Environmental Planning and Compliance Coordinator

Work, Serve, Thrive. With the City of Durham

Advance in your career while making a real difference in the community you serve.

Top-notch management, highly qualified, competent staff and opportunities for career advancement and professional success make the City of Durham's Public Works Department a great place to work. We create the foundation on which Durham is built, using innovative methods that support the City's growth and enhance our quality of life. If growing professionally while serving your community is for you, bring your skills to Durham!

Hiring Range: $50,407.50 - $58,968.00 annually

Position Overview

Stormwater & GIS Services is seeking a permanent full-time staff member for the Water Quality group. This class is the second level in a six-level Environmental Planning and Compliance series devoted to managing compliance with the City's NPDES Municipal Stormwater Permit. Coordinators are expected to have well-developed writing skills, good judgment, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, common sense, a keen eye for detail, inquisitiveness, and well-developed time management skills. Coordinators are expected to manage their own investigation, inspection, and project workloads. Much of the job involves interacting and maintaining good relationships with other City departments, other government agencies, businesses, and residents, so well-honed interpersonal skills are high on the list of qualities we are seeking.

Our Coordinators typically spend half of their time in the field and half in the office. This can vary, depending on season, volume of pollution complaints, and assignment of other duties like projects and studies. Field work is conducted in various weather conditions and may expose staff to hazardous physical conditions. All staff members are trained in safety measures and issued personal protective equipment appropriate for the hazards faced.

Our operating hours are Monday through Friday between 8am and 5pm. A standard work week is 37.5 hours. The daily work schedule may vary slightly, depending on the nature of projects, emergency response, and seasonal weather. Our staff members are occasionally required to work after hours or on weekends to support our investigation or special projects tasks.

Your Responsibilities

• Conducting illicit discharge detection and elimination investigations in response to hotline, internet, and in-person pollution report submissions;
• Inspecting private and municipal industrial facilities for compliance with City Code and NPDES stormwater permits;
• Collecting water samples in accordance with established procedures and plans, performing field tests, assisting with results analysis, and communicating study findings;
• Collecting, documenting, and properly handling evidence sufficient to support code enforcement actions;
• Conducting code enforcement actions (writing and issuing official notices, presenting evidence at hearings, and issuing civil penalties as warranted);
• Serving as special study assistant project managers, responsible for study planning, implementation, task team leadership, data analysis, and report writing;
• Assisting senior staff with developing policies and procedures, to include assisting with developing project plans and schedules, drafting standard operating policy documents, and ensuring that lower-level staff follow established procedures and plans;
• Updating, maintaining, and performing quality checks of database records;
• Preparing and conducting training sessions for staff;
• Providing customer service (collaboration with internal and external parties, responding to public concerns, complaints, and questions);
• Providing public education; and
• Performing other duties of a similar nature and level as assigned.

Qualifications

• Required: Associate's degree in environmental science, chemistry, biology or related field,
• Three years of related experience
• A valid North Carolina Class C Driver's License with a satisfactory driving record, acquired within the timeframe specified by the City.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree in environmental science, chemistry, biology, or related field
• Professional work experience conducting illicit discharge investigations, industrial stormwater inspections, and code/regulatory enforcement actions
• One or more of the following certifications:
• Certified Stormwater Inspector;
• 24 hour OSHA HAZWOPER;
• Sedimentation and Erosion Control Certification
• Technical Skills:
• Basic proficiency with Esri ArcMap (map project creation, navigation, data selection, extract toolset)
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Access (select query creation)
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, advanced formulas, VLOOKUPs)