Environmental Planner IIIII

Environmental Programs Department

The Environmental Programs Group is responsible for environmental review of VTAs capital projects VTAs Sustainability Program and VTAs Stormwater Management Program. Environmental review includes preparation of federal and state environmental documents; compliance with environmental laws and regulations; acquisition of regulatory agency permits; management of mitigation plans and programs; and coordination on a wide range of environmental topics. VTAs Sustainability Program is responsible for reducing the consumption of natural resources and the generation of greenhouse gases in the provision of transportation services through utility management transportation electrification climate action planning waste reduction and education. VTAs Stormwater Management Program is responsible for complying with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit known as MS4. The Program aims to reduce pollution of local creeks and the Bay through the implementation of best management practices in project design and construction educational initiatives for staff and the public and enhanced maintenance and sustainable landscaping.

VTA is seeking candidates with experience preparing federal and state environmental documents in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This job may be for you if you are a generalist with experience in multiple disciplines and enjoy reviewing technical studies and reports attending interagency meetings and coordinating closely with consultants and public agencies. Environmental Planners work primarily in an office setting with very limited field-based work. The ideal candidate would possess a positive attitude good sense of humor collaborative spirit and strong work ethic.

Typical Tasks
Environmental Planner II:

• Plans coordinates and reviews the work of a multi-disciplinary professional and technical staff and/or consultants conducting environmental studies of minor complexity;
• Manages and coordinates environmental planning research and analysis of proposed VTA projects including the planning design and construction phases of capital projects maintenance and operation of facilities and issuance of permits;
• Analyzes and evaluates the impact of proposed transportation projects and plans and provides technical input to project design to mitigate adverse environmental effects and ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations;
• Organizes prepares and processes environmental documents monitoring and reporting plans technical reports and responses for transportation projects and plans;
• Prepares scopes of work schedules and budgets for program activities and assists with negotiating consultant contracts;
• Prepares necessary applications and acquires permits from regulatory government agencies in compliance with environmental regulations;
• Coordinates organizes and presents environmental matters before commissions governing bodies and at inter-agency and public meetings;
• Provides status of financial expenditures and account balances;
• Develops rationale for legally defensible nexus between transportation mitigation and project impacts;
• Reviews public and private land development referrals (General and Specific Plans EIR Notice of Preparation and Project Applications for Site Development Planning Development Subdivision Zoning Changes);
• Develops cooperative arrangements and agreements between public and private sectors for development projects that impact transportation facilities;
• Performs related duties as required.

• Implements federal state and local agency environmental laws regulations and guidelines relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA);
• Reviews development proposals received from cities/regional agencies and coordinates with various VTA divisions to prepare official VTA recommendations on development conditions and mitigation measures for said proposals;
• Tracks compliance with permit requirements or other regulatory agency conditions for projects;
• Plans coordinates reviews directs and oversees the work of multi-disciplinary professional and technical staff and/or consultants conducting complex and comprehensive environmental studies;
• Assists in the administration of VTAs Storm Water Management and Sustainability Programs;
• Assists in the development of policies procedures and projects that advance sustainability for VTA facilities and assets;
• Assists with the preparation of CEQA and NEPA environmental documents for large and complex planning design and construction projects and maintenance and operation of facilities;
• Acts as an advisor on environmental matters to VTA staff;
• Writes organizes prepares reviews and processes environmental documents monitoring and reporting plans complex technical reports responses and position statements for a variety of projects including large and complex transportation-related projects and plans;
• Prepares mitigation monitoring and reporting plans/environmental commitment records;
• Reviews construction plans and specifications to ensure that environmental commitments are incorporated into contract documents;
• Tracks and documents compliance with project environmental commitments prior to during and following construction;
• Develops and manages environmental scopes of work contracts budgets and schedules for capital projects;
• Assists with negotiating large-scale high dollar-value consultant contracts;
• Oversees the work products of consultant staff including quality control;
• Identifies and prepares necessary applications and acquires permits and authorizations from government agencies;
• Coordinates organizes and presents environmental matters before governing bodies inter-agency committees and public meetings;
• Performs related duties as required.

Employment Standards
Environmental Planner II:
Development of the required knowledge skills and abilities is most typically obtained through training and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a four-year degree in environmental studies natural or physical science transportation or urban planning or a related field and one (1) year of experience in compliance or monitoring of environmental issues. (A Masters Degree in environmental transportation or urban planning or related discipline may be substituted for one year of the required experience).

Environmental Planner III:
Sufficient training education and experience to demonstrate possession of the required knowledge skills and abilities.

Development of the required knowledge skills and abilities is typically obtained through a combination of training and experience equivalent to a graduation from an accredited college or university with a four-year degree in environmental studies natural or physical science transportation or urban planning or a related field and four (4) years of increasingly responsible experience in environmental planning including preparing and processing environmental documents for compliance with federal state and local environmental laws regulations and guidelines; managing related environmental compliance and mitigation programs; and reviewing environmental documents and development applications for project impact on transportation systems and/or facilities. (A Masters Degree in transportation or urban planning or related discipline may be substituted for one year of the required experience).

Knowledge of:
Environmental Planner II:

• Concepts principles techniques and legal aspects of transportation planning;
• Research and statistical methods;
• Governmental organizations and operations;
• Community interrelationships;
• Basic supervision methods and principles;
• Project management methods and techniques;
• Some positions may require knowledge of travel processes using regional network systems and sensitivity analysis;
• Some positions may require system measures of capacity congestion levels of service and traffic engineering techniques.

• CEQA and NEPA and associated environmental regulations as applicable to transportation projects;
• Methods of environmental assessment and mitigation;
• Technical aspects of environmental analysis and planning;
• General understanding of storm water laws and regulations;
• Regulatory agency permitting processes;
• Processes for cultural resources consultation;
• Land development regulations and procedures;
• Principles and practices of urban and transportation planning;
• Methods of sustainable business practices;
• Operation of common office equipment including personal computers and common software applications;
• Methods of collaborative problem solving.

• Analyze issues and numerical measures associated with transportation planning projects including estimates derived from computer models estimates of costs and benefits and public input;
• Estimate and administer budgets for studies and schedule and manage planning projects;
• Perform analysis and make recommendations based on findings in studies field observation and public contacts;
• Write correspondence Board memorandums planning and technical reports and fact sheets designed to be understood by all audiences including the general public;
• Simultaneously manage multiple projects;
• Maintain project objective and integrity when conflicting interests may influence the project outcome;
• Resolve conflicts between contractors and VTA on the interpretation of contractor project responsibilities;
• Communicate effectively both written and verbally;
• Establish and maintain effective relations with those contacted in the course of work.

• Effectively plan organize and oversee major projects and programs;
• Successfully manage and complete multiple projects concurrently;
• Effectively lead train and direct lower level staff and consultants;
• Communicate complex information and strategies both orally and in writing to both technical and non-technical audiences;
• Interpret maps engineering drawings and technical reports;
• Establish procedures standards schedules and priorities;
• Effectively coordinate problem-solving efforts and resolve issues with planning design engineering construction and facilities personnel as well as consultants contractors and regulatory agencies;
• Prepare review and evaluate technical reports and documents for accuracy project-specific and programmatic applicability legal sufficiency and consistency with VTA policies and the policies of our partner agencies;
• Develop and maintain cooperative-working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including professional governmental and community officials.