each section must be filled out completely and thoroughly. For mailed or hand delivered applications to be considered for this position, the Job Control number (JC-487966), PARF# 04-6-0605 and title of the position (Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist)) must be included on the STD. 678 form.

Electronic applications through your CalCareers account are highly recommended and encouraged.

Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications based on possession of EDUCATION, LICENSE, OR CERTIFICATE must include a copy of your DEGREE/TRANSCRIPTS, LICENSE, or CERTIFICATE, along with your State application (STD. 678), to be considered for this position.

NOTE: Do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (page 5) with your completed State application (STD. 678). This page is for examination use only. Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for this job vacancy, such as your state application, resume, or educational transcripts.  Confidential information that should be  excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number, birth date, driver’s license number, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age.  The job application packet checklist is not required to apply for this position.  Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application not being considered for this position.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  • Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. Please see the Special Requirements section for SOQ instructions.

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Full time, Contract work, Work at office, Local area, Remote work,

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