City of Gresham Commercial Organics Outreach Specialist (Close May 22)

Commercial Organics Outreach Specialist

Salary

$55,553.00 - $70,948.00 Annually

Location

Gresham, OR

Job Type

Limited Term

Department

Environmental Services

Job Number

22-81

Closing

5/22/2022 11:59 PM Pacific

Overview

The City of Gresham is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as a Commercial Organics Outreach Specialist in the department of Environmental Services.

This is a full-time, two year limited-duration position featuring full benefits.  This position may be extended beyond two years based on available funding.

As Oregon's fourth-largest city, Gresham is a welcoming community of hard-working people where tradition and heritage meet innovation and opportunity. Gresham is a dynamic and rapidly growing city where families and businesses have a mutual desire and drive to thrive. City of Gresham employees care deeply about the community they serve, and go 'one step beyond' to deliver services in collaborative, inventive, practical, and nimble ways. Our work is challenging, fast-paced and rewarding.
 
We believe that to deliver the highest level of service to all Gresham community members, it is crucial we employ a diverse workforce, foster an inclusive working environment, and ensure our policies and systems result in equitable outcomes. The City seeks candidates who will support these values by continuously incorporating equity in their daily work and actively contributing to a workplace culture that respects unique viewpoints, life experiences and cultural perspectives. Come build the future with us.

Position Description

The Commercial Organics Outreach Specialist will implement the new Business Food Scrap Separation requirement. This role requires effective communication skills in English and Spanish to discuss the environmental and financial benefits of food waste prevention, donation, and/or composting with business owners and employees, property managers and haulers. The successful candidate will have a background in some or all of the following: restaurant kitchen experience, customer service, business outreach or sales, commercial organics, recycling, waste prevention or business sustainability programs. Desire and ability to work in the field with diverse stakeholders is central to this position. If you do not have specific experience in business sustainability or food waste outreach, technical training will be provided.

What you will get to do:

  • Train restaurant employees on food waste prevention, donation, and food scrap collection

  • Develop outreach, education, marketing and communication strategies for recruiting businesses to participate in Gresham's Commercial Organics program

  • Coordinate equipment delivery

  • Support the City's Stormwater Division in proper management of fats, oils, and grease

  • Troubleshoot garbage and recycling issues

  • Conduct on-site business waste audits to recommend service levels

  • Conduct research, perform data entry, prepare detailed reports and analyze information to measure success and give feedback to businesses.

  • Collaborate with the Solid Waste and Sustainability team to further reach Spanish speaking community members on waste reduction and sustainability issues

  • Participate in regional work groups and meetings, reporting on metric, enforcement

What we are looking for:

  • Someone who can work both independently and in a collaborative team environment under the guidance of team leads and a program manager.

  • An effective communicator who listens intently, works to identify concerns, engages respectfully, relays information clearly, checks for understanding, and adapts their communication style to meet the needs of the audience.

  • An excellent planner that prioritizes tasks and meets deadlines

  • Someone with an ability to evaluate a situation or problem objectively and makes informed decisions.

  • A problem solver who applies critical thinking to develop various approaches to tackle issues and/or opportunities

  • Someone who develops and maintains mutually beneficial working relationships with internal and external stakeholders

  • A curious individual to seek out new information, learn, understand and apply local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations relevant to this program


Qualifications

For additional details and position requirements, please view the Program Technician classification.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • High school diploma or GED

  • One to four years of progressively responsible technical and/or administrative support experience including research, data collection and analysis, report writing, and program administration involving resource conservation, waste reduction and recycling or pollution prevention

  • One to four years of combined customer service experience, restaurant kitchen experience, and educational outreach experience

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bilingual in English and Spanish (read, write, and speak fluently)

  • Some college level courses in natural resource management, public administration, environmental planning or related field

Selection Process

To apply for this position, click 'Apply' at the top of this job posting.

Required application materials:

  • A complete online application (do not put 'see resume' in any fields)

  • A resume

  • A cover letter (no longer than one page) describing your interest in the position and summarizing your direct or transferrable qualifications and experience

  • Answers to the supplemental questions

If you desire a modification of this process to accommodate a disability, please provide your request in writing to HR@GreshamOregon.gov, or by phone to 503-618-2729, upon submitting the required documents.

A review of application materials submitted will determine which candidates will be invited to an interview.

Communication with candidates will be done primarily through e-mail. Sometimes these messages may land in a spam or junk mail folder. We encourage you to monitor your inbox as well as the inbox within the governmentjobs.com portal for important updates related to this process.

Veteran's Preference
The City of Gresham provides qualifying veterans and disabled veterans with preference in employment in accordance with state law. Any candidate wishing to have their qualifying veteran's preference applied to the process must submit a qualifying document (DD Form 214 or 215) at the time of application providing proof of eligibility that includes discharge status. Disabled veterans must also submit a copy of their Veteran's disability preference letter from the US Department of Veteran Affairs at the time of application, unless the information is included in the DD Form 214 or 215.

Our Commitment
The City of Gresham is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants without unlawful regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, familial status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, Oregon, or local law.

Please direct questions about this position to 503-618-2729 or HR@GreshamOregon.gov.

If you need assistance with the online application, please contact NEOGOV directly at 1-855- 524-5627.

Any offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check.