About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.  

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility – offering possible hybrid work and alternative work schedules in select roles. Additionally, the City benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays! 

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on X (formally Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

About the Division

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is recruiting an Environmental Health & Safety Specialist (Environmental Services Specialist (ESS) series) to join the Health and Safety team of the Administrative Services Division (ASD). ASD team members gain satisfaction when facilitating trainings for ESD’s workforce; feel empowered when managing a full range of information technology data and services to over 500 employees; deliver quality customer service in utility billing; enjoy their contributions to the success of peers by hiring and promoting the right people for the right positions; and oversee the budget planning and fiscal management for a wide variety of special funds that support the important work ESDers do. Join a diverse and dynamic team that provides key strategic support to ESD staff, programs, and utilities linking directly to the department’s mission. By providing behind-the-scenes support, our team makes a difference!

About the Health & Safety Team
 
The Health and Safety Team oversees all aspects of Compliance and Safety for the entire Environmental Services Department. ESD has a multitude of worksites, including general office spaces, field utility work, work performed along creeks and waterways, and in heavy industrial settings such as the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. The Health and Safety team provides services to approximately 600 employees who work in these various locations and face workplace hazards relating to heavy industrial equipment and machinery, confined spaces, underground tunnels and basements, utility pipelines, hazardous materials (such as natural gas, chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, and other chemicals), high voltage electrical distribution and generation systems, and water reservoirs and pump stations. The dedicated employees of the department work in a variety of roles including utility field inspectors, watershed scientists, water and wastewater operators, heavy equipment operators, mechanics, electricians, painters, HVAC, and other industrial trades as well as general programmatic, engineering, and administrative roles that typically work in an office setting.

Position Description – Environmental Health & Safety Specialist

The Environmental Health & Safety Specialist will assist in the development, implementation, and monitoring of programs/policies/practices that ensure compliance with regulations including the effective execution of Injury and Illness Prevention Programs.
 
The Environmental Health & Safety Specialist will be responsible for administering the Occupational Health and Safety Program to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations. The incumbent will provide expertise and experience with industrial safety programs including, but not limited to lock out tag out (LOTO), confined space entry, machinery safety, fall protection, hazardous materials, and other industrial safety program elements; and experience interpreting and implementing occupational health and safety regulations. In addition, this position provides: training, ergonomic evaluations, conducts inspections, and investigates incidents, accidents, and claims.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Schedule and conduct safety inspections and audits of work areas and sites such as: construction sites, office workstations, wastewater treatment plant areas, maintenance shops, laboratories, warehouses, and hazardous materials/hazardous waste storage locations.
• Perform necessary duties as Facility Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program Coordinator including monthly inspections, vendor coordination, and materials inventory management.
• Maintain files and records including database tracking of safety shoe vouchers and purchases; maintain and update the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) SharePoint Document Library.
• Research and analyze EHS regulations; develop and recommend safety policies and procedures. Prepare meeting training guides in response to identified trends or hazards to prevent injuries and safeguard work areas. Develop and recommend changes to internal controls to ensure compliance with industrial safety practices. Coordinate safe operational and working procedures with leadership, supervisors, and front-line personnel.
• Maintain applicable permits and management plans for safety and environmental programs, including but not limited to: Hazardous Materials, Hazardous Waste, Universal Waste, Stormwater and Fire Department Occupancy; prepare and submit environmental compliance reports and environment records.
• Prioritize, manage, and coordinate time and activities to improve customer service, performance, and efficiency; respond to inquiries and requests for information and/or complaints.
• Track workplace injuries and accidents to identify trends; assist supervisors in the preparation of accident/incident investigation reports, root cause analysis and development of appropriate corrective actions.
• Coordinate and oversee the annual respiratory pulmonary function tests, respirator fit testing, and audiometric testing of personnel.
• Liaison with federal, state, and City agencies and departments; assist with joint training exercises with agencies or departments who support emergency operations and response plans.
• Coordinate and monitor the work of independent contractors.
• Experience with the development, implementation, and maintenance of Environmental Health and Safety programs. Including but not limited to:
  • Respiratory Protection, Asbestos Worker, Hearing Conservation, Confined Space Entry, Control of Hazardous Energy (LOTO), Elevated Work, Hot Work, Trenching & Excavations and Hazardous Materials/Hazardous Waste Storage and Disposal
  • Applicable knowledge of accident investigations, information preservation, and reporting procedures
  • Knowledge of implementing accident prevention, occupational hazards, and safety standards training programs
  • Interpretation of oral, written, mathematical, legal, statistical, and regulatory information dealing with investigations, evidence gathering and preservation, and training of environmental, health and safety regulations, standards, and practices
  • Coursework in environmental compliance, safety management, industrial hygiene or related field is desirable.
  • HAZWOPER or HAZMAT FRO, Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM) and/or Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OHSP) certifications are desirable.

     

Salary Information:

• The actual level and salary shall be determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience. The salary ranges below include an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. The annual salary ranges for each level of the ESS classification are:
• Assistant Environmental Services Specialist: $82,970.16 – $100,835.28
• Associate Environmental Services Specialist: $96,139.68 – $116,822.16
• Environmental Services Specialist: $105,989.52 – $128.812.32

Minimum Qualifications

Education: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. 

Experience:  

Assistant ESS: One (1) year (2,080 hours) of experience developing, promoting, administering, and/or participating in the implementation of environmental programs (e.g.: programs in air quality, integrated waste management, biology, agriculture, energy, forestry or parks, habitat restoration, wastewater, water resources, stormwater, archaeology, geology, resource conservation, industrial or environmental health and safety, or any program emphasizing environmental sustainability or environmental regulatory compliance). 

Relevant experience in environmental services programs typically includes preparing outreach/educational materials, conducting survey work, tracking, and monitoring deliverables, coordinating special events, promoting programs, implementing new programs, policy development, planning and permitting, grants or contracts administration, analyzing data and creating reports, and/or tracking budgets. 

Associate ESS: Two (2) years of increasingly responsible experience in developing, promoting, administering, and/or implementing environmental programs in one or more of the areas described under Assistant Environmental Services Specialist experience. 

ESS: Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in developing, promoting, administering, and/or implementing environmental programs in one or more of the areas described under Assistant Environmental Services Specialist experience, INCLUDING one (1) year of experience leading people or projects.  

Acceptable Substitutions:  

• A master’s degree from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience developing, promoting, administering, and/or implementing environmental programs.  

• Additional years of experience in developing, promoting, administering, and/or implementing environmental programs may be substituted for the bachelor's degree requirement on a year-for year basis. 

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. 

Job Expertise – Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. 

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job-specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.
 
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection, or the hiring process please contact Ernesto Zamaguey at Ernesto.Zamaguey@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility:  Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent, or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.  

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application.  If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided.  IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.