Associate Open Space Planner/Capital Projects Manager
Applications Due: 7/9/2024 at 5:00 PM
The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority seeks an Associate Open Space Planner to connect people and communities to nature through open space planning and capital project implementation. We are looking for a nimble, enthusiastic, and creative planning professional to manage staff-led and consultant teams on a range of current site planning and capital improvements at Authority owned lands.
Our mission is to conserve the natural environment, support agriculture, and connect people to nature by protecting open spaces, natural areas, and working farms and ranches for future generations. Since 1993 the Open Space Authority has protected almost 30,000 acres of natural and working lands across the Santa Clara Valley. Our agency manages and conserves a network of open space lands and natural resources, while providing compatible opportunities for hiking, biking, and equestrian uses, with a focus on increasing equity of access to the outdoors for all our constituents.
We know our continued success depends on our employees and the work they do. We are committed to providing a collaborative and inclusive work environment that encourages growth and development; and acknowledges individual and team achievements.
The Ideal Candidate
You are a detail oriented and experienced capital project manager with passion and enthusiasm for land conservation, your personal drive will be enhanced by a mission and values focused work environment. We are seeking a resourceful individual who will evaluate the constructability of a project during planning and conceptual design phases, and lead the design development and engineering, permitting, CEQA mitigation compliance, bidding, contracting and construction oversight to completion; to analyze and synthesize data to support agencywide planning and policies; and to participate in regional project and policy coordination with other public agencies and partners. You are confident to lead project teams and work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, partners, political boards and committees, and colleagues.
You are a highly skilled and discerning professional looking for a unique opportunity to contribute to the quality of life in the Santa Clara Valley by engaging in the planning and implementation for new open space preserves, restoration, and enhancements to the Authority’s facilities and infrastructure. You have outstanding written and verbal communication skills; additionally, you have the ability to visually relay information using your critical thinking, creativity, and software, such as PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, ESRI products, and 3-D visualization programs.
You have graduated from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in environmental/conservation planning, civil engineering, construction management, landscape architecture, natural resource management or a related field. You bring a minimum of three to five years’ professional experience, where you have broadened your skills and knowledge in the areas of site planning, design, construction design and construction administration preferably in parks, open space, or related field.
You possess demonstrated experience with capital project planning, design, and construction implementation. You also have experience ensuring with CEQA compliance, securing local building and engineering permits, and managing the regulatory agency approvals process. Your outstanding project management skills facilitate completion of high-quality projects that connect people to nature.
You are excited by the challenge of current and upcoming planning and capital improvement projects. A sampling of these projects include:
- Design and construction of accessibility improvements and expanded public use amenities at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve.
- Planning, design and construction of new public access amenities at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve an expanded trail network.
- Participate in the Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan to restore a vital valley floor landscape promoting wildlife connectivity, supporting a vibrant ecosystem, and connecting people to nature and agriculture.
Please review the complete position classification here: https://bit.ly/3RNG2JN
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
- Equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Environmental, Urban or City & Regional Planning, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, Natural Resources Management, or related field; and
- Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in project management, land use planning, or construction management, preferably within a parks or open space environment.
- Strong written, oral and graphic presentation skills.
- Strong knowledge and familiarity with software programs such as: Microsoft Office 365, ArcGIS Pro, AutoCAD, Sketchup, and Adobe Creative Suite.
- A Master’s degree in a related field and/or professional licensure is highly desirable.
- Experience or interest in planning and design for climate resilience and adaptation.
- Experience or expressed interest in designing and implementing inclusive, innovative, and meaningful processes for public engagement that reach diverse and underrepresented communities.
Note: This position is required to take and pass a pre-employment background check.
If you are excited by the opportunities and challenges offered in this position, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience is non-typical or if you are not sure you meet every one of the qualifications described.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range for this full-time, non-exempt position is $54.31 to $66.01 hourly, depending on experience and qualifications. To complement this salary, we offer a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents – we cover 100% of the cost for these premiums. We participate in CalPERS retirement programs as well as offering a separate 457 Plan for tax deferred retirement savings. A basic life insurance policy is provided to all eligible employees with the option to purchase additional personal insurance benefits. The Authority supports a hybrid workplace and this position may be afforded opportunities for remote work.
Application and Selection
All application materials must be received prior to July 9, 2024, at 5:00 PM. To be considered for this opportunity, submit your application materials including cover letter and a self-prepared resume at the application link provided below. The Open Space Authority utilizes a robust process that will ask qualified candidates to engage in multiple steps leading up to a final panel interview. We encourage applicants to closely monitor email communication from the Authority’s hiring team.
Go here to apply for the job: https://bit.ly/4bVoGCw
Workplace Culture Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
The staff of the Open Space Authority are passionate about conservation and driven to make an impact in the community through their work. Everyone brings a unique skillset to their role and the creative collaboration of all staff maximizes talent to realize the Authority's mission. We have established values and defined supporting behaviors that are shared and demonstrated by every employee at the Authority. Together all of these reflect the culture that makes the Authority the high performing agency that it is. We are Intentional, Respectful, Accountable, Empowering, Innovative, Collaborative, and Inclusive. You can learn more about the staff of the Authority and how everyone works together
on our website here.
The Open Space Authority envisions the Santa Clara Valley as a region dense with beautiful natural areas, where a vibrant network of interconnected open spaces, trails, wildlife habitats, and thriving agricultural lands enrich our communities. Learn more about the Authority tackles these goals.
The Authority values Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access in our work to preserve the natural environment, support agriculture, and connect people to nature:
- We have Accessible, Collaborative, and Accountable processes to engage the diverse communities we serve in our programs, projects, careers, and governance opportunities.
- We have Respect for the land and all people in our community.
- We are Inclusive and acknowledge current and historic land stewards.
- We Empower future generations of conservation leaders.
- We invite everyone to join and connect to nature with us.
The Authority is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are earnest in our efforts to comply with all state and federal laws providing Equal Employment Opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation or physical disability. We are committed to creating a safe environment where people are treated with respect and appreciated for their unique differences, where issues are promptly raised and resolved and where communication flows across all levels of the agency
