The City of San José’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) is looking for people who want to make San José a better place to live. Our mission is to connect people through parks, recreation and neighborhood services for an active San José. ActivateSJ, PRNS’ latest strategic work plan, is committed to establishing healthy communities that inspire belonging by following the guiding principles of stewardship, nature, equity & access, identity and public life.

The Department creates and activates thriving places where people live, work, play, and learn, which include 48 community centers, 10 regional parks, 209 neighborhood parks, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, 290 playgrounds and almost 61 miles of trails, programs and services that touch the lives of individuals and families in our community. We take a fun approach to public service, and value the public’s trust. Our team is collaborative, supportive, and innovative. We are a fast-paced organization that takes decisive action after thoughtful planning.

For more information, please visit activatesj.org.

Per the City’s COVID19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the City requires all employees starting on or after February 11, 2022 to provide proof of vaccination as a condition of employment absent a documented medical and/or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination means that employees are required to be “up-to-date” with regards to the COVID-19 vaccine. Consistent with the Santa Clara County Public Health Order issued on December 28, 2021, "up-to-date" means that employees are required to be vaccinated with the entire recommended initial series of a COVID-19 vaccine (two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers.

The Capital Team in the City of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department consists of architects, engineers, planners, and designers who work with the public and the development community to guide development of the city’s parks, community centers, and trails. The Trail Program Team is a part of the Capital Team, and Trail Staff must have a very broad skill set and be flexible and strategic with their work. The Team pursues competitive grants, interfaces with regional funding partners, establishes priorities and vision for future trail development, partners with the City's Public Works and Transportation departments and consultants to guide, oversee, and contribute towards preparation of inter-agency agreements, grant funding agreements, technical feasibility studies, master plans, construction documents, environmental documents, and construction administration.

The Trail Program Team is currently seeking to fill the position of Associate Structure Landscape Designer position to manage development of Class I Bikeway Trails from planning to completion. This will include contract negotiation and administration, management of community interface, and coordination with other City Departments and external agencies (e.g. City Department of Public Works, City Department of Transportation, County of Santa Clara, Santa Clara Valley Water District). The Associate will report to the Trail Program Manager on the Capital Team, and work alongside the existing Trail Program Senior Analyst.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide sketches, drawings, construction documents, specifications and reports necessary for a contractor to bid on and accurately build a variety of municipal improvements such as parks, playgrounds, trails, streetscape, and urban design.
• Analyzes field data and prepares drawings and specifications to conform to established requirements for municipal trail projects.
• Knowledge of current principles as they relate to site development and maintenance including grading, drainage, irrigation, planting, and pedestrian and vehicular circulation.
• Review City and Developer generated (private projects) plans to confirm compliance with PRNS Trail Design Standards and knowledge of other practice standards and manuals.
• Provide technical review of development or construction projects that may impact/enhance planned or existing trails.
• Ensure Trail Design compliance with Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Policy.
• Collaborate with the Department of Public Works for delivery of trail plans and studies.
• Consults with architects, landscape architects, engineers, contractors, community groups and other City departments in conjunction with the programming and design and construction of municipal projects.
• Manages construction projects to ensure conformance to project requirements
• Provides contract administration for municipal projects for conformance to City rules and regulations.
• Ability to manage/administer consultant contracts
• Communicate clearly and demonstrate excellent customer service consistent with Department standards.
• Prepare formal written documents, including memoranda to Council.
• Coordinate with fellow Trail Team members to identify, prioritize, and prepare competitive grant applications.
• Pursue and manage grant funding, including developing funding strategies that align with timing and conditions for use of grants.

The ideal candidate will be a forward-thinking professional that possesses a high level of professionalism, creativity, excellent customer service skills, and a strong work ethic. The Associate Structure/Landscape Designer position requires excellent judgment, initiative, perseverance, integrity, organizational skills, flexibility, and written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate should have experience in traffic engineering, desktop publishing, public speaking, strategic thinking, landscape, interior, or architectural design. A degree in Civil Engineering or Landscape Architecture is highly desirable.

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.

The total salary range for Associate Structure/Landscape Designer classification is $117,979.68 - $149,363.76. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in the desired specialty

Experience: Three (3) years of experience in professional work

Acceptable Substitutions: Acceptance by the State of California for professional registration testing may be substituted for the degree requirement. Proof of acceptance must be provided at the time of application.

Certification or License: Possession of a valid California driver’s license upon employment start date.

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.

Competencies

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable codes, ordinances and permits governing design and construction of municipal capital improvement projects, performance of landscape architectural research, analysis of results and development of appropriate recommendations; Citywide and departmental procedures/ policies; and federal and state rules and regulations.

• Capacity to manage delivery of multiple funded projects annually and conduct preliminary planning and development work for sustainable annual workflow.
• Understanding of, and capacity to implement guidance from Federal, State and local guidelines, including San Jose Trail Program Toolkit for Planning and Design.
• Capacity to develop alternative strategies and build inter-agency and inter-departmental alliances to resolve issues.
• Capacity to lead and facilitate large public meetings, responding on behalf of Department on technical and operational issues.
• Capacity to motivate, lead, guide, and participate in project delivery while insuring Quality Control for all work products in a positive and team building manner.

Communication Skills: Communicates and listens effectively and responds in a timely, effective, positive, and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form.

Customer Service: Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Project Management: Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

Reliability: Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Change Management: Demonstrates support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization's effectiveness; facilitates the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace.

Initiative: Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Leadership: Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application, resume, and answers to the job-specific questions. Only the 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 - one of which may include a practical/writing exercise. Please attach a current resume as part of your application submission.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process. Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit, including spaces, for each text response.

• San Jose Trails should be easy to maintain and sustainable, while contributing to San Jose’s identity and status as a national leader in trail development. Tell us about project managing a project with high quality outcomes (does not have to be a trail project).
• Trails result from balancing environmental sustainability, public access, regulatory conditions, and design guidelines. Share an instance when you had to strategically balance priorities to deliver a successful outcome.
• Neighbors often express concern about new trail development particularly behind their properties. What approach would you take to inform, engage, and seek buy-in from a community who does not want a trail in their ‘backyard’?
• Share an example of a public facility that you designed to conform to policies of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. What existing conditions caused you to choose the particular design approach?

You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of this position, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Jaine Davies at jaine.davies@sanjoseca.gov.

Link to Benefits page

California Equal Pay Act: http://www.sjcity.net/DocumentCenter/View/18980

The application deadline is May 8, 2023.

The application deadline is 11:59 PM on the final filing date. 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. Please contact Human Resources at (408) 535-1285, or Human.Resources@sanjoseca.gov if you have any questions.