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Job Description
Description
“Less Waste, More Impact—We Need a Program Assistant Like You.”
About Zero Waste Palo Alto:
The City of Palo Alto’s Environmental Services Division in the Public Works Department is seeking a dedicated and passionate team member to join the Zero Waste team. This position plays a key role in supporting Palo Alto’s sustainability goals by delivering exceptional frontline customer service and performing essential administrative tasks to advance the City’s Zero Waste programs.
The Zero Waste Team is tasked with protecting the environment and public health by sustainably managing Palo Alto’s solid and hazardous waste as well as the closed landfill, and helping the community reach its Zero Waste goal.
Learn more about Zero Waste Palo Alto!
About the Position:
The Zero Waste Program Assistant I position is an essential member of a collaborative team helping Palo Alto reach its Zero Waste goals. This position, with direction and general supervision, is responsible for:- Delivering front-line customer support by answering the office phone line and voicemails, responding to public inquiries via email
- Performing administrative, account payable, and purchasing tasks including preparing purchase requisitions, coordinating contracts paperwork, processing invoices
- Maintaining waste tonnage data, review and verify accuracy of refuse billing records
- Assisting with program implementation through correspondence, calendar management, report preparation, data management, and reviewing submitted materials
- Participating in development of outreach and education materials and staffing public community events to promote zero waste practices
- Coordinating reservations and attendance for various workshops and events
Ideal Candidate Qualities:- Knowledge of Zero Waste concepts and practices
- Experience in interacting with the public, good communication, and teamwork skills
- Strong purchasing and accounts payable related administrative skills
- Positive, detailed oriented and with good organizational skills
- Experience in Microsoft Office programs, customer service and billing software, and ability to learn or perform data review and validation
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Act as receptionist, and coordinator of volunteer activities, schedule appointments, screen calls; receives visitors, and respond to inquiries.
- Act as liaison with City programs and managerial staff, contractors, community groups and local businesses associated with the assigned programs and projects. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to conducting tours and workshops, and meeting attendance.
- Establish and maintain a system of monitoring and reporting on the status of the assigned program. Prepare and track payments, purchase requisitions and contracts, purchasing forms.
- Coordinate facility booking, scheduling, rental process and computerized registration processes where applicable.
- Conduct research for use in the specified areas of assignment in development of material used in reports, promotional materials, design, or dissemination of information to the public.
- Perform calculations, compile data and write reports analyzing and summarizing data; prepare graphs and charts where applicable.
- Coordinate/schedule/mentor in-house and outreach programming, customers, hourly and temporary staff, instructors and camp staff.
- Coordinate support services to produce materials for and set up displays, workshops, classes, and talks; arrange for rooms and speakers; speak to groups and assist in conducting workshops as required.
- Type from draft or oral instructions correspondence and staff, statistical or numerical reports.
- File program related documents, correspondence, reports or other materials.
- Schedule meetings and prepare meeting minutes.
- Within established parameters, interpret various department rules, policies and procedures of assigned program.
- Prepare forms, memos, correspondence, and informational materials.
Related Functions:- Perform related level classification duties and responsibilities depending on area of assignment.
Click HERE for the full job description for the Zero Waste Program Assistant I position.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:- Equivalent to graduation from high school and 3 years of progressively responsible administrative experience working with programs or projects. Completion of 2 years of college may substitute for 1 year of work experience.
Special Requirements: Possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Supplemental Information
Selection Process and General Information
- Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
- For general recruitment inquiries email recruit@paloalto.gov.
- This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
- More than one position may be filled from this job posting.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 9/21/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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